 NEW
YORK (March 11, 2009) - The Pierre, the iconic U.S. flagship of Taj Hotels
on New York's Fifth Avenue overlooking Central Park, will re-open June
1 following a meticulous $100 million renovation to create new guestroom
and bath interiors and to reconfigure first floor public areas to accommodate
a new restaurant, Le Caprice at The Pierre, as well as 2 East, a new lobby
lounge, and a graciously welcoming reception area.
"We're extremely pleased with the results of our transformed residential-style
interiors. The designs perfectly complement The Pierre's classic ambiance
of quiet refinement and restore a sense of the property's original grandeur,"
said Heiko Kuenstle, General Manager, The Pierre. "We look forward to welcoming
guests to our distinctive world of luxury. We're also excited to join forces
with Le Caprice to introduce our new brasserie-style restaurant, Le Caprice
at The Pierre, the first restaurant outside of London for this celebrated
UK favorite."
Guestrooms & Suites
All guestrooms and suites are being transformed to feature a warm, inviting
residential-style décor with a feeling of quiet luxury. High ceilings
and abundant natural light evoke a gracious, airy experience that enhances
the new interiors. Color palettes, comprised of soft neutrals in pale ivory
and taupe with tones of corals or blues, are contrasted with rich woods,
tufted leather headboards and matching benches. Richly textured silk and
brocade fabrics in elegant neutrals with tasteful accents of color adorn
upholstery, pillows, draperies and bed throws. Hand-carved carpets ensure
comfort and superb acoustical sound control. Fine arts consultant Mortimer
Chatterjee, a former Christie's UK auction house executive turned Mumbai
gallery owner known for recognizing emerging talent and who researched
the extensive art collection at the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower in preparation
for its centenary in 2003, is hand-selecting artwork to complement the
designs.
All bedrooms will feature an interactive 40-inch flat screen television,
a Bose Wave Studio with iPod docking station, WiFi, a working desk with
built-in data and power outlets, comfortable upholstered chairs and large
new sound-insulated, energy efficient windows with both blackout draperies
and sheers. Closets will be outfitted with an electronic safe complete
with power outlet that accommodates laptops. Access to all guestrooms will
be via a new state-of-the-art electronic key system.
A significant portion of the renovation focused on updating all guest
bathrooms. New Turkish marble-clad guest bathrooms will feature a glass-walled
shower with oversized showerhead and steam-free makeup, shaving and wall
mirrors. A majority of the baths have been enlarged to also incorporate
a separate soaking tub and a flat panel television.
The living rooms in all guest suites will feature similarly inviting
color palettes, comfortably elegant plush sofas and chairs, rich wood cabinetry,
side tables and desks in the style of classic antiques, and the Bose Home
Theatre system. The decorative fireplace is trimmed with original architectural
details that have been restored to match the original crown ceiling moldings
and window frames, and fitted with romantic white pillar candles. Some
suites will accommodate up to six connecting bedrooms under just one key,
ideal for families, corporate travelers and heads of state. Several new
signature suite designs, including two suites with spacious landscaped
terraces suitable for grand-scale entertaining, will be unveiled later
in 2009.
Public Areas To Include Le Caprice at The Pierre, First US Location
of Celebrated UK Restaurant
The new designs for the first floor respect the neo-Georgian character
of The Pierre's grand public spaces, with decorative motifs, subtle embellishments
and artful floor plans that perfectly accommodate sophisticated entertaining
and hospitality for discerning guests. Upon completion, the gracious lobby
level will feature a new restaurant, Le Caprice at The Pierre; 2 East,
the new lobby lounge and bar, and a new central area for check-in and concierge
assistance with greater guest access and floral designs from New York's
L'Olivier Floral Atelier. Second floor banquet spaces, which were previously
restored during the first phase of The Pierre's renovation program, have
a dedicated entrance on 61st Street and remain open for meetings and events
as guestroom and first floor renovations near completion.
The new restaurant, Le Caprice at The Pierre, is due to open in summer
2009. Le Caprice first opened in 1947 and was re-fashioned in 1981 with
contemporary black and white décor, David Bailey photographs and
a long bar to break the mold of established restaurants and offer flexibility
in the menu, but with a high level of quality and service. Long-said to
be one of the jewels of London's restaurant scene and a popular theatre
haunt -- "For nearly two decades a table at Le Caprice has been the stock
exchange for the arts," said AA Gill, Sunday Times restaurant critic --
it is now part of Richard Caring's Group, joining his other exclusive London
dining establishments that include The Ivy, Annabel's, Daphne's, Wentworth
Golf Club and Soho House. Caring and The Pierre have joined forces to recreate
the celebrated brasserie-style restaurant within the hotel, which will
feature timeless classics for breakfast, lunch and dinner, including its
legendary Thai-baked sea bass and salmon fishcakes, in a convivial modern
brasserie setting.
