FOUR SEASONS HOTEL NEW YORK DOWNTOWN, NEW YORK

Posted in Projects on 27 March, 2017

New York City, one of the world’s most exhilarating and evolving cities and home to hundreds of top-class hotels, the city is a difficult place for high-end hotels to stand out. Tonje Odegard from SPACE wanted to see if Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown, the brand’s second property in NYC, was able to compete…

Located in trendy Tribeca, an exciting and fashionable area in Lower Manhattan, just steps away from Wall Street, the World Trade Centre and the new Oculus, this 189-room hotel opened in September. No longer just a business district, the dynamic Downtown Tribeca has a long history of creativity and now buzzes with new additions to the arts scene, celebrity chefs, pace-setting fashion and soaring architecture. Tradition and innovation seamlessly come together in this ‘new’ New York, forming the perfect location for a Four Seasons hotel.

Designed by New York- and Toronto-based design studio Yabu Pushelberg, the hotel has a classic Manhattan chic-style, situated in the brand-new 82-storey Robert A.M. Stern-designed skyscraper, adding its mark to the famous NY skyline. With its eye-catching façade, the building already stands out.

Architecture

Architect Robert A.M Stern has created a magnificent-looking skyscraper, soaring an impressive 926 feet over the historic Lower Manhattan, making it the tallest residential building in Downtown New York. In a timeless tribute to the city’s distinctive early 20th century architecture – the iconic Woolworth Building shares the same city block – the tower takes its place on the skyline housing the city’s newest luxury hotel.

Built in traditional stone and brick material, the sandy façade sets the scene for a traditional-looking hotel with contemporary touches.

Interior

Throughout the interiors, the aesthetic combines varying textures to create spaces that are distinctly modern, and yet immediately welcoming.

Lobby

Stepping inside the hotel from Barclay Street, the frenetic pace of life and work in Manhattan transitions to a moment of peace and calm. The two-storey lobby layers architectural elements in response to the ever-evolving urban landscape that surrounds it. Feet rest on cream-coloured soft wool carpeting over travertine floors as the eye takes in original artworks displayed against rich wood walls and woven metal screens.

Stern wooden structures form an elegant and interesting look, complemented by the brushed bronze accents and fabrics in muted jewel tones. One of the most intriguing elements of the lobby is the circular-shaped lamps hovering over the reception area, and the half-arch-shaped tunnel that leads through to the lifts and staircase.

The dramatically suspended staircase is a statement on its own. Encased by large structural elements in a swirly, black and white marble pattern, a curved backdrop of grey tiles around a large window, and a pendent art piece of long silver pipes, the randomly twisted stairs lead you up to the gracious gathering spaces above. The banister and railing have a black metal interlocking pattern, hinting gently to the playful and geometric ceiling lights.

Guestrooms

The rooms are tastefully appointed as one might find in a private home with light blues, greys and taupes, providing a backdrop to a technologically advanced guest room that is filled with natural light. A variation of black and white plaited carpets, cream petrol pattern carpets and dark wooden floors form the bedroom floorcoverings. In the suites, the rugs are in a beautiful charcoal grey with cream laser-thin stripes creating diamond shapes.

The balconies, offering breath-taking views of the city, have concrete slabs and decorative ornamental steel railings with glass.

Marble bathrooms and deep-soaking tubs help complete the design elements that one would expect from a luxury hotel. Shimmering cream mosaic tiling, large mirrors and opaque cabinets also add an elegant feel.

Spa

Like a mini-resort hidden in the midst of one of the world’s busiest places, the urban-chic Spa at Four Seasons is a sanctuary of pampering and therapies. Yabu Pushelberg has lightened the palette with white tay wood walls and floors of oak and travertine. Each of the seven treatment rooms is dressed in soothing organic lines with cream mosaic tiles similar to the ones in the guestroom bathrooms.

The spa reception houses a masterpiece reception desk in a swirly black and white marble pattern, contrasted by light travertine floors. Behind the desk stands a playful creation of wooden squares tucked in-between vertical wooden boards with tribal head sculptured sitting on top of them.

Two-storey windows also line the shimmering 75 feet long indoor lap pool, creating a dramatic effect and floods the restful lounge furnishings with natural light. The pleasingly symmetrical room repeats the pattern and colours of the marble reception desk and mellow wooden screens calms the area down.

Restaurant

CUT, celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck’s first Manhattan restaurant, is a steak house with interiors to match. Passionate and intense designs by decorator Jacques Garcia and interior designers STRATA Architects PLLC fill the fairly large dining room.

The high walls are dressed with huge and dramatic deep scarlet velvet curtains, a fabric also seen in chairs and benches around the room. The bar front is in an ox-blood leather material, also used in the dining chairs. The main attraction is nonetheless the neon red thunder lighting light that runs down the side of the back of the bar. The dark room, illuminated in a burlesque-like red, completes the look and gives the dark, wooden, herringbone floor a glamorous touch.   

The Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown is a fantastic contribution to the Tribeca district, fitting well in with the new lifestyle of the area. Artistic details with a backdrop of understated luxury prove Four Seasons’ calibre of quality, flare and execution.