As the $4 trillion wellness market continues to grow, hotel brands are trying to define what that means for hospitality. Many think it is inauthentic to simply stick fitness options (like bikes and chin-up bars) in the room; instead, they are on the hunt for a more holistic opportunity. Enter Equinox, the edgy fitness company with a cult following that has become the lifestyle brand du jour for a certain type of young, affluent consumer.
The brand’s highly anticipated hotel, which had been percolating since 2007 when a survey showed an overwhelming number of members would stay in an Equinox hotel, debuted this summer as the anchor of Hudson Yards, the new micro-city on the west side of Manhattan from Related Companies (also Equinox’s owner). It’s partly the brainchild of CEO Chris Norton, who, after more than 25 years at Four Seasons, decided to take this role in 2016 to disrupt the luxury-lifestyle space. He and the Related and Equinox teams brought in a troupe of industry heavyweights for the project, including SOM, Rockwell Group, and Joyce Wang, to translate what Equinox already does well into a chic, sexy hospitality concept.
The backbar at Electric Lemon is made up of a series of rotating boxes that can flip between showcasing a handpainted mirror front or cordials
“We are not a wellness hotel, and we are not a fitness hotel,” says Norton. “We are a lifestyle hotel that supports a high-performance lifestyle on the road that’s about being healthy, strong, and equipped to face this busy life that all of us lead.” Located on floors 24 through 38 of SOM’s 92-story limestone and glass tower (the club and spa are on floors 4 and 5, respectively), it’s made up of a series of residentially informed spaces that play with the ideas of “the body in motion, reflection, voyeurism, and balance,” says Rockwell Group partner Greg Keffer.
That concept starts at the ground floor entrance lobby. Here, guests are greeted with a wall of undulating stainless steel, the first of three sandcasted 3D interpretations of silk fabric photographed while falling through the air after the body comes to rest by London artists Based Upon. A second pair, this time vertical, is found upstairs hanging above the two-sided spalted walnut-clad fireplace, the centerpiece of restaurateur Stephen Starr’s Electric Lemon bar and restaurant on the 24th floor (that, of course, serves a health-minded menu). In the lounge, the installation reflects low-slung velvet and leather furniture, a black marble bar with swirling gray veining, and area rugs with a striking pattern evoking cut stone, all done in a contrasting light and dark palette of gray, indigo, tan, and black that nods to the adjacent Hudson River and the surrounding city. In fact, quality, luxe materials are the hallmark of the design. “I don’t think there is a painted surface in this hotel,” says Keffer.
A gestural chandelier of luminous rods connects the buzzing two-story space with the intimate sky lobby above, where sculptural reception and concierge pods sit beneath Venetian plaster ceilings. Because the low ceiling was not a typical arrival sequence, the design team was tasked with finding a way to celebrate the view of Hudson Yards while bringing that reflectivity inside.
Playing with the idea of balance, two-toned bathrooms feature tiered, sculpted vanities composed of three masses of stone and Corian, shown here in the presidential suite
The residential scale continues in the 212 nearly soundproof guestrooms set along H-shaped hallways. “The rooms are a respite from the city—cool, dark, and quiet,” says Keffer. Guests step off the blue leather-lined elevators to padded tan leather walls that start the calming effect. In the bedrooms, a custom upholstered headboard wall that connects to a chaise “cradles guests in softness,” he says. A much-researched, exclusive bed system includes a spring-free mattress made of natural latex and coconut fiber, goose down pillows, and two duvets (for temperature regulation), and with a touch of a button, the lights go off, blackout shades come down, and the temperature drops to 66 degrees. “You work hard, you travel a lot, so having a room that essentially seals you off and gives you a good night’s sleep is everything,” says Keffer.
That’s enhanced by body wash specifically designed for night (and morning) and sleep aids found in the minibar (boasting curated health, wellness, and fitness items, including face masks, magnesium-based sleep supplements, and more). Plus, a nurse is available to administer restorative IV drips on demand. “Equinox has always had these three brand pillars, which are movement, nutrition, and regeneration. We really developed the regeneration piece [in the hotel],” says Norton of the science-based approach created with their advisory board.
The club’s outdoor pool deck overlooks the Vessel, a beehive-esque structure made up of more than 150 interconnected stairs from designer Thomas Heatherwick, which is the art centerpiece of Hudson Yards
Even though the brand is owning sleep, guests have access to the building’s 60,000-square-foot fitness club and spa, both crafted by Wang, complete with an indoor saltwater lap pool, two plunge pools, and an outdoor pool deck with views of Hudson Yards’ signature landmark, the Vessel. “It was designed as a series of discoveries,” she says of the seductive composition of the spa. “The curves and soft lines allow for the intimate interior architecture to guide, calm, and cocoon guests.” It also features the latest in cryotherapy and ionic balancing and relaxation pods that overlook the river, while the club’s trainers offer sleep and nutrition coaching.
For a true work-life balance, guests can have a drink and take in the views on the swanky 8,630-square-foot terrace found off the restaurant, where a Jaume Plensa sculpture floats on the infinity-edged reflecting pool surrounded by live-edge wood loungers and stone tables. As the brand continues to evolve (hotels are planned for Seattle, Houston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and more), Equinox has the rare opportunity to transform an industry that is still testing the wellness waters. “It’s the substance and the style piece that puts luxury in lifestyle,” Norton says.
A fire feature warms the club lounge, which Wang dressed in luxurious materials that speak to the hotel
This article originally appeared in HD’s September 2019 issue.