About The Designers
James Park Associates conceptualized The Pierre's guestroom designs.
The firm is noted for its portfolio of hospitality and luxury transportation
projects that spans five continents and includes palaces, resorts, urban
hotels and luxury cruise trains at the forefront of their respective industries.
Champalimaud, formerly known as Alexandra Champalimaud & Associates,
created the designs for the new lobbies, including 2 East, as well as all
function space on the second floor. The renowned interior design and interior
architecture firm is celebrated for achieving highly individualized designs
for its international clientele. Founded 27 years ago by Alexandra Champalimaud,
the firm's award-winning portfolio encompasses many of the world's most
successful hotels, restaurants and spas, as well as prestigious private
residences and commercial spaces.
Swedish designer Martin Brudnizki, who can list Scott's, Wentworth Grill,
J Sheekey Oyster Bar and The Club at The Ivy among his considerable achievements,
has been brought in to design Le Caprice at The Pierre.
The Pierre - History
(http://www.tajhotels.com/pierre/)
Meet Pierre
Charles Pierre Casalasco was born into the hospitality industry. His
father, Jacques Pierre, was owner of the redoubtable Hotel Anglais in Monte
Carlo, where Charles worked as a pageboy, rubbing shoulders with the Russian
grand dukes and European royalty who patronized his father's hotel.
When Pierre sailed into New York as a 25-year-old immigrant, he immediately
made his mark as first assistant at the fashionable Sherry's. Here, he
became acquainted with members of the influential Four Hundred set, including
J.P. Morgan, the Astors and the Vanderbilts. Having served these powerful
financial figures for nine years at Sherry's, Pierre then had the experience
and connections to open Pierre's on the Park at 230 Park Avenue.
Pierre's Park Avenue restaurant was the place to be seen during the
1920's. The creme de le creme went to Pierre's to host debutante balls,
society wedding receptions and ladies' lunches. But at the height of his
success, Pierre sold out and entered a joint venture with a group of Wall
Street financiers, most notably Otto Kahn, E.F. Hutton and Walter P. Chrysler.
The Construction
Their vision, the opulent 714-room Pierre Hotel, went up on a prime
site at the corner of Fifth Avenue at 61st Street, commanding unrestricted
views of Central Park. It cost $15 million to build and opened to great
fanfare in October 1930. This new hotel was Georgian in design, an imposing
structure of granite and cream-coloured brick, capped with a tall tower
of gleaming copper, inspired by a French chateau. Pierre promised his hotel
would be characterized by simplicity and refinement. The restaurants and
bathrooms will have the ultimate touch required by select gatherings.
The Opening
On October 1, 1930, the hotel opened for business with 700 rooms and
"an aim to create the atmosphere of a private club or residence instead
of the average hotel atmosphere." Two weeks later, a gala dinner given
by president and managing director, Charles Pierre Casalasco himself, marked
the official grand opening. New Yorkers were impressed, and the top tier
of society turned out to taste a Bill of Fare prepared by 85 year-old August
Escoffier. This "father of French cuisine" served as guest chef at The
Pierre in its early years.
The Pierre fast became the toast of New York, with a 1930s guide describing
the hotel as "a monument of beauty and one of the most majestic structures
in all New York. The Pierre caters to only those of refined tastes who
can afford the best in the way of hotel luxury."
The Depression
Even lavish praise could not withstand the Great Depression of 1929,
which caused Charles Pierre Casalasco to file for bankruptcy three years
later.
As a result of a foreclosure, The Pierre was sold at a public auction
on January 12, 1933, to the hotel's bondholder's committee who enacted
a reorganization plan and kept on Charles Pierre Casalasco as managing
director.
Shortly before his untimely death in 1934, Casalasco lamented the passing
of an age: "It will take years to discover whether society will find itself
again."
The Getty Years
A few years later, The Pierre took an upward turn. In 1938, Standard
Oil tycoon John Paul Getty purchased the hotel for $2.5 million and appointed
Frank Paget the general manager. In the summer of 1940, The Cafe Pierre
opened and became the new hot spot among the social elite. And in 1950,
Paget became the first hotelier to install radio and television sets in
all the guest rooms.
In 1959, The Pierre became a cooperative, and 75 apartments were sold
to individual private residents, including Elizabeth Taylor. The remaining
guest rooms, restaurants, bars and reception rooms continued to be patronized
by a devoted international clientele.
