TORONTO –Hospitality brand Raffles Hotels & Resorts, part of AccorHotels, in partnership with hoteliers Gary and Jeffrey Saunders of Saunders Hotel Group and developer Jordan Warshaw of The Noannet Group of Boston, announced the signing of definitive agreements to debut the first mixed-use Raffles property in North America.
Scheduled to open in 2021, Raffles Boston Back Bay Hotel & Residences promises to be a welcoming oasis of refined elegance comprised of a distinctive hotel as well as exquisitely appointed residences, located in the heart of Boston.
“We are proud to announce the introduction of Raffles Hotels & Resorts, one of our portfolio’s most iconic and beloved luxury brands, to Boston, an American city with a powerful history of cultural significance and landmark events,” said Kevin Frid, COO of AccorHotels North & Central America. “As the only Raffles property on the continent, the hotel will bring to North America the unparalleled standards of excellence for which the Raffles brand is celebrated. We are certain that Raffles Boston Back Bay Hotel & Residences will become a legendary address for unsurpassed service, extraordinary style and distinctive experiences for years to come.”
Joining a prestigious collection of 12 individually unique and timeless Raffles properties around the world, the mixed-use development project will set the standard for refined hospitality and residential living in Boston. The property will include 147 guestrooms and 146 branded residences in a striking new 33-story building. Catering to the most discerning travelers and residents, Raffles Boston Back Bay will offer the impeccable and bespoke service, intuitive charm and extraordinary adventure that are synonymous with the Raffles name.
Hotel highlights include a mix of signature hotel services such as the Raffles Butler, and elegant and lively public spaces including a two-story sky lobby perched high above Copley Square, five distinct food and beverage venues, a state-of-the-art Raffles Spa with a 20-meter indoor pool, a stunning rooftop garden terrace and lounge, and expansive meeting and pre-function space. Located at the corner of Stuart Street and Trinity Place, the project is destined to reinforce the Back Bay as a first-class international neighborhood.
Raffles Boston Back Bay Residences will be a sophisticated urban sanctuary that includes a unique collection of pied-a-terre suites, one- to three-bedroom homes and magnificent penthouses. In an unrivaled residential experience, residents will have preferred access to all the elegance, charm and attentive services provided by Raffles Boston Back Bay, including exclusive membership in the resident-only tier of the company’s guest recognition and loyalty program, which features VIP status and access to special benefits within the AccorHotels portfolio. There will also be a variety of intimate residents-only gathering places and exclusive offerings to be announced closer to the official unveiling.
For more than 130 years, Raffles Hotels & Resorts has celebrated the individual personalities and stories of its hotels, each featuring a design aesthetic that embraces and reflects the culture of the destination and community in which it resides. A team of award-winning architectural and design firms has been carefully selected to bring the Raffles Boston Back Bay Hotel & Residences to life, with an inimitable personality that is uniquely “of Boston.” Raffles Boston Back Bay Hotel & Residences will boast an impressive and dramatic exterior designed by Boston-based architectural firm The Architectural Team, Inc.; as well as elegantly appointed hotel interiors fashioned by Stonehill Taylor; and stylish and sophisticated residential interiors created by Rockwell Group.
Located in the heart of the Back Bay, Boston’s most prestigious neighborhood, Raffles Boston Back Bay is conveniently adjacent to the Boston Back Bay Train Station and is within a block of Copley Square, Fairmont Copley Plaza, Trinity Church and high-end shopping at Copley Place. It is also within a short walk to other primary attractions such as the world-renowned shops and galleries of Newbury Street and Prudential Center, Fenway Park, the Museum of Fine Arts, and dozens of fine dining restaurants.
The hotel and residential project will provide many public benefits, including an affordable housing package worth in excess of $20 million plus an additional $2 million in significant improvements to the local streets and pedestrian environment. It will create approximately 700 construction jobs and provide hundreds of permanent jobs.
“Boston is an increasingly international city and has become a global destination for business and tourism,” said Mayor Martin J. Walsh. “We are pleased that AccorHotels has chosen Boston, and we look forward to welcoming North America’s first Raffles Hotels & Residences.”
The project’s developer, Trinity Stuart LLC, is a partnership consisting of hoteliers Gary and Jeff Saunders, principals of Saunders Hotel Group, which has a distinguished history of owning and operating hotels in Boston’s Back Bay, and developer Jordan Warshaw, principal of The Noannet Group, a Boston-based mixed-use and residential development firm that specializes in architecturally distinctive buildings that enhance their communities.
“Raffles is one of the most iconic names in hotels in the world, and the Back Bay is one of the most iconic neighborhoods in the United States, so it is a logical and perfect match and will further enhance Boston’s reputation as a world-class city,” said Jordan Warshaw, President of The Noannet Group.
Saunders Hotel Group Chairman Gary Saunders said, “Our family has owned iconic hotels throughout the Back Bay for over three generations, and in choosing a hospitality partner for this exciting project we couldn’t have found a better brand for this location than Raffles.”
“From an operations and management standpoint, there is no brand in the world like Raffles. Their attention to every detail, focus on the needs and comfort of every individual guest, and value system they instill in all employees and staff members result in the finest guest experience in the world,” said Saunders Hotel Group Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Saunders.
“The addition of the legendary Raffles brand in North America signals an evolution of AccorHotels’ luxury presence in the region and supports our Group’s growth strategy to introduce new brands and continue to develop luxury hotels in key strategic markets,” Frid added. “We are experiencing a prosperous time of significant growth in the region with several notable announcements and openings on the horizon.”
Dating back to 1887, Raffles Hotels & Resorts is an iconic and award-winning brand with an illustrious history and legendary service. Today, the iconic Raffles collection includes a dozen distinguished addresses around the world, each with its own unique local character combined with identifiable Raffles touches. Located in many of the world’s most impressive destinations, the remarkable collection of hotels and resorts include Le Royal Monceau, Raffles Paris; Raffles Singapore, and Raffles Seychelles, among others. Noteworthy Raffles openings in the pipeline include Raffles Europejski Warsaw in Poland, The Palm Dubai Hotel and Raffles Residences on Palm Jumeirah, and transformation of the Old War Office in London into a Raffles Hotel.
Raffles Boston Back Bay Hotel & Residences will elevate AccorHotels’ current luxury brand offering in North and Central America, which includes Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and Sofitel Hotels & Resorts.
