Owned by Sunstone Hotel Investors and managed by Highgate Hotels, the historic Boston Park Plaza recently completed a multi-year, $100 million renovation and restoration project. The comprehensive transformation includes a complete overhaul of the hotel’s 1,060 guestrooms and corridors, main entrances and lobby, meeting spaces, and mezzanine levels; the addition of a library room; and the replacement of all furniture and fixtures. Designed by Sudbury, Mass.-based Parker Torres Design, the new look celebrates the bones of the building and neoclassical details while bringing it forward to the 21st century, says Director of Design Ellen Johnson. The original lobby felt dark and dreary with dim lighting, and the furniture configuration resembled that of a train station, Johnson recalls. Now, it feels chic and crisp with ivories, charcoals, camels, and pops of crimson.
Diamond geometric chandeliers, floor-to-ceiling columns, and the back bar feature wall pull guests into the space. “Our goal was to look at this lobby as an opportunity to have people congregate, gather, and socialize, and really create energy,” Johnson says.
Sheer Genius
A procession of sheer panels softens the volume of the space, with various seating groups nestled in between. “As you penetrate the great room, it unveils itself more and more,” Johnson says. “It adds to that drama and the sense of being climactic in a way, and the bar is the final step.”
Raising the Bar
During the demolition, the team discovered hidden plasterwork behind the back wall. They recast some of the moldings, repaired all of the plasterwork, and added custom, locally fabricated wall clocks. “Those traditional touches were fabricated in a historically relevant way, bringing the whole lobby back to its former glory but still reinventing it,” she says.
Best Seat in the House
Parker Torres Design aimed to create a smart, provocative, fun, and dramatic space. This is achieved through moments of playfulness, such as two Instagram-worthy birds nest chairs. “We want it to be a dynamic space that people look forward to visiting, not something where you have to straighten your tie to enter,” Johnson says.
