“Every time for the 35 years that I’ve been coming here, I’ve always made a friend. It’s just that kind of town. It’s got a vibe that I haven’t found elsewhere in all of my travels,” Frank Cretella, cofounder/principal, Landmark Hospitality, told InspireDesign during a virtual tour of the property.
Central to Landmark Hospitality’s mission was maintaining the original craftsmanship while incorporating modern amenities and creating a luxury, one-of-a-kind experience for guests. To accomplish this, Landmark Hospitality preserved the existing 12,000-sq.-ft. inn and added a remarkable 32,000-sq.-ft. adjacent building and hyphen structure that connects the new building to the original property. After two years of construction, Landmark Hospitality was able to keep the integrity of the original space while updating and expanding the inn to bridge the historic yet progressive nature of the community together. Now open, the revived 38-key Logan Inn serves as a hub for the town of New Hope and design lovers from around the world to observe its striking artisanal and industrial aesthetic.
“The design is very open and we created different areas for people to settle in or come back to visit,” Cretella said. “We look at building as the colorful side of luxury… We support the artist feel of everything; everything we show you can see it and touch it. I think that people that are artistic to begin with, and that’s this town, a lot of people from the 70s and 80s that found refuge here, stayed. Those are the people that we want to cater to. They appreciate the artisanal and authentic feel of everything we did.”
A sense of place
Given the overall mission for the inn to serve as a gathering place for the community, Landmark Hospitality emphasized the restoration of the structure’s facade. The design team opened up the exterior by removing the large overhang that previously shielded the inn from street view. This strategic removal revealed the original porches and patio and drew a clear sightline to the newly built property. Featuring a striking balance of reclaimed wood and various metals, the new building exudes a fresh yet timeless look that blends beautifully into the aesthetic of the old town. Rather than replicating the existing structure, Landmark Hospitality deliberately designed the adjacent building to seamlessly embrace the style of the old building while incorporating luxurious modern amenities. To ensure the Logan Inn kept its prominent character throughout the renovation and expansion, the design team modeled the exterior aesthetic after neighboring properties and homes in New Hope, further solidifying its strong sense of place.
“We did an open kitchen because we wanted our kitchen staff to be part of the experience,” Cretella explained. “There are conversations going across from guest to the chef. It’s also a good way to create a family between front of the house and back of the house. That had thought behind it to being inclusive and welcoming to everyone.”
Design that fosters community
Landmark Hospitality designed a ‘parlour,’ to greet guests rather than a traditional hotel lobby to provide a unique experience. The parlour’s eye-catching features include oak beam ceilings and exposed brick walls. Landmark Hospitality strategically placed large windows adorned with light wood on both sides of the parlour, which extend an open line of view between the old and new buildings. The color scheme and woodwork of the property are other qualities that seamlessly blend the buildings’ designs, along with a double, reclaimed wood staircase that physically merges the two. The property exudes a sense of warmth from the industrial-style accent materials, including arched brick in tobacco, black steel, brass and copper, to various shades of reclaimed wood. The property exudes a sense of warmth without compromising the chic aesthetic.
Beyond the main parlour, guests are welcomed by multiple gathering spaces on elevated planes, including an open kitchen, ballroom, two dining rooms, a cigar lounge, a whiskey lounge and a bar within a spacious gazebo. In line with the industrial aesthetic, the bar’s face comprises copper and stainless steel, with a copper hood above. Landmark Hospitality created a split-level basement to encourage social interaction with guests and locals alike. One level has a massive 3,000-bottle wine cellar, large-scale rock-and-roll art—featuring classic celebrity figures including John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Freddie Mercury, Pat Benetar, Debra Harry, Keith Haring and David Bowie—and a pool table in the center of the room. The second level has a full, old-fashioned movie theater accented with marquee light fixtures, movie posters and a concession stand. The dining room holds four dramatic, round chandeliers, which dangle from on-site-constructed oak ceilings.
“The big thing about New Hope is people watching. It’s such an active space. With the Logan Inn having the largest frontage on Main St., it’s the perfect place for people watching and people that are from town to take a perch and see people that they know walk by—it’s designed to promote that. When we built the Good and Plenty Bar, we purposely didn’t create a back bar. We wanted that no matter where you’re sitting at the bar, you’re looking at other guests, that welcomes new relationships.”
The design team expanded the inn to offer 38 rooms, more than double the previous 16 rooms available. Of the 38 rooms, there are four suites, three of which have a patio with direct views of New Hope. The bathroom design lends to the luxurious look and feel of the space through the elegant freestanding tub, skylights and marble finishes. Suites feature suspended fireplaces, claw-foot soaking tubs and mixology stations complete with artisanal spirits, house-made mixers and hand-cut ice. Each added room is uniquely appointed and distinct from one another, yet they all share a common enthusiasm for architecture, art, design and colorful luxury.
A fully catered experience
With the individual experience at the forefront of the design process, Landmark Hospitality encourages guests to personalize their room experience by providing Bluetooth speaker access and the option to customize in-room alcohol offerings and pet accommodations. To further cater to the personal experience, guests can check-in to their rooms from a phone application that geolocates their arrival.
In addition to the plethora of experiences that the inn itself offers through its design, Landmark Hospitality puts the guest first with a robust program of alternating activities. For example, the inn offers a twist on the traditional British 4:00 PM ‘afternoon tea,’ where, instead of serving tea, guests may participate in the tasting of specialty alcohol on one day, fondue and champagne on the next, or even roll sushi with the inn’s acclaimed chef, Greg Vassos.
Every facet of the design and operation of the inn is central to the guest experience. The Logan Inn is familiar for guests through its warm design intent, yet original and exciting in its offerings and newly restored and expanded features.
“It’s great that we built a place that people love and comment on and feel good about themselves in—that’s a big part of our design,” Cretella said. “We don’t want where some designs make people feel a little uncomfortable we want people to be inspired by what we do, notice the details, but more importantly, we want them to feel comfortable and feel that they look good in it.”
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Tags: Landmark Hospitality, Logan Inn
