New York, NY
OTO Development for
AC by Marriott
146,000 gsf
This pace-setting hotel, opened in 2018, is right across West 40th Street from the iconic New York Times building. Helpern Architects is both the architect and interior designer. The AC was our third hotel for OTO Development. See Marriott Fairfield Inn and Hilton Hampton Inn.
The first AC Hotels by Marriott© in New York City, the property targets cosmopolitan millennials with its European vibe, understandable because AC Hotels started in Spain.
“AC’s worldwide branding video campaign timed to the opening of this property features a video interview of David Helpern about the importance of Design to the experience of hospitality. Click to view the video here.
There are 290 well-sized guest rooms. The top three residential floors feature the largest guest rooms; terraces, and top-to-bottom sloped glass windows. The 21st-Floor rooftop bar/lounge and its planted terrace offer a heart-stopping view of the Empire State Building.
The building is set back to create a V-shaped, granite-paved plaza. An 11½-ft-wide cantilevered white metal marquee extends 15 feet above and 40 feet way out to the street. The glass-and-aluminum curtainwall façade angles back at the top floors.
The pleated glass base rises 28 feet to the second floor, then dips and folds dramatically. Its shape refracts light and also identifies the two entrances: one to the west to the hotel, and one to the east to the street-level restaurant.
The shed roof that tops the rear wall of the 23-ft-high lobby illuminates a grand staircase to the meetings set-up and the fitness facility on the lower level.
Interior materials reflect the AC flag’s design, including large-aggregate Venetian terrazzo, Italian marble, and quarter-sawn dark walnut millwork. The array of original contemporary art is another AC hallmark.
Photos 1-6, 11: © Brian Rose
Photos 8 and 10: Courtesy of OTO
Photo 9: Sean Smith
Drawing by Jun Yan (Helpern Architects)
