Charleston, S.C. (January 2016) – Charleston’s most anticipated luxury lifestyle hotel project, The Restoration, unveils this month following a $27 million yearlong transformation. Located on historic King Street in the center of downtown Charleston, the expanded property is a first for the city, offering a sophisticated pied-à-terre experience. Dropping the “on King” from its previous identity, the new Restoration features 54 suite-style accommodations with five new outlets and an notable roster of both timeless and on-brand partners from an amenity line by Beekman 1802, to a Culture Library with Assouline books, a Toby’s Estate Coffee shop, and Martone bicycle-share program.
Under the ownership of family-owned and operated Jeffrey R. Anderson Real Estate, Inc., with concept curation by Cory Ingram of Identity Atelier, The Restoration aims to capture and champion the local and authentic aspects of Charleston’s history as a port city through a modern lens. Comprised of five buildings, four of which date back to the 19th century, the final product includes the acquisition of two adjacent buildings, as well as the construction of a new 7-story building. The expansion added 38 new rooms for a total of 54 suites, ranging from one to three bedrooms with the largest including a private roof deck.
“The Restoration is reflective of Charleston’s illustrious history as a port city, meant to revive those forgotten traditions. This is our fresh approach to luxury hospitality. We never replicate, but rather, we extract and redefine that local heritage to provide guests with a contemporary yet authentic experience,” says owner Anders Anderson. “As part of that mission, we look forward to providing a platform for locals and guests to get in touch with what makes the city tick.”
For design inspiration, Ingram tapped into Charleston’s native culture. The theme is translated within the décor, which threads a color palette of moss, grey, and indigo – a significant hue and plant in Charleston’s port trade history – throughout the property’s suites and public spaces.
In the suites, guests will recognize equestrian themes to highlight the city’s riding culture, quatrefoil designs to capture the allure of the famous church steeples, and even old skeleton keys – a nod to the romance and craftsmanship of the building. Original Charleston bricks located in each room complement the theme as a decorative touch, and are even available for purchase.
“The design sensibilities are an abstraction of what we feel truly represents Charleston,” says Ingram. “Our vision was to mix old with new and high with low to recreate that history in a creative and narrative visual. These are the touch points that will provide an engaging lifestyle experience for guests.”
Beyond the accommodations, guests will find five new outlets including: The Culture Library, The Rise Coffee Shop, The Port Mercantile, The Amethyst Spa, and The Indigo pool deck. The public spaces are thoughtfully curated and current, meant to tell the story of Charleston through locally inspired experiences.
The Watch Rooftop Kitchen & Spirits Notably, the hotel has the city’s highest rooftop bar and restaurant — The Watch Rooftop Kitchen & Spirits — offering impressive views of downtown Charleston, the Ravenel Bridge and more. At the helm of Chef Chad Anderson, The Watch takes a cue from the rich history and coastal location, artfully serving modern American food with low country and global influences. Guests will find local partners including St. Jude Fisheries, Limehouse Produce, Geechie Boy Mills, and Grassroots Farm. For takeaway service, the restaurant offers The Watch To-Go where hotel guests can order dishes to their rooms with delivery and pick-up service. Open daily from 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
The Rise Coffee Shop As a natural port city, Charleston has a long history of importing the very best goods from all over the world. Amongst the most prized commodities that arrived daily on its shores are coffee and teas, the shippable staples of civilized life. The Restoration partnered with Toby’s Estate, a small batch roaster with roasting plants in Brooklyn and single origin blends from exotic locations like Kenya, Guatemala, Brazil and El Salvador. For the finest and most delicious teas, the hotel also partnered with artisan tea maker Bellocq, who offer a special Charleston blend with notes of poppy, chamomile and lavender. Open to the public from the street, The Rise will become a part of the landscape of King Street.
The Culture Library The estate library is one of the most enduring and charming traditions of the refined South, a place where knowledge and generosity co-exist to educate and entertain guests. The Culture Library at The Restoration features an eclectic (and occasionally eccentric!) mix of books, magazines and art journals for guests to admire or collect. Publishers include the venerable Assouline luxury-publishing house, as well as local, small-run letterpress ventures. The library is home to an honor bar stocked with local spirits. Simply fix yourself a drink and mark your room number for the tab, on the honor system. Guests will also find “Restoration Librarians,” the property’s interpretation of a traditional concierge to assist with personalized recommendations.
