Singular Experience
One-of-a-kind addresses and signature bespoke services are the hallmark of these seven St. Regis properties.
By Vicki Hogue-Davies
Exceptional service and amenities are the cornerstones on which the St. Regis brand is built. Individual hotels and resorts enhance this strong foundation with distinctive locales and offerings, providing a truly singular experience for each guest. Whether visiting New York, Atlanta, Monarch Beach, Houston, Bal Harbour, San Francisco or Aspen, guests can expect the trademark standard of bespoke service delivered in sensationally inspiring settings.
The St. Regis New York
A stately Beaux-Arts landmark in an iconic city, The St. Regis New York is the flagship property of St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, setting the standards and traditions for the brand across the globe. Overlooking world-famous Fifth Avenue in the center of Manhattan’s theater and arts district, the hotel is located near key landmarks on any New York visitor’s must-see list, including Central Park, Rockefeller Center, the Museum of Modern Art and Carnegie Hall. A Bentley Silver Spur courtesy car carries guests to these and other popular locales, based on availability.
Built by Col. John Jacob Astor IV in 1904, the hotel provides 164 guest rooms and 65 suites, including the incredible $21,000-a-night Presidential Suite, often used by state officials, royalty and über celebrities. The location also features residences through The St. Regis Residence Club on its eighth and ninth floors.
When the hotel opened, the then 18-story property was the tallest hotel in the city. While times have changed and buildings have soared to new heights since those early days, The St. Regis New York’s reputation for exclusive elegance has remained the same for more than a century. Distinctive traditions include afternoon high tea and the iconic 24-hour butler service. The hotel employs more than 30 butlers who, combined, speak upwards of 38 languages. The property also offers an “e-butler” service that allows guests to communicate with their butler from any location and access special apps.
Col. Astor built the hotel for his wealthy friends and associates, and the bespoke service it provided reflected that distinguished society. Caroline Astor, the colonel’s mother, hand-selected a group of 400 people as her exclusive social circle. She invited the group to teas, galas and other opulent events and routinely served midnight suppers to keep guests enlivened during parties that would last from dusk to dawn.
Today’s guests continue to enjoy dinners at the hotel’s celebrated restaurant, Adour Alain Ducasse at The St. Regis New York. The restaurant is named for the river in the southwest of France near where visionary chef Ducasse was born and features contemporary French cuisine. The marriage of food and wine is the focus, with each seasonal dish carefully crafted to pair with both a red and a white wine. Artfully created desserts also have suggested wine pairings. An Alain Ducasse iPhone application—available in English and French—keeps guests apprised of menus, chefs, recipes and more. The application provides contact information that users can easily store to their phones, and reservations can be made through the touch of a button.
Enjoying a libation at the famous King Cole Bar, where the bloody mary originated, is a must when visiting the hotel. The bloody mary, known at The St. Regis New York as the Red Snapper, is such a legacy of the hotel that other St. Regis properties also serve a signature version of the original drink, each with its own unique twist. While sipping cocktails, guests can view the “Old King Cole” mural by artist Maxfield Parrish, which was commissioned by Col. Astor. It has inspired similar works at other properties, including The St. Regis Atlanta bar, which features an original mural of a phoenix rising from the ashes.
The St. Regis Atlanta
The architecture of The St. Regis Atlanta artfully melds classic European refinement and modernist design into its sophisticated Southern locale. The resulting look of grand elegance allows the 26-floor resort to stand out as a welcoming landmark while blending seamlessly into its prestigious Buckhead neighborhood. This northern Atlanta community is home to the Georgia governor’s mansion and is one of the country’s most affluent areas. Guests can stroll Buckhead’s oak-lined, pedestrian-friendly streets and view stately Italianate, Tudor, Greek Revival and Georgian mansions. The resort is also just minutes from many cultural and recreational venues, including the Atlanta History Center, Atlanta Botanical Garden, High Museum of Art and more. The concierge team and St. Regis butlers can recommend day and evening excursions throughout the city. Legendary retailers in the area include Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s and others.
“The hotel has a very residential feel,” General Manager Simon Rusconi says. “It is an in-town resort. When you step into this hotel, you feel as if you are a welcomed guest in a private home. You have all the amenities here, including Paces 88, an American bistro, The Wine Room and The St. Regis Bar.”
