Leave it to one of the most well-respected luxury brands to design a hotel around the color of money. The Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia, has revealed its yearlong, multi-million dollar renewal project featuring a new design based on the textures and materials of money and currency, with pops of metallic and bronze. It’s a nod to the rich lifestyle within, and the building’s moneyed past. The iconic hotel’s original structure was built as a reproduction of Rome’s classic Pantheon when it opened in 1908 as The Girard Trust Company. The neoclassical style structure features 9,000 tons of Georgia marble and was once the largest dome in the Western Hemisphere.
The property-wide enhancements focus on the scenography of the building. Co-designed by Wimberly Interiors and LW Designs, with Coscia Moos Architecture, the updates to the hotel include all new guest rooms and meeting spaces, a refreshed lobby experience and public spaces along with a new restaurant, bar and lounge by Richard Sandoval.
The new design brings a sophisticated feel throughout the hotel. Accommodations feature luxurious fabrics and furniture finishes in a neutral color palate, an office area and dining space. Punctuations of green and blue along with notes of bronze and nickel layer a contemporary polish. The new two-bedroom Ritz-Carlton Suite sits on the 31st floor and includes a private elevator, separate living and dining spaces, a personal kitchen, and a grand master bath with unobstructed views of City Hall and the William Penn statue.
Guests enter the building’s large lounge area which is flanked by two large crystal walls that fill the space with sparkle and light. The property’s iconic marble lobby now houses celebrity chef Richard Sandoval’s newest restaurant Aqimero featuring a wood-burning grill and menu of sustainable seafood, steaks, ribs and poultry. The 206-seat restaurant also has an artisan cocktail bar, “Suviche” raw bar, and a kitchen window giving guests a peak at the action behind-the-scenes.
The exclusive Philadelphia Club Lounge has also been refreshed with classic furnishings and restored architecture, including the original French walnut paneling. The quiet space provides complimentary food and drink throughout the day, plus personal amenities and dedicated private concierge services.
The 26,000 square feet of meeting spaces have been updated with a clean aesthetic and a nod to the past through historic motifs from the building in the furniture details and a clean aesthetic. Pre-function rooms include 13 meeting rooms accommodating groups from 20 to 400. Even the original bank vault now serves as a luxe function room.
The hotel has two ballrooms: a 3,075-square-foot petite ballroom and the 6,100-square-foot Grand Ballroom, the centerpiece of the hotel. There, the sky peeks through the ballroom’s large crystal chandelier, via the oculus and the top of the rotunda in the lobby. The oculus—once used by bank tellers to pull the money from the vault directly below—is still intact and is now covered by a glass wall and surrounded by a high-top bar.
