Surety Hotel will open its doors on November 11 in the Des Moines’ downtown district. The hotel will be the latest property to launch by Aparium Hotel Group’s Kevin Robinson and Mario Tricoci, whose portfolio includes Kansas City’s Crossroads Hotel, Detroit Foundation Hotel, Minneapolis’ Hewing Hotel, and more.
An adaptive reuse of the historic century-old Hippee building, the soon-to-debut 137-key hotel marks a revival of a Beaux-Arts Classicism-style architectural gem, built for The Iowa Loan & Trust Company in 1913 as Iowa’s tallest building at the time. The hotel is named after a surety bond, the promise of an individual to have your back.
Slingshot Architecture and DLR Group’s interior design preserved many of the building’s historical features, from the 12-story main staircase to the ornate mail chute that runs down the structure’s entire length. They also maintained the bank space on the main level, including original vault doors. Evoking the city’s heritage of banking and finance, the hotel’s interiors are outfitted in marble, hand-applied artisan plaster, hardwood millwork, leathers, and rich metals reminiscent of the coins that previously passed through in exchange. Surety Hotel is a juxtaposition of historic American opulence and modern artistry, eclecticism, and casual relevance.
Photo: Courtesy of Aparium Hotel Group
