Hanging with friends in my hometown of New Haven, Connecticut for the week. Whilst ambling downtown Chapel Street this brisk Autumn afternoon (on my way to lunch at always-yummy-and-inexpensive Mamoun's), did a double-take. Ramshackle Elm City fixture The Colony Inn was no more. In its place was...what? The smoky reflective floor-to-ceiling glass revealed...a furniture store? Lots of tables and chairs, but I spot a bar. Signage outside is vague: "Study" to the left of the entrance, "Heirloom" on the right. I question an all-in-black young man sweeping the stairs, and he informs me that, indeed, it's still a hotel and restaurant. I dash up the stairs to sate my puzzlement. Wow. Ladies and gents, The Study Hotel. Three weeks old. The Colony was completely gutted and remodeled. Blond and bubbly Ashley greeted me at the front desk, and chirpily endured a mini-interrogation. 124 rooms, starting at $249. The 100-seat Heirloom Restaurant on the ground floor, open 7 days a week for breakfast and dinner, no lunch or take-out yet. A public Mac in the lobby, always a welcoming omen.
47-year-old Paul McGowan, formerly affiliated with Starwood's W chain, is now the guiding principal behind Study's development company, Hospitality 3. The W's influence is apparent on the first floor alone: gloriously chic, spacey, and uber-urban cos-metro.
The boxy facade dovetails (intentionally?) with Yale architecture, mimicking somewhat the honeycombed exterior of Beineke Library. Study definitely seeks to draw Yalies and their visiting kinfolk, as evidenced by Heirloom's opening just in time for October's Parents' Weekend.
The Study, in concert with all the groovilicious new eateries on Crown Street and Ninth Square, makes New Haven more than just the last stop on Metro North. Book a room. Have a libation. Tell Ashley Lil Bobbie Joy sent ya.
The Study At Yale
1157 Chapel Street
New Haven, CT 06511
866-930-1157
amoir@studyhotels.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment