TORONTO–Raffles Hotels & Resorts, part of AccorHotels, in partnership with Saunders Hotel Group and The Noannet Group of Boston, signed definitive agreements to debut the first mixed-use Raffles property in North America. The Raffles Boston Back Bay Hotel & Residences is scheduled to open in 2021.
Joining a collection of 12 Raffles properties around the world, the mixed-use development project will include 147 guestrooms and 146 branded residences in a new 33-story building. Hotel highlights include a mix of signature hotel services such as the Raffles Butler, and public spaces including a two-story sky lobby perched high above Copley Square, five distinct food and beverage venues, a Raffles Spa with a 20-meter indoor pool, a rooftop garden terrace and lounge, and expansive meeting and pre-function space. Located at the corner of Stuart Street and Trinity Place, the project also aims to reinforce the Back Bay as a first-class international neighborhood.
“We are proud to announce the introduction of Raffles Hotels & Resorts, one of our portfolio’s most iconic and beloved luxury brands, to Boston, an American city with a powerful history of cultural significance and landmark events,” Kevin Frid, COO of AccorHotels North & Central America, says. “As the only Raffles property on the continent, the hotel will bring to North America the unparalleled standards of excellence for which the Raffles brand is celebrated. We are certain that Raffles Boston Back Bay Hotel & Residences will become a legendary address for unsurpassed service, extraordinary style, and distinctive experiences for years to come.”
Raffles Boston Back Bay Residences will include a collection of pied-a-terre suites, one- to three-bedroom homes, and penthouses. Residents will have preferred access to all the services provided by Raffles Boston Back Bay, including exclusive membership in the resident-only tier of the company’s guest recognition and loyalty program, which features VIP status and access to special benefits within the AccorHotels portfolio. There will also be a variety of residents-only gathering places and exclusive offerings to be announced closer to the official unveiling.
For more than 130 years, Raffles Hotels & Resorts has celebrated the individual personalities and stories of its hotels, each with a design aesthetic that embraces and reflects the culture of the destination and community in which it resides. AccorHotels says that a team of award-winning architectural and design firms has been selected to bring the Raffles Boston Back Bay Hotel & Residences to life, with an inimitable personality that is uniquely “of Boston,” with ith an exterior designed by Boston-based architectural firm The Architectural Team, Inc., hotel interiors fashioned by Stonehill Taylor, and residential interiors created by Rockwell Group.
Located in the heart of the Back Bay, Raffles Boston Back Bay is adjacent to the Boston Back Bay Train Station and is within a block of Copley Square, Fairmont Copley Plaza, Trinity Church, and high-end shopping at Copley Place. It is also within a short walk to other primary attractions such as the shops and galleries of Newbury Street and Prudential Center, Fenway Park, the Museum of Fine Arts, and dozens of fine dining restaurants.
The project’s developer, Trinity Stuart LLC, is a partnership consisting of hoteliers Gary and Jeff Saunders, principals of Saunders Hotel Group, which has a history of owning and operating hotels in Boston’s Back Bay, and developer Jordan Warshaw, principal of The Noannet Group, a Boston-based mixed-use and residential development firm that specializes in architecturally distinctive buildings that enhance their communities.
“Raffles is one of the most iconic names in hotels in the world, and the Back Bay is one of the most iconic neighborhoods in the United States, so it is a logical and perfect match and will further enhance Boston’s reputation as a world-class city,” Jordan Warshaw, president of The Noannet Group, says.
Saunders Hotel Group Chairman Gary Saunders comments, “Our family has owned iconic hotels throughout the Back Bay for over three generations, and in choosing a hospitality partner for this exciting project we couldn’t have found a better brand for this location than Raffles.”
“From an operations and management standpoint, there is no brand in the world like Raffles. Their attention to every detail, focus on the needs and comfort of every individual guest, and value system they instill in all employees and staff members results in the finest guest experience in the world,” adds Saunders Hotel Group CEO Jeffrey Saunders.
Today, Raffles’ collection includes a dozen locations around the world, including Le Royal Monceau, Raffles Paris; Raffles Singapore, Raffles Seychelles, and more. Noteworthy Raffles openings in the pipeline include Raffles Europejski Warsaw in Poland, The Palm Dubai Hotel and Raffles Residences on Palm Jumeirah, and transformation of the Old War Office in London into a Raffles Hotel.
Raffles Boston Back Bay Hotel & Residences joins AccorHotels’ current luxury brand offerings in North and Central America, which include Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and Sofitel Hotels & Resorts.
