A leading luxury hotel developer will partner with high-end furniture designer Ralph Pucci to open an upscale hotel in Georgetown this fall.
LXR Luxury Resorts & Hotels in New York City, an affiliate of private investment firm The Blackstone Group, will work with the well-known designer to remodel The Georgetown Inn on Wisconsin Avenue to reopen it as the Hotel Ralph Pucci. LXR purchased both The Georgetown Inn and The Latham Hotel in May as a foot in the door to the hot Washington hospitality market.
“Our collection [of hotels and resorts] are [composed] of properties that reside in the very best locations within preferred travel destinations,” said John Carns, general manager of The Georgetown Inn and The Latham Hotel, in an e-mail. “Georgetown is such a unique and wonderful area and D.C. is a remarkable city and the hotels are great properties; they just need some serious TLC.”
Remodeling the existing hotels in Georgetown follows with LXR’s strategy. The company was formed in August 2005 with the acquisition of hotel brand Wyndham International and 14 of its properties, including famed resorts such as The Peaks Resort & Golden Door Spa in Telluride, Colo., and the Bel Age in West Hollywood. Since then, LXR has grown its portfolio to 30 resorts throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Like The Georgetown Inn, each hotel is upgraded using well-known, cutting-edge designers. The 96-room Hotel Ralph Pucci is expected to be minimalist and feature a different color palette and design on each floor.
Pucci, who originally became famous for his mannequin designs, has tapped the architect/design team of Pilar Proffitt and Robert Bristow to develop his design concepts. Original photography by fashion photographer Diego Uchitel and by Christopher Makos, who was a protege of Andy Warhol, will be featured in the hotel.
“This partnership exemplifies LXR Luxury Resorts & Hotel’s level of commitment to creating an alternative to traditional luxury hotels,” said Carns, who pointed out that many of today’s upscale hotels are defined by ornate decor. “We are willing to think outside the box and turn our trust over to the people who really know design to create the alternative.”
