Herzog and Molnar run a hotel together, after 4 decades as friends
Herzog and Molnar run a hotel together, after 4 decades as friends
Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle) - by Heidi Dietrich Staff Writer
When Michael Herzog and Andre Molnar met for the first time at a hotel school in Switzerland, they hit it off instantly. At ages 22 and 20, they shared a passion for tennis, partying, and chasing girls.
Forty-four years later and half a world away from their first encounter, Herzog and Molnar are now running a hotel together. Last year, the pair bought Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham.
The unlikely journey began in May of 1964, when Herzog and Molnar became friends while attending a French-speaking hotel school in Switzerland. Herzog came from Germany and Molnar from Austria, and they spent just six months together before they left for apprenticeships in different parts of Europe.
"I didn't think I'd ever see him again," Herzog said.
Upon completing their studies at various hotels in Europe, Molnar moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, to become a flight attendant, and Herzog remained in the hotel business. Over the next decade, Herzog worked for a resort chain in 25 different countries around the world.
One day in 1973, while stationed at a hotel in Austria, Herzog noticed a bottle of Canadian Club whiskey at the hotel bar. He thought of his old friend Andre, and decided that night to call him. After a brief phone conversation, Herzog became convinced that he should join Molnar in Canada. He quit his hotel position and flew to Vancouver.
The two, both still single, rented an apartment on Vancouver's English Bay. They worked as flight attendants and used their ample time off to play sports and socialize.
"It was fantastic," Molnar said. "We were in a very prestigious building on the waterfront and had nonstop parties. Everyone hung out there."
The arrangement lasted for two years, until Molnar got married. Herzog - after serving as best man in the wedding - decided to move to Los Angeles and then back to Europe.
Over the next few decades, Herzog and Molnar talked rarely. They once went a full decade without a phone conversation. But both knew the friendship would live on, as they picked up right where they left off during occasional reunions at Whistler in British Columbia, never losing their mutual sense of understanding and companionship. During those years, Molnar began a career in real estate and Herzog got married and remained in the hotel world.
In 2004, Molnar visited Herzog in Austria. During dinner one night, Molnar brought out a pen he carried with him from the Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham. He told Herzog that it was his favorite hotel to stay at, and asked him what he thought about buying and running the property - even though it wasn't for sale.
"I said I wasn't interested," Herzog said. "I didn't want to run a hotel and I didn't know Bellingham."
Molnar didn't give up on his friend. Two year later, Herzog visited Canada, and Molnar persuaded him to take a trip to Bellingham. During the entire three-day visit, pouring rain drenched the city, hiding Mount Baker from view.
Nonetheless, Herzog immediately understood Molnar's enchantment with Hotel Bellwether. He loved the old-fashioned carpets, dark wood and large rooms. Both friends appreciated the adjacent lighthouse, complete with a three-story suite, and the hotel's picturesque location on Bellingham's waterfront. Herzog told Molnar that if the owner could be persuaded to sell, he'd go for it.
In May 2007, Herzog and Molnar took over the Hotel Bellwether. Molnar negotiated the sale and Herzog assumed control of the daily hotel operations. Molnar still lives in Vancouver, B.C., visiting Herzog and the hotel in Bellingham once a month.
"It's the perfect partnership," Herzog said.
Though Molnar couldn't have predicted he and his best friend would end up running a Bellingham hotel together, he claims he knew way back in 1964 that Herzog would remain an important part of his life.
"I have only a few lifelong friends," Molnar said. "He is one."
