#SiteVisit – Page 4 – Building The Godfrey

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.

godfrey hotel — The original facade of the Amory and Blake buildings

Godfrey Boston — 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.

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.

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.

Every Detail Counts

To us, every detail counts as we continue to build our hotel. We are paying close attention to areas we feel are the most important to our future guests, along with other details that just make for a pleasant, smooth experience. Some may even go unnoticed to the leisure traveler as well – simply just elevating our hotel with luxurious touches.

The outside facade of our buildings are being restored and maintaining some of the original detail is important. As previously mentioned in this post, our hotel will be a complete renovation and build of the historic Amory and Blake buildings. We are restoring the outside of the buildings, including great attention to the architecture renovation.

We are working with Spillane, which has strong roots and history in building restoration throughout Massachusetts. Spillane has been restoring architecture for decades including other projects for Harvard, Boston College, Boston University, YWCA and more.

In the following photo, you can see the ornate detail that Spillane is restoring.

PostonArchitecture1 — A full view of the hotel’s restoration in progress, including the unique detail off the second floor, which is being conducted by Spillane.

More detail coming soon on our restoration and the main areas we’re focused on. Stay tuned!

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

A Virtual Walk Through Our Hotel

We hope you’re as excited as we are for the opening of The Godfrey Hotel Boston this fall. We are working hard with our talented team focused on the construction, interior and exterior design, marketing and more to make the opening of our hotel a success. We’re happy to share updates along the way, including a handful of interior renderings that give you a virtual sneak peek into our hotel.

First, when you walk into our hotel, one of the first things you’ll notice is our front desk in the lobby. We want the lobby to feel welcoming and peaceful, just as the exact meaning of what The Godfrey stands for. Below is a rendering of our front desk and even more important will be the welcoming team members who help our guests upon arrival and checkout. We believe each guest should feel an experience of surprise and delight when they arrive.

Next, we have two renderings to share of the hotel guest room and the guest bathroom. For the guest rooms, we want the rooms to continue the luxurious look and feel of our hotel. The guest room has a sophisticated air that aligns with our guests’ expectations as we welcome our world travelers. The refined color palette of warm grays, accented by natural walnut, will act as a tranquil envelop with dashes of color. Custom carpeting, quality bedding and upholstered seating will evoke the refinement and comfort of a well-tailored suit, or perhaps a well-tailored custom suit. Many guest rooms have large windows that provide natural light and the original bay windows are in many of the hotel rooms as well.

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

Last, many guests value the quality of the bathroom and we completely agree. From ample lighting for getting ready or makeup application to luxurious bath products, we hope guests have a comfortable and convenient stay with us.

Bathroom - The Godfrey Hotel Boston — Bathroom – The Godfrey Hotel Boston

We’ll continue to keep you posted – let us know what you think of our virtual tour.

Media Hard Hat Tour

We conducted our first Media Hard Hat Tour for our Boston property this week. The idea is to give select media contacts a behind-the-scenes look at our property, including a tour of our lobby, rooms and more, all of which are currently under construction.

Larry Casillo, our general manager, led the Media Hard Hat Tour and shared details on the hotel, its progress and the vision. He detailed what Godfrey means, which is “peace and welcome” and why Downtown Crossing is the perfect spot in Boston.

The tour included a look into the much-anticipated guest rooms, which will feature colors of warm grays, accented by natural walnut – all with quality linens, plush carpeting and upholstered seating to make for a most comfortable stay. Many of the guest rooms boast large windows, including some with the original bay windows.

Larry Casillo, GM of The Godfrey Hotel Boston, during the Media Hard Hat Tour. — Larry Casillo, GM of The Godfrey Hotel Boston, shared the property plans during the Media Hard Hat Tour.

Casillo also shared specifics on the hotel, including the amenities such as the chef-driven restaurant, George Howell Coffee Shop, lobby bar, 24-hour fitness center, free Wi-Fi and state-of-the-art technology.

A walk through The Godfrey Hotel Boston during the Media Hard Hat Tour.

We’ll keep sharing updates and photos of the property. Stay tuned and let us know if you have questions.