Fresh Air

The Purple Palm at the Colony Palms Hotel

Although the Colony Palms Hotel and Bar d’Eau of Trump Soho are seemingly a coupling of opposites—one resides in the sunny sprawl of Palm Springs, CA; the other in the glitzy grit of New York City—their outdoor spaces offer guests a similar experience—a chance to swill and sway under the stars in high style.

Having a space within the open air attracts additional guests to one’s property, especially in the spring and summer when the nights are long and the sun shines high.

David Dixon, the co-owner of the Colony Palms Hotel, and Elli Jafari, executive director of food and beverage for the Trump SoHo, outlined the importance of an outdoor space, not only highlighting the potential of bolstering overall revenue, but also the aesthetics that accompany these spaces.

The Colony Palms Hotel was originally built in 1936 by Purple Gang mobster Al Wertheimer (then called The Colonial House) and was renown as a hotbed for prostitutes, gambling and liquor.

Lush landscaping at Colony Palms Hotel

Fifteen years later, the property was sold to Robert Howard, son of the owner of champion thoroughbred Sea Biscuit, and became a playground for young Hollywood, a tradition that continues today. The Colony Palms underwent a two-year, $17 million gut renovation, which was completed in the spring of 2007.

“We focus the energy around the restaurant, The Purple Palm, and the pool,” says Dixon. “It’s the heartbeat of the entire property and it revolves around an essential courtyard—it’s a major source of our revenue and guest satisfaction.”

The look and feel of the property was a collaboration between the owners and Los Angeles-based interior designer Martyn Lawrence-Bullard, echoing the 1940’s heyday of Hollywood infused with a subtle exoticism.

It offers three acres of sprawling land with outdoor fireplaces, jasmine gardens, a croquet court and of course, poolside cabanas to see and be seen.

“It’s Chateau Marmont-influenced, but of the desert,” says Dixon. “It was really about a classic aesthetic but turning up the modernity. It’s elegant, but at the end the day it’s also simple. Of course people come from NYC and Chicago, but, primarily, our guest is a drive-in customer that lives within three hours.”

Bar d' Eau at Trump SoHo

Locals, too, flock to Trump SoHo, and especially Bar d’Eau, the 3,000-square-foot bar with a wrap-around balcony featuring a pool, a bocce court and three cabanas where Manhattan’s elite gather to sip and savor the skyline.

The 6,000-square-foot pool deck was designed by DiGuiseppe Architect and features a blue Italian mosaic-lined pool with a cascading waterfall and quartz and Ipe decking, which echoes the Turkish flair of the spa that operates on the same floor.

“Bar d’Eau was opened two months after the launch of Trump Soho in April 2010,” says Jafari. “We’re all New Yorkers and we don’t have so many outdoor spaces in our life. In the summertime, everyone is in the search of a space with a view; once we launched Bar d’Eau, it was a pleasure to see the need for a place like that.

"What makes it unique is the view—it’s not so high up, which is perfect because we don’t have many high-rises around us. It’s very Zen, very quiet, but you have the feeling that you are in Manhattan.”

The developers of Trump SoHo, Bayrock Sapir Organization, along with Ivanka Trump wanted Bar d’Eau to be an after-hours private bar that would dovetail with the design of the spa and use materials worthy of a five-star property, explains Anthony DiGuiseppe.

Water serves as the entry focal point, cascading over a custom Calcutta gold marble fountain, reminiscent of palatial Turkish courtyards, and which was laser cut in Italy, and highlighted by an organic chandelier dripping nickel beads into the fountain below.

"We were drawn to earthy brown leathers and orangey acrylic, as well as rich sparkle metals and lush wovens that interact with the light. Also poured glass tops that would imitate the fluidity of water—Bar d'Eau,” he says.

Each property celebrates what makes it unique—the location—informing guests exactly where they are and, in turn, reminding them exactly why they came. But with those rewards comes serious challenges, design-wise as well as operationally.

“The challenges with a historic property are enormous and endless, but the payoff is fabulous because you have 1936 architecture and that’s real texture for people to enjoy in the property,” says Dixon.

“It has a ton of soul. Our season really runs from November 1 through June. And then in the summer, we do business, but we discount and it’s a different business. Our rates are very seasonal.”

Poolside cabanas at Trump SoHo

As for Bar d’Eau in Trump SoHo, Jafari explained that while the bar has a rather long season, running from Memorial Day weekend until the first weekend in October, after that the bar becomes exceedingly difficult to heat due to Western winds and they are forced to close down.

DiGuiseppe echoes these too-windy woes, explaining that it directly affects the specifications of certain outdoor furniture as well as their maintenance.

“It was also about how to create intimate spaces within an open space with larger buildings surrounding, and a looming tower (the Trump Soho Condo Hotel) as the background,” he says.

While Bar d’Eau sought to have a dialogue with its interior spaces to maintain visual consistency, Dixon and Lawrence wanted something decidedly different for their outdoor space.

“The restaurant and bar were specifically derived to be a departure from the guest rooms,” says Dixon. “The rooms have a subtle Moroccan theme; it’s a little more rock and roll in the restaurant design.”

While the exterior spaces have a certain retro country club flair, the restaurant is a touch more decadent, featuring plum-colored walls coupled with sage green leather banquettes and armchairs.

“The design aesthetic is a big part of our offering, but it’s not over-designed within an inch of its life,” he says. “It’s meant to be a bit bohemian. It’s about the history and how you feel in the place.”