Construction is wrapping up on the new Fairfield Inn and Suites at 161 Front Street in Manhattan’s South Street Seaport. Designed by Glen and Co. Architecture for real estate developer Lam Generation, the 31-story and 176-room hotel is very much inspired by its location. The nautically inspired guest rooms feature porthole windows in the bathroom doors, custom furnishings that resemble the deck furniture on an ocean liner, and an accent wall with a blueprint map of the East and Hudson Rivers. A duplex penthouse apartment on the top floor boasting views of the city’s East River includes an atrium living room, open kitchen, library, and hidden den.
While the new hotel is in line with the Fairfield brand, a Marriott property, the final result makes it one of a kind. “We tried to be extremely contextual with our design,” says Glen Coben, president of the architectural firm. “In the South Street Seaport, we were really inspired by the tradition of trade and seafaring vehicles, boats, yachts, and the idea of waterways—specifically the navigation of the East River and the tributaries that feed into it. It’s not a property that can be replicated in any other town or city.”
One particular challenge the team faced was the site’s small footprint, but they were able to use it to their advantage. For example, in the lobby proportions were maintained to feel as though the guest is on a yacht. A wood barrel vaulted ceiling and custom millwork enhance this concept.
Coben is proud to say they were able to take the brand to a higher-end level with the new property. Guests will be impressed that it doesn’t look like a Fairfield Inn and Suites, he notes. And they will be prouder still that it’s set to fill a void in hospitality offerings, the result of 2013’s Hurricane Sandy. An opening date will be announced shortly.
“This is one of the projects that are leading the revitalization of that area,” he said.