For a select few, The St. Regis Atlanta is indeed a residence. In addition to 151 spacious guest rooms and suites, the property features 53 luxury homes on its top 15 floors. The Residences at The St. Regis Atlanta include custom two-, three- and four-bedroom homes ranging from approximately 3,200 to 7,100 square feet. Separate parking, entrances and private elevators that deliver residents to their front foyers ensure privacy. Access to all of the five-star services the property has to offer, including the St. Regis butler service, Remède Spa, restaurant and wine room, provide gracious resort-style living.
Guests can savor breakfast or lunch at Astor Court and dinner at Paces 88 American Bistro, which offers American dishes with Southern influences focusing on seasonality and flavor, and prepares custom menus for special days. Complementing the dishes on the restaurant’s menu are the more than 520 bottles of predominantly American wines available in The Wine Room. Those looking to book their special event at the resort will find 16,000 total square feet of meeting space and eight venues to choose from.
Since its opening in 2009, The St. Regis Atlanta has received numerous accolades, including a AAA Five Diamond rating. Taking its place among the most refined and classic locations in the South, The St. Regis Atlanta aims to provide its guests with a distinctive and elegant experience.
The St. Regis Monarch Beach
Situated on 172 acres overlooking the Pacific—just six miles south of world-famous art enclave Laguna Beach—is The St. Regis Monarch Beach, a Tuscan-style resort that combines casual European luxury with a relaxed Southern California sensibility. Its inspirational oceanfront location and moderate California climate beckons guests to enjoy sunny summer days in the sand and on the green. In 2011, the 400-room property celebrated its 10th anniversary.
Play takes place against a dramatic backdrop of rolling surf at the resort’s 18-hole Robert Trent Jones Jr. bluff-top golf course. The traditional Scottish links course is open to all levels of golfers. Two of the holes sit adjacent to the beach. Following a round of golf, guests can enjoy delicious food and drinks at the Monarch Bay Club. The exclusive beach and dining club is open year-round to guests of the St. Regis and local members. Away from the ocean’s spray, the tennis club provides eight lighted courts for daytime and nighttime play. The “Best Pool in the World,” according to Forbes, is located at the resort’s 30,000-square-foot Spa Gaucin. The spa features massage, beauty treatment and bath options in a relaxed Mediterranean-style atmosphere and houses The Salon at Spa Gaucin.
Experience an exceptional evening at Michael Mina’s Stonehill Tavern, which has received four- star accolades from Forbes. Designed by renowned designer Tony Chi, the restaurant features
American comfort food with Mina’s signature flair. Guests can also partake in fine food at Motif, the resort’s European café-style restaurant. Dishes are served up alongside stunning Pacific views. On Saturdays, don’t miss “Tea and Tinis.” The lavish afternoon event features an array of teas, signature martinis and delicious delicacies. Sundays at Motif, guests can savor the signature Motif Champagne Sunday brunch—a celebrated Sunday tradition for both hungry locals and guests. Thursdays, visitors can hit the town without leaving the resort as the Lobby Lounge features signature cocktails, music and dancing, along with light fare and drink specials from 8 until 10 p.m.
In addition to indulging guests, The St. Regis Monarch Beach helps make wishes come true in the community. Each year the resort hosts a blood drive, participates in California’s Coastal Cleanup Day and takes part in a variety of other philanthropic activities benefitting local schools and charities.
The St. Regis San Francisco
With its mix of 21st-century city sophistication and elegant design, The St. Regis San Francisco channels a modern interpretation of the esteemed St. Regis brand. Located in the city’s artsy South of Market (SoMA) district, the sleek 40-story building neighbors the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and houses the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD), which explores the culture and history of African people globally. Old San Francisco meets new with the seamless incorporation of the 1907 Williams building, where MoAD is located, into the hotel’s modern architecture.
