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The Ultra-Luxe Baccarat Hotel and Residences
The world renowned crystal brand, Baccarat, is expanding its horizons by delving into the hospitality and housing with its first opening, the Baccarat Hotel and Residences, in Midtown New York.
Baccarat has manufactured crystal glassware in France for the past 250 years. Not surprisingly, the interior is “dripping with crystals,” chandeliers galore, and endless glassy, reflective surfaces. The lobby wall is lined with 1,800 glasses and each of the 114 guest rooms has a different glass outside, enclosed in a display case. Designer Gilles & Boussier are responsible for much of the glamorous interior design. For the hotel, guest rooms have been designed with a mixture of French and Manhattan contemporary vibes. Room rates start at $729 per night, going up to $18,875 per night for a weeknight in a suite, depending on the time of year. The condo residences are understandably more spectacular. The 46th and 47th floors each hold a four-bedroom, 4.5 bathroom home with 14 foot ceilings, each asking for $27 million.
Baccarat has gone all out with amenities, including its spa – The Petit Salon – run by Estee Lauder, and a restaurant run by executive chef Shea Gallante and manager Charles Masson, a veteran of New York’s restaurant scene and former general manager of La Grenouille. “I like to be discreet, because the highest level of service is discretion,” Masson has said. The spa is below the hotel’s entrance, designed to “recall luxurious moments by the sea” with four treatment rooms. The spa’s pool, La Piscine, is lined with crystal sconces and mirrors. French artist Francois Houtin painted the space using a traditional calligrapher’s brush to recreate trees. The final touches to the spa will be done May 1st. The fitness center offers the most state-of-the-art equipment and provides personal trainers available for private sessions. Notably, the hotel offers its patrons an on-call vintage 1970 red CitroenDS, to whisk guests away anywhere within 15 blocks of the hotel.
Baccarat expects to open new hotel locations in Rabat, Morocco in 2016, and later in Dubai and Doha.