At a museum, curators of art assemble works that provide a thought-provoking experience for viewers. At the Quin hotel in New York City, curators of travel are fashioning a hotel experience akin to a masterpiece.
Open since November 2013, the Quin is two short blocks south of Central Park and one block from Carnegie Hall at 57th Street and Sixth Avenue. It draws inspiration from its former life as the Buckingham Hotel, where cultural luminaries such as pianist Ignacy Jan Paderewski and artist Georgia O'Keeffe once lived.
“Our hotel’s niche is based on culture and art,” said Holly Breuche, general manager of the Quin. “We are embracing today’s artists in honor of the iconic artists who lived here before.”
Case in point is the Quin’s artist-in-residence program. Every few months, the hotel invites a trending artist to live and work at the property. Culminating their tenure is a reception celebrating the artist and his or her creations. The salons lure some 50 to 60 guests to the lobby, where a 15-foot-high abstract video art wall presents a lively gallery setting.
“We choose resident artists who are doing exciting contemporary work and who are good in a reception format,” said Breuche. “We send out invitations to guests several weeks in advance to let them know about the reception and encourage them to attend.”
Many of the property’s guests are lovers of the arts, added Breuche.
“That’s a big point of distinction between the Quin and other comparably-priced hotels,” said Breuche. “Each time guests visit us, it feels like a different hotel thanks to our rotating exhibits. We even have an art curator.”
Then there are the Quin’s attaches, dubbed “expert lifestyle managers.” Far from the average hotel concierges, they gauge each client’s interests and make more informed recommendations. For instance, the attaches can arrange for a private shopping experience at luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman, book exclusive gallery tours, pick up tickets to hot Broadway musicals and make reservations at the city’s top restaurants.
From time to time, the Quin offers packages that give guests behind-the-scenes access to special events. Currently, it’s featuring a promotion timed with Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, with guest accommodations overlooking the Sixth Avenue parade route. The package also provides VIP privileges at the popular Thanksgiving Eve balloon-inflating event and continental breakfast on Thanksgiving Day.
Each of the Quin’s 208 accommodations is a tour de force, from its Duxiana bed with Venetian linens to the bathroom with a rain shower and sleek fixtures by Japanese company Toto. The in-room espresso machine comes with unlimited coffee pods. A bedside touchscreen tablet lets guests control the room’s lighting, climate, music and service.
This November, the Quin will debut six balcony suites on the 17th floor. In December, it will take the wraps off its three-story penthouse suite that doubles as an event space, with help from a dramatic outdoor terrace.
The American seafood grill located in the hotel, called The Wayfarer, designs meals that are works of art in their own right. With its modern decor and broad windows, The Wayfarer crafts culinary inspirations ranging from oysters tempura to rack of lamb with huckleberry jus. A breakfast standout, avocado toast, is enlivened by olive oil, lime, chili flakes and sea salt.
With so much going for it, it’s no wonder that the Quin made Travel + Leisure’s 2014 “It List” of best new hotels around the world.
As Breuche puts it: “It’s always a journey when you come to the Quin.”
The Details
The Quin
www.thequinhotel.com
The Wayfarer
www.thewayfarernyc.com
Rack rates:
From $599 per night
Thanksgiving package rate:
$1,249 per night (three night minimum)
Commission:
10 percent
