Hospitality Design - May/June 2010 - 72

perspectives

places: new york

Chatwal New York
When the Chatwal New York opens in July (named after Sant Chatwal, CEO of Hampshire Hotels & Resorts), it will restore a prohibition-era city landmark: the former Lambs Club building, once the center of theater and entertainment, built in 1905 by Stanford White. With the building as inspiration, Thierry Despont’s design is a nod to the glamour of early 20th century travel and Art Deco. “I wanted to create a unique New York experience where guests would feel the energy and vibrancy of the city while being at the center of today’s world,” he says. A patterned brown terrazzo ﬂoor with a red and cream border greets guests. Elsewhere in the two-story lobby, wood wall panels have metal trims, a sepia toned mural of a New York cityscape runs the height of the lobby, and reception desks are done with chrome metal ﬁns. With the original Lambs Club’s ﬁreplace as the centerpiece (a gift from White), the restaurant will have a men’s club feel, thanks to dark lacquered wood panels and

Above: A guestroom at the Chatwal New York, with modern furnishings and desk inspired by designer luggage. Right: A spacious bathroom in the blue-schemed guestroom.

red leather banquettes. In the 88 guestrooms, desks and closets are reminiscent of designer luggage, walls are lined in ultrasuede, and bathrooms are swathed in tinted marble and mirrors; the color of the wall and bathroom is one of three color schemes: burgundy/ochre, blue/gray, or yellow/brown. And the must see is the below ground spa and pool.

Distrikt Hotel
“Many hotels currently seek to shock or overwhelm their patrons, but at the Distrikt, the goal was to provide a comfortable experience that would also excite visitors about the city in which they are staying,” says Michael Lisowski of local ﬁrm Otte Architecture, who handled the design. He and his team employed nods to the city throughout the 155-room hotel—an abstract map carved into the lobby millwork, stone of Grand Central Station, room layouts reminiscent of loft living, stenciled district names in and around elevators, and a green wall honoring the city parks in the lobby. Eye-catching custom lighting, fabric, and furnishings abound, but special attention was paid to the artwork. The ﬁrm called on artist Chris Rubino to translate more than 10,000 photographs that Lisowski and the design team took of different neighborhoods into a colorful series of 32 variations of 10 collages of neighborhoods that ascend up the 31 guest ﬂoors: Harlem, Central Park UES/ UWS, Midtown West, Midtown East, Chelsea, the Village, Soho, Tribeca, Lower East Side, and the Financial District. “The composite pieces allow for a new discovery each time they are viewed, much like the neighborhoods themselves,” Lisowski says.

Right, from left: Distrikt’s café and lobby seating area backed by a living green wall.

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hospitality Design - May/June 2010