NEW YORK—SH Group, the hotel brand management arm of Starwood Capital Group, has announced the opening of 1 Hotel Central Park. This is the second property for the recently launched 1 Hotels, and the first in New York City.
1 Hotel Central Park stands one block south from New York City’s largest green space, at the corner of 58th Street and Sixth Avenue. Its ivy-covered facade is a homage to Central Park.
“1 Hotels started from a simple belief: those who travel the world, care about it,” said SH group CEO and Chairman Barry Sternlicht. “I believe this hotel fills a void in the market and offers guests simply something they haven’t seen before. I’m proud to debut this mission-driven brand in New York City with 1 Hotel Central Park and look forward to delivering guests the best design, service, and amenities just 100 steps south of Central Park.”
Led by internal design team of Kemper Hyers, SH Group tapped New York-based AvroKO to design the hotel and restaurant, Damian Harris of Harrison Green for landscape design, AgroSci to create the hotel’s three-story exterior green wall, and Sprout Home provides green touches throughout the hotel, including Brooklyn Glass terrariums in guestrooms. Chef Jonathan Waxman is at the helm of the signature restaurant, Jams, as well as room service and on-site catering.
“It is sometimes said that ‘green’ design and luxury cannot co-exist. We were excited to take on that stereotype and attempt to disrupt the thinking about environmentally-conscious venues,” said Greg Bradshaw, one of the principals at AvroKO. “The natural and local materials emerged as the heart of the design allowing us to celebrate and enhance their inherent richness with minimal touches including a warm color palette and atmospheric lighting. Our goal was to leave the space feeling somewhat unadorned so the materials and core of the space could speak for itself.”
Using the building’s original industrial architecture as a reference point, the design brings the outside in to feature the raw beauty and imperfections of natural materials. Source origin materials including woods, bricks, marble, stone, and glass from local suppliers are blended with original riveted steel beams and concrete ceilings.
16,000 fallen twigs artfully embedded into two large steel doors welcome guests to the hotel, greeting them with nature from the moment they arrive. On every floor, artistic renditions of the floor numbers are revealed as the elevator doors open; each number is represented in a different design using repurposed materials, such as penny nails or acorns. Preserved moss fills hallway niches.
Guestrooms boast furniture made by local craftsmen, offset by a color palette of warm, neutral colors and accents of blues and creams. Select rooms feature reclaimed wooden timbers and window seats that extend from the building. Bathrooms are rendered in tactile natural materials such as Breccia Capraia marble, mushroom wood, concrete tiles, and reclaimed brick with rustic copper fixtures and glass-enclosed Napa-style paned walk-in showers reminiscent of indoor greenhouses. Furnishings and infrastructure elements will adhere to green building and LEED standards.
Landscape design by Damien Harrison’s Harrison Green creates “green moments” placed around the hotel while AgroSci and its technology maintain the three-story living wall on the building’s exterior made of individually potted English Ivy plants. Brooklyn-based Sprout Home creates terrariums for each guestroom, housed within recycled studio glass from Brooklyn Glass.
The hotel features 229 guestrooms, including 22 suites and 1 Greenhouse Suite. Each room is equipped with Triple Clear Water filters in all taps, sinks, and showers; energy-efficient heating and cooling systems; natural Keetsa hemp-blend mattresses; natural cotton towels, robes, socks, and linens; yoga mats for use with in-room programming; custom 1 Hotels products featuring naturally-derived ingredients; and eco-friendly cleaning solvents. In addition, guests are provided with a goodie bag on arrival filled with seasonally inspired snacks curated by Chef Jonathan Waxman.
A paperless approach to the guest experience includes electronic check-in, bedside chalkboards in lieu of notepads, and an in-room Nexus device pre-loaded with newspapers, magazines, and the 1 Guide, the 1 Hotels app to control all aspects of the room, from television to communications and temperature. Complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi is provided along with concierge services, 24-hour in-room dining, access to a Tesla premium electric vehicle rides within a 15-block radius, complimentary valet for all electric vehicles for overnight guests, and complimentary bicycle valet parking.
A communal space on the second floor is available for guests to work or relax and enjoy a drink from Jams. Five private rooms are available for more formalized gatherings, meetings, or private dining, accommodating groups of nine to 130. These rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows showcasing natural light, millwork décor, individual sound systems, 55-inch TVs, the latest technology for business needs, and interactive surfaces. Three of the rooms may be combined to form one large 600-square-foot space called the Great Lawn. Guests also have access to The Hive, a business area featuring two e-kiosks equipped with an iPad and printer.
Chef Waxman helms the hotel’s signature restaurant Jams. Set to open in late August, the 100-seat restaurant and bar offers local and seasonal cuisine featuring market-fresh, local and organic ingredients and purveyors. Napa-style paned windows overlook Sixth Avenue and 58th street. The design highlights exposed brick, exposed mechanicals in the ceiling, natural light, reclaimed oak, a quarry stone bar floor, and a soap stone bar top, all of which are accented by a plum-colored palette.
Guest will have 24-hour access to the Field House, a fitness center on the second floor. The space highlights a floor reclaimed from the University of Wisconsin basketball court.
1 Hotel Central Park follows the March 2015 opening of 1 Hotel South Beach and will soon be joined by 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge Park in 2016.
