The St. Regis wants all eyes on its $90-million makeover

The St. Regis
The St. Regis

WEEKENDEDITION Luxury has a new look—and it comes with a $90 million price tag.

The St. Regis New York recently began touting its super luxury makeover in the hotel’s first ad campaign since 2011, which was inspired by its advertisements from the 1930s. Dubbed “Introducing a New Era of Glamour,” the ads will run for one year and be featured online and in international and national publications.

The hotel’s renovations, which were first unveiled in October, include all new guest rooms, with marble-tiled entrance ways and bathrooms designed to create a spa-like atmosphere. There’s also a revamped restaurant by Chef John DeLucie, The King Cole Bar & Salon, where guests can order a $225 grand royal seafood platter and wash it down with a $760 cognac.

Executives tried to incorporate old and new in the hotel’s redesign. The Waterford crystal chandeliers, for example, remain in the updated lobby, but new art and windows provide a fresh feel.

The majority of the renovations are now complete, but additions to come in early 2014 include a new spa and health club, and a few additional changes to the lobby.

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In its 2011 advertising campaign, the St. Regis showcased its 1,700-square-foot Bentley suite, where guests can stay for more than $10,000 a night and feel like they’re sleeping in their Bentley—but with more legroom.

With bespoke features such as Bentley seat-belted curtains, a custom chandelier made of the bulbs from the car’s Mulsanne headlights, and even a king-sized bed with the classic Bentley leather and wood veneer, the suite cost more than $500,000 to create. Many of the features were sourced directly from the luxury carmaker’s factory in Crewe, England.

“I think the first thing that strikes everybody when they walk in is it’s the only suite in the world that you walk into that smells like a new car,” said Paul Nash, general manager of the St. Regis.

Guests even get exclusive access to the hotel’s flagship vehicle—a 2013 Bentley Mulsanne valued at more than $500,000— and use of a private driver.

The bathroom of the Bentley suite was upgraded in the recent round of hotel renovations, but the rest remained untouched.