Stunning views from the hotel’s 260 rooms and suites highlight a vibrant cityscape. Private residences on the hotel’s top 18 floors also partake of the city views. In focus are the nearby Yerba Buena Gardens, California Historical Society, Moscone Center, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and other cultural and artistic highlights of the area. Inside the hotel’s doors, noted luxury hotel designer Yabu Pushelberg of Toronto created a contemporary space perfectly in tune with a cosmopolitan city. Guest rooms and suites feature Bella Crema marble, Mozambique wood doors and leather walls, as well as custom- designed crème Barcelona benches. The hotel’s dramatic art installations remind guests they are in the heart of San Francisco’s cultural and art scene. In the lobby bar, a 16-foot open fireplace adds ambiance and warms up San Francisco’s cool summer nights. Exotic Zebrano wood flooring helps create a vibrant space for catching up or making new connections over a signature cocktail.
The 95-seat Ame (which means “rain” in Japanese) restaurant is co-operated by Hiro Sone and his wife Lissa Doumani, who also own the renowned Terra Restaurant in Napa Valley. The Michelin star-awarded restaurant serves “personal cuisine,” blending local ingredients with the flavors of northern Italy and southern France. It features dishes such as tempura poke and sea urchin with bruschetta at its custom-made sashimi bar. Ame’s seasonal and signature menu offerings are enjoyed with wines and sakes from a collection of more than 300 bottles. Wines by the glass are selected to pair with each menu item, ensuring that every discriminating palate is pleased.
“When a new menu is coming out, we sit down with a selection of bottles and taste the dishes to see what wines or sakes will work with them,” says John- Paul Henaff, wine director and sommelier. “We have a lot of variety and good price points. Our list of wines by the glass is structured, so there is something that will pair with every dish.”
The restaurant’s Taste of Ame seasonal five-course daily tasting menu allows diners who can’t decide between all the delectable dishes on the menu to try small portions of several. Diners have the option of ordering the tasting menu with a tasting of the recommended wine for each dish.
The hotel offers a menu of another kind for in- room relaxing. The St. Regis Signature Bath Menu, exclusive to the San Francisco, New York and Atlanta properties, provides suite guests with four different options for the ultimate in custom-tailored soaking.
Decadent pleasures that can be ordered around the clock via the St. Regis butler include champagne paired with caviar or champagne truffles. Truffles and champagne, along with artisanal cheeses, can also be found at the hotel’s Remède Spa, where guests are invited to indulge while awaiting beauty, bath, massage and other treatments to produce ultimate relaxation.
The St. Regis Houston
Located among the mansions of exclusive River Oaks, Houston’s wealthiest zip code, The St. Regis Houston blends comfortable elegance with Texas-size hospitality. The hotel’s 200 spacious guest rooms and 32 suites feature floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the Houston skyline. Rooms decorated in earth tones with white accents make for a refined and restful experience. A stenciled ceiling design in each room shows that no décor details were overlooked. Large leather armchairs in all rooms invite relaxation, as do the chaise lounges anchoring the beds. Pillow-top bedding, Remède bath amenities and bars with fine stemware help ensure all in-room needs are covered. The famous St. Regis butler service is also available 24 hours a day at this AAA Five Diamond, Forbes Four Star hotel.
“The commitment of The St. Regis Houston staff is to continually deliver bespoke service and offer a luxury experience that has meaning and depth, as originally introduced at The St. Regis New York by John Jacob Astor in 1904,” says Ron Lamers, the hotel’s general manager.
The hotel carries on the tradition of its iconic predecessor throughout its grounds. Away from their rooms but still surrounded with relaxing luxury, guests can enjoy afternoon tea in the Tea Lounge while listening to the soothing strums of a classical harp. Finger sandwiches and an array of teas, including the secret St. Regis Tea Special Blend, provide delicious refreshment. For guests seeking a livelier beat, the Remington Bar, decorated to blend old and new with its dark, rich woods and bright, contemporary artwork, features live bands along with festive martinis and fine spirits. When hunger strikes, head to the Remington Restaurant, where dishes are prepared with an international approach using fresh, local ingredients.
The St. Regis Houston’s holistic spa offers Ayurvedic rituals and unique massages to bring comfort and luxury full circle. An 800-square-foot swimming pool further relaxes and refreshes. When the hotel’s amenities have been experienced, the surrounding neighborhood beckons to be explored. Nearby is The Galleria—one of the largest malls in the United States—plus the museum district and a variety of golf courses.
