Restoring the Past

Boston is entrenched in history. From the Freedom Trail to the Bunker Hill Monument, it’s hard to go a block without reveling in one of the hundreds of historical monuments. And while The Godfrey Boston is mere blocks away from some of these main landmarks, you don’t have to leave our hotel to experience the city’s rich past.

As previously mentioned, our hotel is a complete restoration of the Amory and Blake buildings, which were once the center of Boston’s shopping district. Working together with Spillane, we’re bringing the Amory and Blake back to life and restoring their original beauty, which we shared a sneak peak of earlier this week. In fact, the three main areas we’re working to restore -the facade, the elevator lobby and the interior-facing light wells – are historically protected by the National Register of Historic Places.

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The original facade of the Amory and Blake buildings
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Intricate details being restored on the facade of the hotel

Upon entering The Godfrey, you’ll see the building’s past married with its future. The walkway leading up to the front desk will start out as a matte, textured marble that displays the brick and other original materials used. The floor will then gradually transition to highly polished dark marble that signifies the decidedly modern design of The Godfrey and the future of these two historic buildings.

As you head up to your guest room, you’ll notice another nod to the past. The elevator vestibule boasts the original marble walls and ornate ceilings of the Blake. We’ll update this area to be mainly monochromatic white while maintaining and paying homage to the intricate detail.

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The ornate molding work above the elevators
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The gorgeous ceiling being restored

If you’re staying in an interior-facing guest room, you’ll have the privilege to overlook our historically-preserved courtyard. It might not look like much at this point in the restoration, but it’s set to be a gorgeous respite from the bustling streets outside.

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The interior light well being restored
Godfrey Boston
Historically preserved light well

There are still a lot of changes in progress, but the restoration is coming along quickly. Stay tuned for more updates on our historically protected areas in future posts.

Exciting Times – Now Taking Reservations

We know we’re close to opening since we’re now accepting reservations.  We’re inviting visitors and locals to “get to know Godfrey” with two opening rates.

In the extremely high-occupancy Boston hotel market, we are offering special promotional rates for leisure and business travelers, as well as locals looking for the ultimate staycation.

The ‘Get to Know Godfrey’ promotion has special rates starting as low as $199, available for stays from November 16, 2015 through March 15, 2016, while Boston locals are invited to enjoy the ‘Element 617’ discounted rate throughout the entirety of 2016:

Following are the details on the two new rates:

Get to Know Godfrey: Guests are invited to get to know The Godfrey Hotel Boston and its many amenities by receiving special room rates starting at $199. The Godfrey Hotel Boston’s thoughtfully-appointed rooms feature fast, complimentary Wi-Fi, 55-inch HDTVs, luxurious Frette linens, Heeley bath products and more. This rate is available for stays November 16, 2015 to February 29, 2016.

Bedroom - The Godfrey Hotel Boston
Bedroom – The Godfrey Hotel Boston

Element 617: With the opening of The Godfrey Hotel Boston, Downtown Boston locals are invited to “Discover Your Element” with customized room rates this fall and beyond. Residents, and those who work in the Downtown Boston area, receive a 15% discount off of the lowest standard rate on all guest rooms throughout the year 2016. In order to receive this rate, guests must present a state ID or business card with a Downtown Boston address at check-in.

Exterior rendering of The Godfrey Hotel Boston
Exterior rendering of The Godfrey Hotel Boston

Future guests may take advantage of these specials for the opening of The Godfrey Hotel Boston online at www.godfreyhotelboston.com/special-offers-en.html. Booking is now available!

Peace and Welcome

Many people have asked what our name means and we’re proud to share the background on it.  “Godfrey” means peace and welcome and that’s exactly what we want our guests to feel when they enter our lobby.

The hotel lobby is a critical experience for guests and it must accomplish a lot – it has to make guests feel welcome, while also offering assistance with their stay at the same time.  The lobby must evoke a consistent feel that the guest will experience throughout the hotel, including in the guest rooms and other common areas of a hotel.

Our lobby is designed to be spacious and luxurious, complimented with intimate seating for socializing or relaxing.  The interior design will include oak paneling, polished porcelain flooring and contemporary furniture. There will also be a Chef-driven restaurant adjacent to our lobby (stay tuned for details!).

Following is a look inside our lobby and the progress underway, followed by what it will actually look like upon completion – the lobby rendering.

Lobby - Where the front desk will be.
Lobby – Where the front desk will be.

Larry Cassillo, our General Manager, provided a tour of our hotel and is pictured below in front of where the front desk will soon be.

Larry Cassillo, our GM, provides a tour of The Godfrey Boston - and is pictured where the lobby front desk will be.
Larry Cassillo, our GM, provides a tour of The Godfrey Boston – and is pictured where the lobby front desk will be.

Last – a beautiful rendering of what our lobby will look like!  After much work, we’re certain the lobby will welcome our future guests.

The Front Desk - The Godfrey Hotel Boston
The Front Desk – The Godfrey Hotel Boston

Marble, Marble, Marble

As a boutique hotel, there are many characteristics and features that are unique to just our property in Boston.  Our high standards and excellent guest service will be consistent with our Chicago flagship hotel.  And, another consistency will be the beautiful use of marble in our lobby.  Both properties have marble yet they won’t be exactly the same.

When guests enter our lobby in Boston’s Downtown Crossing, they will notice a luxurious, welcoming lobby with our team ready to greet them.  We also are restoring some of the original character and charm of our building, including the original marble.  During our site visit, we took photos of the original marble below.  By opening, we will change the overall color but keep the beautiful look of the marble through restoration and preservation.

Original marble in our building, which will be restored during the building process.
Original marble in our building, which will be restored during the building process.

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And this is the “before!” We are excited to show you the “after.”

Just to jog your memory, Chicago’s lobby has gorgeous marble as well, which you can see in the photo below:

The Godfrey Hotel Chicago. Photo by Papadakis Photography.
The Godfrey Hotel Chicago. Photo by Papadakis Photography.

Stay tuned for continued updates on our Boston property and let us know if you have questions.

 

A Caffeinated Idea Coming Soon

Coffee.  Java. Cup of Joe. Latte. Iced. Hot.  No matter how you take it or what you call it, coffee is an important part of the morning wakeup routine.  We certainly “get” that and we’re thrilled to offer an excellent choice in our Boston property: George Howell Coffee.

We want our guests to only experience the best when staying with us, and their coffee experience is no different.  As their mission statement says, “We buy the finest regional and single farm-sourced coffees for coffee lovers who share in our quest for the ultimate cup!”

Site Visit: George Howell Coffee
Site Visit: George Howell Coffee

And, as we said, we only want the best for our guests and it was rumored (thanks, Thrillist!) that George Howell makes the best iced latte.  But, we’ll let you be the judge when we open this fall.

Following is a sneak peek at the soon-to-be George Howell in our first floor.  More to come!