ATLANTA — IHG Hotels & Resorts today announced the opening of the first voco hotel in the Americas: voco — The Franklin New York. Originally built in 1930, the 50-room hotel in Manhattan’s Upper East Side underwent an extensive renovation. Flintlock Construction owns and Aimbridge Hospitality manages the property.
The voco brand, launched in 2018, combines brand reliability and comfort with the charm and playfulness of a boutique hotel to create a unique experience. The name voco has Latin origins and means “to invite” and “call together,” reflecting the brand’s signature “come on in” welcome, which includes a regionally inspired welcome treat and dedicated voco hosts to serve as local experts.
The guestrooms at voco – The Franklin New York highlight the hotel’s historic features while providing modern amenities such as a spa-like shower and fast WiFi. Like all voco hotels, voco – The Franklin New York will promote sustainability through luxurious bedding that’s made from 100 percent recycled materials, bulk amenity bath products, and aerated showerheads to decrease water usage. voco hotels also reduce, on average, 300 plastic bottles per guest room every year by providing micro-filtered water in-room instead of single-use bottles.
The upscale voco brand focuses on conversion opportunities, allowing owners to leverage existing assets while taking advantage of IHG’s global enterprise global enterprise and scale. The brand is slated to open additional U.S. locations in St. Augustine, Florida, and Columbia, Missouri, in early 2021.
“We’re thrilled to bring the voco brand to the critical American market,” said Ginger Taggart, vice president, global Crowne Plaza and voco Americas, IHG. “The historic design, modern upgrades, and inviting ambience are a perfect blend of old and new. Our guests will love the fresh, modern design that still honors the iconic heritage property, and also will appreciate the cleanliness and sustainability measures that ensure a responsible stay. Whether you travel for work or pleasure, voco – The Franklin New York celebrates everything we love about New York City while giving guests the confidence and comfort they need for a world-class stay in an exciting new brand.”
“It has been our privilege to restore and enhance this historic property,” added Flintlock Construction founders Andrew and Stephen “Chip” Weiss Jr. “The hotel has been reimagined as a modern classic. The renovation is an artful blend of restoration and original modern touches and state of the art electronics in the rooms. Our goal was to create a world-class hotel for the Upper East Side, and by partnering with IHG to launch the first voco in the Americas, we’re making that goal a reality.”
voco – The Franklin New York is the 16th property worldwide to open under the brand. There are currently 23 additional voco properties in the global pipeline, and the brand is on track to open 200 hotels in urban and leisure locations over the next 10 years.
