ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Kimpton Lorien Hotel & Spa in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia has completed a $2.51 million redesign to the hotel’s 107 guestrooms—including 16 suites—as well as the property’s outdoor terraces, hallway corridors, public areas, adjacent French brasserie BRABO, and 5,600 square feet of meeting, wedding, and event space.
Located on a brick-lined street among boutiques and fine art galleries, Kimpton Lorien Hotel & Spa has an award-winning spa, newly refinished modern interior design, two culinary venues helmed by Executive Chef Sebastien Rondier, and access to Washington, D.C. and the neighboring Virginia countryside.
Design firms MONOGRAM at BBGM led the guestroom, corridor, and suite design concepts, and David Hill Design, refreshed the living room and event space décor. The design blends Old Town Alexandria’s classic architectural details with contemporary twists, subdued colors, and a touch of whimsy. The redesign incorporates a color palette of calming purples, copper, greys, blues, and greens, furnishings with modern twists and tailored details, and curious art.
A brick courtyard flows to the hotel’s lobby—a blend of classic and contemporary with Alexandria’s familiar red brick found in the flooring, juxtaposed with modern slate floors and a wall of artfully hand-stacked slate. Past the Queen Anne-style reception desk and chandeliers is the newly redesigned living room, where the hotel hosts a daily wine hour. The space’s modern-day furnishings lend a nod to the past include varied seating, nesting coffee tables, and warm and inviting art pieces that stand out among cool shades of lavender, blue, and white.
Hallway corridors with heritage-inspired wall detailing, colorfully patterned carpet reminiscent of clouds, and three-dimensional focal art guide guests to their quarters.
The focal point of Lorien Hotel & Spa’s new guestroom design is an alluring Rorschach-inspired ombré wallcovering—a blue and green inkblot meant to encourage visionary thought—which plays with the idea of whimsical dreaming. Below the graphic artwork, the bed has a headboard of light wood with tufted chevron panels, as well as Frette linens accented with blue sewn throw pillows and built-in modern frosted glass lighting. The rooms also include grey lounge chairs, sand-toned task chairs, and custom concrete desks. Barn doors made of opaque glass open to bathrooms with contemporary grey stone vanities. Select bathrooms have claw-foot bathtubs and Turkish rainfall showers.
The hotel’s Presidential and Diplomat Suites are multi-room suites that include parlors with sectional seating, reading chairs, and oversized bathrooms with spa rain showers. The spacious Presidential Suite also has a contemporary dining set and built-in wet bar for hosting receptions, bridal parties, or meetings of up to 10 guests. Many suites have private terraces with views of Old Town Alexandria, some as large as 700 square feet. The outdoor spaces are outfitted with new overstuffed couches and chairs and can accommodate up to 60 guests.
Lorien Hotel & Spa also has 5,600 square feet of event space including access to private courtyards and terraces as well as French-inspired cuisine directly from Executive Chef Sebastien Rondier of the hotel’s adjacent restaurant, BRABO. This year, the hotel’s two dedicated function spaces also received décor upgrades with neutral slate blue walls with a subtle Greek key patterned flooring to pair with any occasion.
At the end of 2016, the hotel’s adjacent restaurant, BRABO, also expanded its bar to be double in size, accommodating the popularity of the French brasserie’s happy hours. The updates include more seating areas, natural lighting, new furniture, copper-accented lighting fixtures, and locally curated artwork.
Xenia Hotels and Resorts, a real estate investment trust that invests primarily in premium full service and lifestyle hotels, owns the Lorien Hotel & Spa.
