With demand for unique, historic hotel options on the rise, several branded and independent properties have opened in former business buildings in recent weeks.
Flint, Mich.
Fairfax, Va.-based Crescent Hotels & Resorts has opened the Hilton Garden Inn Flint Downtown in the former Genesee County Savings Bank. The original Italian Renaissance Revival design of the banking hall and base of the tower were completed in 1920, and an art deco style was incorporated in 1947. The hotel retains much of the art deco detailing as well as the original marble wainscoting, base moldings and door casings.
“Crescent has numerous historic properties in our portfolio, but this property’s transformation from a 1920s bank will definitely create a memorable experience for guests,” said Michael George, Crescent's CEO.
The 11-story Hilton Garden Inn includes an Italian restaurant and a ground-floor coffee shop; more than 3,000 square feet of event space, including five meeting rooms and banquet center; and a rooftop lounge and deck.
Des Moines, Iowa
The Surety Hotel has opened in Des Moines’ downtown district, the latest property from Aparium Hotel Group. An adaptive reuse of the century-old Hippee building, the 137-room hotel marks a revival of a Beaux-Arts Classicism-style structure built for The Iowa Loan & Trust Company in 1913 as Iowa’s tallest building at the time. The hotel is named after a surety bond.
Slingshot Architecture and DLR Group’s interior design preserved many of the building’s historical features, from the 12-story main staircase to the ornate mail chute that runs down the structure’s entire length. They also maintained the bank space on the main level, including original vault doors. The hotel’s interiors are outfitted in marble, hand applied artisan plaster, hardwood millwork, leathers and metals, reminiscent of the coins that previously passed through in exchange.
“Paying homage to the building’s roots in financial transactions, we aimed to foster communal and social transactions through our design,” said Staci Patton, principal at DLR Group and interior design director for the project. “We played into the artistic backbone of Des Moines to bring the community together with a design that embraces over 28 original works of art by local Iowan artists.”
Tapping Des Moines’ under-the-radar arts scene—home to the largest nonprofit arts space in the U.S., Mainframe Studios—Surety Hotel collaborated with local galleries Olson Larsen Gallery, Liz Lidgett Gallery & Design and Moberg Gallery on specially commissioned pieces such as artist Julia Franklin’s “dress shirt” made of waxed 1920s banking documents.
Indianapolis
Geronimo Hospitality Group has opened the 139-room Bottleworks Hotel in a former 1930’s Coca-Cola bottling plant in Indianapolis. The hotel occupies the top two floors of the plant’s main building and pays homage to its history with restored art deco details.
“The grand opening of Bottleworks Hotel is a huge milestone for Bottleworks District and for the city of Indianapolis,” said Jeff Whiteman, COO of Geronimo Hospitality Group. “The restoration of the Coca-Cola bottling works administration building transformed into the boutique Bottleworks Hotel showcases the best of Indianapolis, giving guests both near and far a new way to stay.”