Aspen Hospitality has pulled back the curtain on the design direction for The Nell New York, the 134-room hotel the Aspen One division plans to open in fall 2027 at 10 Rockefeller Plaza. When it debuts, the property will be the only hotel located inside Rockefeller Center and New York City’s sole Relais & Châteaux member.
Two New York-based studios split the work: Rockwell Group handled the public spaces — among them the arrival sequence, reception, the seventh-floor dining and social areas, a wine lounge and cellar, the spa, the fitness center, and meeting venues — while Pierre & Co. took on the guest rooms and suites. Both teams looked to Rockefeller Center’s architecture, materials, and art program for cues, filtering the landmark’s Art Deco heritage through the sensibility of the Nell Hotels brand.
“We never wanted The Nell New York to feel like a hotel that could be anywhere,” Julie Frank, vice president of design at Aspen Hospitality, said in prepared remarks. “Rockefeller Center gives us a unique context, both as a hotel in New York City and as a project housed within this iconic landmark. Its Art Deco architecture became our point of departure for the project. The goal was not to recreate its history, but to interpret the era in a way that would feel current, residential, and distinctly Nell.”
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