The Royalton

Andrée Puttman’s collaboration with Ian Schrager at Morgans created the concept of the ‘boutique’ hotel, but it was The Royalton that cemented it. Schrager’s commission of Philippe Starck to design his second hotel was a masterstroke which created a hotel innovative on so many levels that its influence continues to reverberate around the industry to this day.

Chief amongst Schrager’s re-imagining of hotel conventions was his establishment of the hotel lobby as a social hub for the media and fashion elite. The Royalton’s restaurant ‘44’ was redubbed ‘Cafe Conde’, such was its popularity with the editors and guests of the Vogue publishing house next door. 

Two decades on, the once-legendary lobby is no longer shoulder-to-shoulder with celebrities. American Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour – the inspiration for Meryl Streep’s character in The Devil Wears Prada – has long since vacated her residency in 44’s most sought-after booth. Schrager and Starck have moved on to projects new. And New York’s centre of influence has shifted, as successive waves of gentrification have seen the Meatpacking District, Tribeca, the Lower East Side, and East Village play host to the hot hotels of the day, and their habitués.

Now, in an attempt to re-inject some vitality into The Royalton, new owners Morgans Hotel Group have faced up to the considerable challenge of transforming the hotel’s public areas with a major refurbishment by NY-based Roman & Williams.

“Roman & Williams have not only etched out a new chapter in the ethos of MHG, but have also created a timeless design that pays homage to the visionary heritage of Royalton,” says David Weidlich, Executive Vice President of Morgans Hotel Group. A long flaming showpiece fireplace takes centre-stage in this ex-trailblazer for the ‘lobby socialising’ scene, and now each zone of the ground floor feels more cosy, with its pockets of steel, brass, wood, velvet, suede, and fur.

Lighting designers Focus Lighting have uplit the blue leather panelling with pale blue light to create a background for the sculptural aluminum forms which protrude from the walls, lighting the sculptural steel of the fire with dichroic lensed accent lights.

“We drew on influences as varied and diverse as modern Africa, mid-century Brazil, and contemporary Scandinavia,” remark Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch, the principals of Roman and Williams. “The language and materiality we selected for the lobby speaks to this notion of a collision of cultures and ideas – from the massive bronze fireplace, primitive and pure in feeling, to the cast-glass vestibule; heavy metal furnishings, juxtaposed with warm wood; and soft suede upholstery, thick leather walls and hide-covered chairs. Our goal was to design a space that transcends place and time.”

New York restaurateur John McDonald is behind the eating and drinking spaces, Bar 44 and Brasserie 44. The restaurant, still in its same location at the end of that famous runway, has a nautical air – curved wood, different meshing textures, and uplit rope. The bedrooms are now described as ‘oversized’ – not a description ever applied to those of the original Royalton. They have been redesigned by Charlotte Macaux, founder and chairman of Brooklyn-based architecture and design company Studio CMP. Her designs echo the golden age of travel, with cruise liner tones enhanced by Forties-style furnishings, and slate-and-mirrored mosaic clad en-suites featuring five-foot Roman soaking tubs.

Can The Royalton reassert its once-formidable presence on the city’s social circuit? The critics, bloggers and columnists who document the contemporary New York social scene seem to think not. But fashion is a fickle beast. Who knows if the cycle will one day turn full circle and see Midtown Manhattan lure back the movers and shakers. In the unlikely event that it does, The Royalton will at least be ready and waiting for them. Just don’t tell Ms Wintour her reservation has been cancelled.

THE ROYALTON HOTEL
44 West 44th Street New York,
New York 10036
Tel. 212 869 4400
www.royaltonhotel.com

168 guestrooms & suites
Food:  Brassserie 44
Drink:    Bar 44
Facilities:    Executive Boardroom