GILDED ERA
How grand hotels are making an expensive comeback
Developers eager to deliver on uniqueness and authenticity are turning their attention to socialite playgrounds of yesteryear, writes Nikki Ekstein
You’d think the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers would have been happy to entertain in their lavish mansions. In the second half of the 19th century, however, as trains and cars replaced horses and buggies, American society extended the radius of how far it was willing to go for a good party. Enter the grand hotels of the Gilded Age. They had dark bars for trysts and business deals; accommodation with chandeliers and silk linens; and restaurants that served delicacies on fine china and crystal. Few of these venues remain. Many were destroyed in fires or torn down after losing their lustre. Now, developers who are eager to deliver on uniqueness and authenticity — today’s biggest buzzwords in travel — are turning their attention to the remaining socialite playgrounds of yesteryear. "Hotels with rich histories make guests feel like they are part of something meaningful," says David Roedel, who helped redevelop Hotel Saranac, a turn-of-the-century hotspot in New York’s Adirondack Mountains,...
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