The Port Mercantile A modern day mercantile store with an upmarket touch, The Port Mercantile at The Restoration is a multi-categorical store selling thoughtful essentials and a range of unique goods from craft peanut butter to handmade jewelry sourced from over 100 vendors across the globe. With brands such as Linda Farrow, Giles and Brothers, Pamela Love, Will Leather Goods and more, the shop is an exquisitely curated shopping destination located in the building, which was originally built in 1893.
The Amethyst Spa Coveted for its stimulating and soothing properties, amethyst offers peace, calmness and positive energy. The South is also the only region in America where it can be mined. In ancient times, monarchs and travelers would wear amethyst for protection and to decrease stress levels. Drawing from amethyst’s mythical past, The Amethyst Spa at The Restoration has created a luxury spa experience with treatments by Natura Bisse and Sjal, in addition to a nail bar. Inspired by a jewel box, the design incorporates elements of amethyst crystal within two treatment rooms and the relaxation area.
The Indigo Perched atop The Restoration and bathed in natural light from all sides, The Indigo is a restorative relaxation pool, exclusive to hotel guests, offering sweeping views of the city and Charleston harbor. Guests can take a refreshing dip in the rooftop infinity pool or sunbathe while enjoying a signature cocktail.
Furthering the hotel’s mission to tell the story of Charleston through authentic experiences, The Restoration has enlisted likeminded partners to develop creative programming for guests and locals alike.
Beekman 1802 Powered by a “farm to shelf” philosophy that harmonizes with The Restoration’s community-minded lifestyle approach to hospitality, Beekman 1802 is the hotel’s premier amenity partner. Included in every room is a curated assortment of Beekman 1802 soaps and lotions, all handmade on the Beekman farm. In addition, a selection of Beekman 1802 cheeses and cookbooks are available for purchase in The Port Mercantile.
Artist-in-Residency The roots of the artist in residency program date back to the early years of the last century when art-loving benefactors would provide space, tools and support to empower local artists. In its current form, The Restoration’s Artist in Residency program offers creatives an immersive opportunity to share their work by incorporating it into the hotel’s DNA. The artists chosen for the program collaborate with the hotel to supply imagery for guest rooms, corridors, hallways and key cards, and also produce hand numbered editions for guests.
The inaugural artist, Ben Gately Williams, is a photographer based in Charleston and contributor to Garden & Gun magazine. Shot in a journalistic style, his photographs evoke a distinct sense of Americana, aligning closely with The Restoration brand. Hotel guests can purchase all Gately prints on property and have them shipped home directly.
The Open Road Project To further The Restoration’s theme of Americana, the hotel developed The Open Road project to offer guests the opportunity to dream up, design and ride off on a fully-customized motorcycle, hand-built by the in-house master craftsman. Evoking the pioneering spirit of motorcycle riders and their colorful history, the Open Road project offers guests a one-hour consultation with the craftsman to discuss their dream bike. Every detail, from the handlebars to the chassis and the fenders is customizable. From there, the craftsmen will hand-build the bike over the course of four to nine months. Once complete, guests can pick up their motorcycles from The Restoration and ride off into the sunset.
Customizable Scent + Scented Weddings Enhancing the Artist in Residency program, The Restoration also boasts a team of resident perfumers with the ability to create signature scents. Guests meet one-on-one with scent-crafters to design bespoke fragrances that capture the respective personality. The custom formula will remain on-file for a lifetime and delivered to your doorstep in eight handmade bottles.
This program is also available for weddings and special events, where the perfumer-in-residence will curate a scent for the occasion with perfume, candles, guestroom and venue scents – and even translates the essence into a signature cocktail. Beyond a simple custom scent, the wedding fragrance will fill the entire hotel during the event, and can be ordered as a takeaway for attendees.
The Dapper In the fashion space, The Restoration will collaborate with patrons to design and produce a range of timeless menswear essentials, including a customizable bowtie, a dapper pocket square, or a fully bespoke suit – all handcrafted by world-class tailors through the hotel’s stellar partners.
Martone Cycling Co. The Restoration partnered with the forward-thinking bicycle brand Martone to create a complimentary bike share program for guests. Known for their colorful, bold design and their now iconic built-in hand baskets, Martone bikes are beloved by city dwellers and country-folk alike for their clean lines and smooth rides. 12 bikes are available for use on property, with new bicycles available as a special purchase in The Port Mercantile.
