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In the year 1984, the two nightclub impresarios who used to run Studio 54 had opened a new era in the industry of lodging with Morgans, a boutique hotel, popular for its sparse decor and stylish simplicity. It was saw great success from its beginnings.
In New York, there are several boutique hotels today and the number is ever increasing. However, the decor, designs and overall vibe have changed in time, to match the coming and going of trends.
The thread counts have stayed all time high. But in the openings of the previous years, the decor has become more luxurious. The interiors which included sleek bars initially have been converted into lavish restaurants today.
Andrew Zobler, the proprietor of NoMad Hotel says “When Ian Schrager pioneered the lifestyle hotel the model was a hotel/nightclub crossover; today it’s about all day”.
These modifications partially reflect a coming of times of the scenester-with-reservations. Those early generation of boutique hotel visitors that partied till the dawn have changed their priority to a first-class night’s respite.
Zobler says “As the clientele of the lifestyle hotel industry matures, it’s about being fun but also more important about providing comfort and luxury”.
According to designers, the historical look of new boutiques is much warmer when compared to the modernist form. Andres Escobar once said that the problem with this sober look is that the people will like it only for a short duration and that people want places where they feel they are at home. Escobar is a designer following the Montreal-based Prohibition style.
Morgans opened the lodging industry which was an anodyne place. Apart from the high end offerings, the operators seem to take pride in them for being far from hip as one could ever get. The model of boutique hotel changed this by offering lavish accommodations in places which are more intimate than the chain hotel whilst carrying the feel of night club. This particular model brought unexpected success and it has spread round the globe to any city with little claim to cosmopolitanism. The customers felt special, cared for and way cooler than bland hotel chain guests.
“Hotels are a kind of mythical gathering point, yet they are each so specific,” notes David Rockwell, designer of the W hotels in New York.
PhillipeStarck designed most of the initial projects of Schraher. His quirky simplicity defined almost a generation of projects. They defined a sort of drowsiness, speckled with theatrically eccentric touches which were in contrast to the sterile chain hotel with itskitschy, lavish appearance.
The night life had usually played a great role as it does today, especially noted atlocations such as Standard, Jane and the Maritime. These hotels usually came with a huge lounge or bar spaces and organized high profile events.
A lot of new comers are considering a different approach. The gilded NoMad, drawing plan motivation from its 1905 Beaux-Arts configuration and designer Jacques Garcia’s previous Parisian apartment, boasts a Parisian-styled restaurant curving into the entrance hall of the hotel and furniture modelled after the French originals.”Comfort comes with material familiarity” he says. Boutique hotel exteriors were redesigned with the plan of neighborhood architectural harmony which features paved brick and limestone touch.
In the meantime, the Refinery Hotel, in a former Garment district factory, has covered the design with nods both to the building’s exterior of Neo-Gothic and millinery.
Every hotel does not have a followed suit. For instance, the Wythe Hotel, in Williamsburg, which was inaugurated in the previous summer, offers raw industrial aesthetic and also burgeoning social calendar.
But when the recent openings, history and luxury are judged, this might just be promotional buzzword. The QuininMidtown, stands out with a reasonablemid-century aesthetic, drawing structural inspiration from the Steinway piano showroom and the nearby Carnegie Hall.
Boutique hotels have clinched up on new looks as part of recent changes. In the year 2008, the original Morgans were renovated. It has been given a contemporary flair and a lighter palette. According to Randwick accommodation reports, said that the hospitality industry had transitioned towards spaces that felt more residential and comfortable.