The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort
Paradise is found at The St. Regis Bal Harbour in Florida, which celebrated its grand opening in January on nine beachfront acres. Designed by Sieger Suarez Architectural Partnership, the resort is composed of three dramatic 27-story glass towers. It is located just minutes from lively South Beach and across the street from the Bal Harbour Shops, where jetsetters and affluent part-time residents of the small enclave of Bal Harbour shop the finest brands.
Interior design firm Yabu Pushelberg brought an Art Deco feel to the resort, which features exotic finishes such as West African Movingui wood and Chinese God Flower marble. Cool blues and grays in the 243 guest rooms and suites complement the blue water outside, which takes centerstage through the floor-to-ceiling windows and from spacious expansive balconies off every guest room.
The most sweeping views of all are seen by guests of the 2,800-square-foot presidential suite on the 24th floor, accessible via private elevator and featuring a 1,200-square-foot balcony. Contemporary artwork decorates the property, showcasing both international and local artists. A graffiti-style mural by Miami-based Santiago Rubino is a focal point of the bar, and symbolizes a modern interpretation of The St. Regis New York’s iconic King Cole mural.
Out of doors, oceanfront day villas featuring flat screen televisions, mini-bars and butler service ensure upscale relaxation right at the water’s edge. Guests can also relax poolside at their choice of two swimming pools, complete with stunning complimentary offerings, including a spa therapist that roams the pool to provide guests with brief but relaxing reflexology massages. Latin American fare is served poolside at the Fresco Pool Bar and Restaurant. Delicious cuisine is also available at the resort’s signature restaurant, J&G Grill.
According to General Manager Marco Selva, “The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort is one of the world’s most exclusive resort destinations. We invite you to discover a new dimension of bespoke luxury, timeless elegance and unparalleled guest experiences as we inspire the next chapter of St. Regis for discriminating travelers around the globe.”
The St. Regis Aspen Resort
In 2011, The St. Regis Aspen Resort began a nearly $40 million interior and exterior renovation. The resort is now re-emerging as an even more sophisticated mountain retreat that calls to mind John Jacob Astor’s Gilded Age. The renovation featured changes to all guest rooms, as well as enhancements throughout the property that represent a new standard of five-star luxury in Aspen. Highlights include a newly created library with fireplace, comfortable sofas and bookshelves; a grand staircase connecting the lobby to lower-level ballrooms; the addition of Monarch Hall, a lobby-level catering venue, which is divisible into three separate spaces; a redesigned entry drive court; and other opulent changes. Guests looking to host a wedding or special event at the resort will find over 25,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor conference and banquet venues.
The resort is centrally situated at the base of Aspen Mountain between the mountain’s two main ski lifts and close to all four of its ski areas. During skiing season, the ski valet service provides boot drying and equipment storage, as well as local knowledge of ski runs and terrain. A myriad of other outdoor activities during summer and winter can be arranged through the on-site Aspen Outfitting Company and Aspen Sports. Summer highlights include mountain biking, hiking and white water rafting, as well as a host of festivals and special events.
Guests can also enjoy a brand new concept restaurant: Chefs Club by FOOD & WINE—a first of its kind partnership. The restaurant, in a redesigned space at the resort, features a selection of FOOD & WINE’s Best New Chefs preparing a biannually rotating menu of seasonally inspired cuisine that can be paired with specially crafted cocktails and wines curated by FOOD & WINE editorial experts Ray Isle and Jim Meehan.
After a day enjoying Aspen’s stunning mountain beauty, pampering at The St. Regis Aspen’s 15,000-square-foot Remède Spa, the flagship of the spa brand, brings welcome relaxation. Guests experience treatments customized to Aspen’s unique characteristics. The Altitude Recovery Facial replenishes skin dehydrated by the 8,000- foot elevation. The Extreme Tranquility body treatment helps restore energy depleted by altitude and Aspen’s myriad sports. Stop by the oxygen lounge for a welcome breather, and leave feeling reinvigorated. Finish the perfect day by enjoying dinner at the resort’s signature restaurant or a libation at Shadow Mountain Lounge.
