Standing in the middle of a magnificent rooftop terrace — on a picture-perfect day with a picture-perfect view of Montclair — Jeff Sica admitted there was one overriding concern about scheduling a late Wednesday afternoon party to announce the beginning of the transformation of the MC Hotel.
Would anybody come?
As he looked out at the nearly 250 friends, family and business colleagues attending the Summer Soiree, Sica expressed a heartfelt sentiment to everyone present.
“My gratitude for all of you showing up is beyond words,” he said. “I want to thank everybody for taking time out of their busy schedules to get here to share this incredible transition with us.”
It was well worth the time and effort.
The rooftop terrace and bar, which is only in the beginning of a transformation, already features views that stretch to the skyline of New York City. And it provides an atmosphere that would be perfect for any special occasion — or a big game.
Sica, the head of Circle Squared Alternative Investments, the firm that had long been the biggest investor in the hotel but only recently took over the management duties, was thrilled to see so how easily everyone in attendance could picture his grand vision for the property.
Sica, with the help of Stonebridge Companies (a national leader in hospitality) and Stout NYC (perhaps the leading food and beverage company in New York City), is determined to make MC Hotel the best property in the state of New Jersey if not the Northeast, he told the crowd.
“We are going to turn it into an iconic brand,” he said. “We are going to turn it into the ultimate destination.”
The transition will take time.
The rooftop terrace will get a little bit more of a makeover — starting with numerous large-screen TVs that will make it a place to be to watch football in the fall and the World Cup next summer. It’s the type of upscale sports bar atmosphere Stout is known for.
Stout also will lead the efforts to bring in a standalone Mediterranean restaurant on a property the group owns right next door, as well as an upscale Steakhouse on the soon-to-be renovated first floor of the hotel.
The hotel has 156 rooms – and an entire floor of conference and meeting rooms to attract business events, board meetings and off-site team meetings.
Sica feels this will be a major draw.
“The density of corporations and businesses in this area is like few places in the country,” he said. “We want to become the hotel for businesses, where companies can take their teams for off-site meetings and really enjoy themselves with great food and a great atmosphere.
“We should be booked every day of the week.”
And while you may come for the food and the amenities, Sica said he is determined to ensure guests come back because of the service. Everything will be done in a way that raises the level of hospitality to the highest level, he said.
“We want to make this a destination, not just a hotel,” he said.
All of this will take time, figure a year or so until everything is where Sica and his team want it.
The early returns, however, already are in — and they already are words to Sica’s ears.
“When I was outside on the rooftop terrace, somebody came up to me and said, ‘We only live a few miles from here, but I feel like I’m on vacation,’” Sica said they told him.
That’s the vision, he said.
“We want to make it an escape for people, a place to take them away from their cares of the day without getting on an airplane or driving a great distance,” he said. “We want them to step into this different world and feel like they’re somewhere else.”
