design et al are delighted to announce that Floss Barber Inc. have been shortlisted for Hotel Under 200 Rooms – Global Award in The International Hotel & Property Awards 2019.
Built in 1923, the Parker Hotel was reborn in 2018 as a distinctive boutique-style urban Fairfield Inn & Suites. When it was built, the Parker was a “bachelors” residential hotel, of the kind built in many American cities. Located in the heart of Philadelphia, the hotel is steps away from City Hall, the Academy of Music, shopping, and transportation. Following ups and downs as a popular hotel for legendary jazz musicians, entertainers, and athletes, to an early player in Philadelphia’s LGBTQ community, the Parker Hotel fell on hard times. The restoration design intent began with the new owner’s decision to make the hotel once again a positive part of a thriving neighbourhood.
The Marriott Fairfield Inn & Suites brand aligns with the original mission of the Parker Hotel to provide stylish and affordable accommodations to the traveling middle class. Led by Philadelphia firm, Floss Barber, Inc., the transformation into the Fairfield Inn & Suites Philadelphia Downtown/Center City Hotel focused on accentuating the best of the historic building with details and amenities for the modern traveller. Exuberant colours, new lighting fixtures, and updated fabrics and finishes ensure comfort and dynamism.
The renovated interiors take cues from the original architecture. The hotel features both Colonial Revival and Art Deco detailing. With an emphasis on verticality, the building’s Art Deco details reflect that of surrounding Philadelphia high-rise apartments of the same era. The hotel also displays elements of Colonial Revivalism, including its exterior fanlight, ironwork, and cartouches. The redesign incorporates elements of these historical precedents combined with a new, contemporary aesthetic. New subway tile with dark grout, brass and gold-tone elements, and corridor carpet runners refer to the building’s past and juxtapose with original, restored features such as the checkerboard marble lobby floor and illuminated entry canopy.
The ownership and design team worked collaboratively with one another and with Marriott to ensure its Fairfield Inn & Suites brand standards were applied and customized. The result of this team effort is a distinctive boutique-style urban Fairfield Inn & Suites that provides a comfortable, productive stay at a great value, while at the same time revitalizing an historic urban building and imbuing it with colour and vibrancy.