GRAND HOTELS GET GRAND UPDATES
America’s robber-baron playgrounds of yesteryear are being reimagined as top accommodation spots
You’d think the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers of the world would have been happy to entertain in their lavish mansions. But in the second half of the 19th century, as trains and cars replaced horses and buggies, American society extended the radius of how far it was willing to go for a good party.
Enter the grand hotels of the Gilded Age. They had dark bars for trysts and business deals, accommodations with chandeliers and silk linens, and restaurants that served delicacies on fine china and crystal. “Had,” of course, is the operative word: Few of these venues remain. Many were destroyed in fires or torn down after losing their lustre.
Now, developers eager to deliver on uniqueness and authenticity are turning their attention to the remaining socialite playgrounds of yesteryear. “Hotels with rich histories make guests feel like they are part of something meaningful,” said David Roedel, who helped redevelop Hotel Saranac, a turn-of-the-century hot spot in upstate New York’s Adirondack Mountains.
Following are the most exciting historic renovations that have opened recently, from coast to coast — and the scintillating stories that made them famous.
THE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL AT THE SURF CLUB, MIAMI
The history: The Surf Club opened with a debauched New Year’s Eve gala in 1930 — in the middle of Prohibition — and never stopped partying. Elizabeth Arden would throw Champagne-fuelled fashion shows by the pool. Winston Churchill took two poolside cabanas: one for painting and one for sleeping off hangovers. Frank Sinatra and other members of the Rat Pack saw it as a place to do whatever they wanted, far from prying eyes.
The 2.0 version: In March 2017, the Surf Club was reborn as a Four Seasons, with whitewashed rooms and a Champagne bar by Le Sirenuse, the Amalfi Coast mainstay, in the former clubhouse. A Thomas Keller restaurant is coming soon. But the five second-floor Cabana Studios would still be recognizable to their former occupants: Elizabeth Taylor, Tennessee Williams and Dean Martin.
HOTEL SARANAC, LAKE SARANAC, N.Y.
The history: In the Roaring ’20s, you either owned a Great Camp in Lake Saranac or hacked it by staying at one of 13 nearby hotels. Only the Hotel Saranac — the liveliest of the bunch — remains. It’s where feminists rallied in favour of Prohibition while speakeasy barmen slung cocktails to robber barons.
The 2.0 version: It took three years and US$35 million to restore the Hotel Saranac — something that excited locals so much, they built a gigantic ice replica of it during their annual winter carnival. Now many of them come in for a Negroni in the great hall, which has a painted wooden ceiling inspired by Florence’s 14th-century Davanzati Palace.
THE US GRANT, SAN DIEGO, CALIF.
The history: This hotel was built as a tribute to Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th U.S. president, but subsequent heads of state loved to stay at this San Diego icon for the unparalleled glitz and five-star hospitality. Their presence didn’t stop the fun, though. During Prohibition, the hotel’s co-owner used connections in Mexico to smuggle in alcohol via underground tunnels.
The 2.0 version: A US$13-million renovation was completed this year, and the hotel is back to life. Suites still have the hotel’s signature sparkling chandeliers and custom Yves Clement drippainted headboards. Look at the floor while you’re waiting for the elevator — a stone medallion with a pewter crest by your feet marks the location of a hidden time capsule.
THE ADELPHI HOTEL, SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y,
The history: Think of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., as the Hamptons of the late 19th century: Everyone from Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt to gangster-turnedU.S. congressman John Morrissey visited for the soothing natural springs and velvet-clad bars. At the centre of it all was the Adelphi Hotel. When Morrissey died there in 1878, ordinary citizens poured into the halls to keep vigil outside his suite’s doors.
The 2.0 version: The wall behind the reception area is made of glass plates and ashtrays from the original property. The suites are exquisite, with gilded mirrors reclaimed from the 19th century and modern touches such as heated bathroom floors. And the original grand staircase, restored to regal splendour, now leads to Morrissey’s bar and restaurant, where you can order platefuls of oysters with yuzu mignonette.
BLANTYRE, LENOX, MASS.
The history: In the late 1890s, a British gentleman named Robert Paterson decided to clone his mother’s ancestral home in Scotland on 220 acres in the Berkshires. When completed, the gilded castle became the backdrop for black-tie garden parties and salacious supper clubs.
It also caused Paterson’s taxes to skyrocket, so he sold it in the 1920s and it eventually became the country ’s first Relais & Chateaux hotel.
The 2.0 version: The team behind the Ocean House and Weekapaug Inn, two standard-setting properties in Rhode Island, in January announced its acquisition of Blantyre. The newly reopened property has America’s only Dom Perignon Champagne lounge, a spa in the former potting shed and a croquet court on the lawn. Head to the Conservatory to find drinks served in William Yeoward crystal, a nod to the hotel’s early days.
THE OASIS AT DEATH VALLEY, DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, CALIF.
The history: America’s hottest, driest national park is an oasis with natural springs. That’s where the Pacific Borax Mining Co. built a hotel in 1927. Rooms started at US$10 per night, including meals. Then the owners added a spa and lush gardens, and Hollywood stars such as Clark Gable and Ronald Reagan started coming. In 1977, the inn accommodated the entire cast of the original Star Wars, which was filmed nearby.
The 2.0 version: OnFeb.1,2018, exactly 91 years after the hotel originally opened, the Oasis at Death Valley welcomed its first guests after a six-year, multimil- lion-dollar renovation. A new bar with terracotta floors is lined with paintings that tell the area’s story; and 22 Spanish-style casitas were added around the resort’s gardens. Lounge around the spring-fed pool and ask for a milkshake made with fruit from the hotel’s date groves.