The Pierre Service Corporation
Real estate developer and civic leader Robert Dowling took an interest
in the hotel, and in 1967, formed a new company with financiers Serge Semenko
and David Baird to take over The Pierre from the Getty Oil Company. This
new venture, called The Pierre Service Corporation, began a series of renovations
including the refurbishment of guest rooms and public spaces, as well as
the creation of murals in The Rotunda and Garden Foyer by artist Edward
Melcarth.
The Next 30 years
Trust House Forte, an English company, assumed management of The Pierre
from 1974-80. Afterwards, the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts took over
in 1981 and began a $15-million refurbishment. The Pierre's rooms and bathrooms
were renovated, the 61st Street lobby was expanded, and the Cafe Pierre
was re-designed by Valerian Rybar. Ten years later, the lobby was redone
in Italian marble, crown moldings and hand-woven carpets. The Garden Foyer
was painted to look like Versailles. And the Regency Room was re-designed
with panel walls, trompe l'oeil panels and gilded crown moldings.
For its 65th anniversary on October 1st, 1995, The Pierre received a
new copper roof. A few years later, The Pierre unveiled its reappointed
Grand Ballroom designed by Hughes Design Associates of McLean, Virginia.
To this day, the Grand Ballroom remains the city's premier setting for
elegant gala events and weddings.
Taj Hotels
For the 75th anniversary of The Pierre in 2005, Taj Hotels Resorts
and Palaces was deemed the perfect choice to carry on the grand traditions
of this New York landmark. The Pierre joins Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces
distinguished properties throughout the world, including hotels from India
to Mauritius to the UK and the Middle East.
Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces has worked consistently to restore the
property to its richly deserved iconic status. All 189 guest accommodations,
including the 11 Grand Suites, have been upgraded, as well the corridors,
public areas, restaurant and bar. The first phase of The Pierre renovation
was completed in January 2007 by Alexandra Champalimaud & Associates,
revealing a beautifully restored Grand Ballroom, Cotillion Room and Garden
foyer.
The Pierre stands today as a landmark hotel bestowing European grace
and elegance - exactly what Charles Pierre had intended when he first created
the hotel in the 1920s. Distinguished visitors from all over the world
have wined and dined in the hotel's Grand Ballroom and Cotillion Room,
among them Germany's Chancellor Helmut Kohl, French President Francois
Mitterrand, Japanese Emperor Hirohito and Russia's President Boris Yeltsin.
Even celebrities such as Mary Tyler Moore and Barbara Walters have held
their wedding receptions at the hotel. And literary icons that have called
The Pierre their refuge include Dashiell Hammett, Lilian Hellman, John
Grisham, Stephen King, Tom Wolfe and Terrence McNally.
The Rotunda
It has often been said that The Rotunda is the signature room of The
Pierre. The Rotunda's famous tromp l'oeil murals generate lots of lively
commentary. Created in 1967 by American artist Edward Melcarth (1914 -1973),
it was Mr. Melcarth's intention to bring the style and spirit of the Renaissance
paintings into the present.
In the mural scenes, classic mythological figures like Neptune and Venus
are intermingled with a woman with young children who resembles Jacqueline
Kennedy Onassis, as well as a man in a Nehru jacket, a clothing style popular
in the 1960s. Other mythological figures, such as the River Gods and Minerva,
share space with a young Adam & Eve (Adam was posed for by actor Erik
Estrada in his younger days) and the painter's cat, Sasha. Several of the
figures were modeled on people from New York society and some of the artist's
patrons and benefactors. Melcarth also sculpted the male and female heads
above the entrances to The Rotunda and the restaurant. |
About The Pierre
The Pierre, on Fifth Avenue overlooking New York's Central Park, first
opened in 1930. The iconic hotel with 189 guestrooms, including 49 suites,
was acquired by Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces as the luxury chain's
U.S. flagship in 2005. The Pierre, a member of Leading Hotels of the World,
will re-open June 1, 2009, following a $100 million renovations program.
Rates begin at $895. To book reservations now, please call 1-800-743-7734
or visit http://www.tajhotels.com/pierre/.
About Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces
Established in 1903, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces is one of Asia's
largest and finest groups of hotels, comprising 64 hotels in 45 locations
across India with an additional 15 international hotels in the Maldives,
Malaysia, Australia, UK, USA, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Africa and the Middle
East. From world-renowned landmarks to modern business hotels, idyllic
beach resorts to authentic Rajput palaces, each Taj hotel offers an unrivalled
fusion of warm Indian hospitality, world-class service and modern luxury.
The Taj, a symbol of Indian hospitality, has recently completed the centenary
of its landmark hotel, The Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, Mumbai. Taj Hotels
Resorts and Palaces is part of the Tata Group, India's premier business
house. For more information on Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces: www.tajhotels.com. |
