Meticulously designed by creative agency Atelier Ace, Sister City is a new hotel at the intersection of simplicity and beauty next to the New Museum in New York. Nothing is extravagant but every detail is thoughtfully considered and executed, from the clean, unadorned walls and custom cherry-wood furnishings to the hotel’s ever-changing amalgam of culture and technology. Four floors were added to a 10-story, brickwork building at 225 Bowery to create the 200-room hotel, complete with a rooftop bar and a ground floor restaurant. The extension comprises white brick and glass blocks to complement the existing structure.
Mindful design, artful technology, and seamless functionality impart a sense of balance and belonging, and provide guests with both autonomy and considered care. Every element of Sister City was holistically designed toward an expressly innovative experience built for the future but rooted in the present moment. From the intuitive website where guests can animate and personalize their stay (requesting extra pillows or a dog bowl, for example) and where account members can secure the lowest rates, to the self-service registration kiosks that enable guests to check-in and collect their own room keys.
Sister City teams up with Headspace to provide a grounding meditative service to recenter and orient oneself, fostering a sense of attention and self-care while traveling in one of the busiest cities in the world.
Sister City is a hotel distilled to its most beautiful working parts. Every aspect was considered through the lens of attention to detail, craft, form, and materiality: each original Noguchi lantern is hand numbered and stamped; the Italian cherry-wood furnishings are stripped down to be purposeful, quiet and beautiful; and the custom terrazzo vanities in-room are precise representations of Less, But Better. Plants deliver guests out into the world and into Sister City, too. An urban garden offers a transportive, transitional moment between the hotel and the city, lending a sense of calm for arriving guests.
Sister City launches a first-of-its-kind Lobby Score, a generative soundscape in collaboration with electronic musician Julianna Barwick and realized through Microsoft’s AI technology. Informed by the environment via a sky camera on the hotel’s roof, the composition is an ever-evolving audio experience, looping and shifting as clouds, pigeons, sunsets, rain and snow pass by. Conceived as part of the hotel’s forward-thinking design, the score is a living extension of Sister City, a way for guests to experience site-specific music anew. As Julianna Barwick describes, “It’s infinite and evergreen.” Sister City will continue its partnership with Microsoft to develop ongoing collaborations with iconic musicians for future Lobby Scores.
The lobby also offers to the guests a 24-hour market featuring curated sundries, including noise machines, snacks, a rotating library of books (currently curated by the New Museum) and anything else you might need during your stay.
Forming part of the extension, Last Light features long expanses of glass that offer impressive views of the city during the day and night – the eatery is open daily from 3 pm to 2 am. Helmed by Beverage Director Josh Hanover, the drinks menu features inspired cocktails, curated natural wines and local draft beers. An ode to the bar’s panoramic sunset vista and the city’s vast night skies, Last Light is a beacon for sky and spirits.
A few floors below, the aesthetic of Floret is reminiscent of a traditional American diner-style and reflects its casual atmosphere. The restaurant is set to open to in Summer 2019, with outdoor dining provided by a long patio at the front of the hotel.
