September 29, 2015: 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. Known for his innovations, the SH group CEO and Chairman Barry Sternlicht developed the brand with a socially and environmentally conscious platform in celebration of the beauty and preservation of nature.
A natural haven in the middle of Manhattan, 1 Hotel Central Park stands one block south from NYC’s largest green space, at the corner of 58th Street and Sixth Avenue. 1 Hotels was created by the internal design team of Kemper Hyers. SH Group tapped popular 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 guest rooms. 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.”
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. On every floor, unique 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. Rooms boast striking 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, allowing guests to perch above Manhattan streets, creating cozy corners for reading and daydreaming. Bathrooms are beautifully 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 lush “green moments” thoughtfully placed around the hotel while AgroSci and its forward-thinking 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 guest room, housed within uniquely shaped recycled studio glass from Brooklyn Glass.
Each room is equipped with Triple Clear Water filters in all taps, sinks and showers; 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 with crisp, fresh scents of nature; and eco-friendly cleaning solvents.
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. 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 are available.
Offering more features to appreciate and revel in, rates of the hotel begin at $499 and reservations may be made at 1hotels.com or by calling 1.877.288.1111.
