Work has begun on a 522-key hotel designed by Gene Kaufman Architect at 140 West 28th Street in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood. The 146,000-square-foot hotel is being developed by Sam Chang’s McSam Hotel Group.
At 45 stories, the hotel is one of the tallest buildings in Chelsea, an opportunity made possible by the air rights that came with the property. Once open the hotel will also have an arcade as a unique feature.
Once open, the four GKA-designed hotels on West 28th Street between 6th and 7th avenues will represent a 1,000-room portfolio for the Chelsea area. With 522 rooms, this new property has more rooms than the previous three GKA hotels combined — the Cambria Suites at 123, which opened in 2015; the Marriott Fairfield Inn & Suites at 116, which opened in 2010; and the Hilton Garden Inn at 121, which opened in 2007.
The hotel’s façade is a mix of brick and metal, with the materials changing ever so slightly every two floors in response to the high visibility.
“The demand for hotel rooms in Chelsea continues to grow, with ever larger and ever-taller hotels being constructed to accommodate the number of tourists wishing to stay in this vibrant neighborhood," Gene Kaufman, founder and principal of GKA, said in a release. "With its variety of restaurants, shops and easy access to other parts of Manhattan, Chelsea seems to show no sign of losing its attraction for visitors.”
The new hotel will have approximately 2,300 square feet of restaurant and lounge space as well as office and fitness centers.
In 2003, the first two hotels GKA ever designed, a Hampton Inn for Hilton and a Four Points by Sheraton for Starwood, opened in the one-time industrial area, which has since become one of New York City’s destination neighborhoods.
The hotel will be located in the heart of the emerging “Silicon Alley,” close to hundreds of Chelsea art galleries, and a variety of tourist attractions, including the Empire State Building, Times Square, Bryant Park, Chelsea Market and the High Line.