By Ryan Rudnansky
Starwood Capital Group Chairman and CEO Barry Sternlicht introduced the eco-friendly luxury lifestyle brand 1 Hotels on Wednesday with the debut of 1 Hotels & Homes South Beach.
The South Beach hotel consists of 426 rooms and gazes out at 600 feet of beachfront, boasting many features that will define all 1 Hotels properties moving forward. That includes a design built from low-impact, reclaimed and natural materials, as well as architecture, landscaping and décor that showcase nature.
“It’s simple. We have an impact on nature and nature has an impact on us. I decided that if I was ever going to create another hotel, I wanted it to be more than a brand; I wanted it to be a cause. People are already living like this and are now looking for ways to travel in the same fashion,” said Barry Sternlicht, chairman and CEO of Starwood Capital Group, via a release. “At first, our guests may simply notice the graceful twist of driftwood in the furnishings. However, what we are really offering is an evolution of the entire hotel experience, one that is more natural in regards to the way we arrive, sleep, eat, relax and do. By focusing on simple changes that make life better, we will encourage guests to stop, recalibrate and hopefully gain some inspiration from the small steps we have taken to protect nature at each property.”
1 Hotel & Homes South Beach will come complete with 3,000 feet of living wall, as well as 11,000 local tropical plant varieties and natural art pieces such as interactive hanging terrariums and a plant laboratory courtesy of local Miami artisans Plant the Future.
Guestrooms at the South Beach property average 700 square feet. Like every 1 Hotel moving forward, they feature custom help-blend Keetsa mattresses topped with organic linens, yoga mats, clothes hangers made from recycled paper and stones engraved with “Not Now” in place of the traditional “Do Not Disturb” door hangers. 1 Hotels & Homes South Beach also offers king beds built on white oak platforms (complete with headboards made from preserved Colorado beetle kill pine), wraparound daybeds, bedside chalkboards and reusable recycled water glasses to use with the in-room water tap.
James Beard Award-winning Chef Tom Colicchio will oversee three food and beverage programs and in-room dining at the South Beach property, including Beachcraft (highlighting Florida fishermen and farmers), a lobby bar called Tom on Collins and a poolside restaurant and bar dubbed The Sand Box. In May 2015, the property will introduce 1 Kitchen: Organic Food And Juice Bar by Spring Cafe. The restaurant will focus on health, wellness and sustainability with plant-based cuisine, inspired by Aspen’s 100 percent organic Spring Cafe. 1 Kitchen will offer seasonal and locally sourced dishes cooked with organic cold pressed oils, sea salt and fresh herbs; fresh and cold pressed juices; and sweets using only spelt, almond and oat flours.
Both 1 Hotels & Homes South Beach and the upcoming 1 Hotel Central Park in New York were transformed into more eco-friendly properties from existing buildings. The properties have been updated with energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, motion sensors, LED illumination to reduce energy, low-flow plumbing fixtures and an environmentally friendly dry cleaning machine.
1 Hotels & Homes South Beach also boasts 155 branded residences, four swimming pools, a 26,000-square-foot rooftop lounge complete with a 112-foot-long pool, 57 cabanas and daybeds, an 18,000-square-foot spa, a wellness and fitness center and more than 100,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space.
All 1 Hotels properties will offer “Daylife” activities and offerings designed to “cultivate positive connections with nature, the community, and the local environment,” via the release. Every day, there will be a daily offering of freshly sourced items from the hotel’s signature restaurant. Once a month, local farmers will present their goods to guest for purchase in the lobby. 1 Hotels properties will also dim the lights each month and offer cocktails and activities for a candlelit evening. For the sky gazers out there, there will be star watching opportunities via telescopes and sky maps (notable astrologers may even show up and teach guests their horoscopes). Lobby events will mark special seasonal events such as the new moon or solstice. On top of that, guests will have opportunities to volunteer with local non-profits to help the environment, from planting a tree to cleaning a beach.
Signature brand amenities at each property include: a Tesla electric car service for guest transportation (within a pre-set radius), free Wi-Fi, a complimentary bicycle valet, complimentary parking for guests who bring their own electric vehicles and digital newspapers on an in-room device.
Speaking of technology, 1 Hotels also has an app for reservations, services and communication with in-hotel staff. With the app, guests will be able to note their preferences before checking in to the hotel, request services on-site, set the climate control in their rooms, contact housekeeping, make restaurant reservations and more.
The next 1 Hotels properties will be located in Central Park (late spring) and Brooklyn Bridge Park (end of 2015).
Steele Luxury Travel
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