If a building has the right dimensions, window spacing and column widths, it is a candidate for adaptive reuse for a hotel.
Two examples of office building conversions overseen by principals of Hartland are the Lykes Building in New Orleans and the Guardian Life building in Manhattan. The first was converted into the 280 room Loews Hotel – New Orleans. In this project, the food and beverage operation is managed by Commander’s Palace and a Charles Moore public sculpture and small municipal park was restored and became outdoor event space for the hotel. The Guardian Life office building was converted into the 270 room W Hotel – Union Square and became the chain’s flagship property. In both cases, the buildings had reached the end of their useful life for office use, but were ideally suited for hotel conversion.
More challenging conversions included readapting the 150 year-old Charles Street Jail in Boston to a 298 room luxury hotel (the Liberty) and the integration of a 110 year-old steam plant into the W Hotel – San Diego. Both of these properties became market leaders in rate and occupancy during the period of time when a Principal of Hartland Hotel Group oversaw their development and operations.
