NEW YORK, Oct. 7, 2015 — The Renwick, a new 173-room hotel, featuring 33 custom suites, located at 118 East 40th Street, officially opens its doors today. Centrally located steps away from Grand Central Station and Midtown Manhattan, the hotel resides in a quaint, brick building with spacious interiors and a rich history of inspiring creative luminaries. The product of a blooming partnership between Interstate Hotels & Resorts, hotel Asset Value Enhancement (hotelAVE), and Meadow Partners, The Renwick delivers a fresh new focus on whimsical luxury with a modernistic approach designed for business travelers and leisure-seekers alike. Come November, John DeLucie's first solo restaurant, Bedford & Co. will open as its signature food and beverage venue, bringing increased energy to the property sparked by its modern American cuisine prepared on a custom-made wood-burning grill.
"The Renwick is an artfully curated hospitality experience that caters to the most discerning of travelers and locals," said David Israel, Senior Vice President of hotelAVE. "We're excited to bring back the creative spirit of the building's past through each detail of the property and launch a new lifestyle luxury hotel that brings to life the new soul of classic New York."
A Colorful Past: The Renwick's Rich History Housed in what was built in 1928 as a long-stay residence for sheltering artists, intellectuals and noted authors — such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Mann, and John Steinbeck — The Renwick takes inspiration from the imaginative spirit of its former residents. Their works and lasting influence has inspired many of the elements found within the rooms and suites.
It's All In A Name: A Dedication To Innovation The hotel takes its name from James Renwick, Jr., the highly acclaimed architect best known for his design of St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue in NYC. Renwick's passion, worldly travel experiences, and dedication to modernization is the driving force behind the new accommodations, evident throughout the fully renovated property, from the eccentric décor details to the unique service culture.
Extraordinary Accommodations: Modern Artistry Compliments a Creative Past Renowned New York-based architect and interior design firm Stonehill & Taylor was tapped to reimagine space the space, crafting whimsical interiors and paying homage to past residents and cultural and artistic innovations of the 1920s, through a modern lens.
The property's 173 loft-style guestrooms and suites feature custom-furnishings made to reference items found in an artist's studio such as easel-inspired television stands, desks reminiscent of the artist's work bench, nightstands intended to mimic flat file cabinets and a patterned carpet that simulates paint-splattered concrete. A minimalist, masculine color palette will feature a bold band of ink permeating from the foot of the bed through the leather-tufted headboard and onto the ceiling.
The Renwick's 33 spacious studios and suites are all inspired by the prominent literary and creative figures of its past, curated to pay homage to either F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck, Thomas Mann or Ernest Hemingway. They feature literary works, quotes from the respective authors as well as other items reminiscent of each name and their celebrated careers. For a more interactive experience, the hotel houses two Creator Suites: one Artist's Suite with a blank canvas on a wall ledge and an artist easel with paint brushes and a Writer's Suite with a functioning typewriter and an inkwell and pen on the desk. The James Renwick Suite is the hotel's Presidential Suite, with an ample living room, bedroom, dining area, wetbar, powder room and a large outdoor terrace that showcases views of the Midtown skyline.
Curated Guest Experience: Playful and Functional The Renwick boasts luxurious amenities catering to the savviest of modern travelers. It offers a well-outfitted fitness facility, a high-tech business center and complimentary 200 mb/s WiFi and hardwire internet. Guests of The Renwick are also encouraged to tap into their artistic side. Origami kits hang from the pushpin cork boards above the desks in the guestrooms, visually stimulating the senses. An inventive post card can be found in-room, encouraging guests to leave their creative mark, which they can mail directly to the hotel by placing it in the original mail chute next to the elevator bank for a chance for their art to be displayed in the hotel or as a future hotel postcard. Bathroom amenities are made exclusively for the hotel by Brooklyn-based Apotheke. The hotel's unconventional in-room dining concept, debuting later this year, was conceptualized by famed NYC chef John DeLucie.
Art in The Renwick is Not an Adornment: It Is a Lifestyle The hotel offers no framed artwork and instead spotlights functional art sourced by 19 local New York artists who were tapped to create pieces exclusively for the hotel that complement the public spaces and thoughtfully curated rooms. Hand painted blinds of the New York skyline hang in every room. One-of-a-kind ceramic mugs with an excerpt from F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby sit upon each guestroom desk and the uniquely designed "do not disturb" signs come in the shape of paint brushes that hang on door knobs. Each room is also equipped with a different hand-painted artist stool and a quote of inspiration on the desk's blotter. A rising star in the art world, Brooklyn-born artist Gregory Siff was tapped to create the multi-wall mural in the hotel lobby, a stunning signature piece that pays tribute to the New York skyline and the building's former residents.
The Renwick is located at 118 East 40th Street between Park and Lexington Avenue. Rates start at $459/night. For more information and reservations, please visit www.therenwickhotelnewyork.com or call (212) 687-4875.
