First Look: RH opens luxury hotel in New York

Visitors to New York seeking a luxurious and adults-only hospitality stay have a new option courtesy of RH.

The luxe home furnishings company, formerly known as Restoration Hardware, has opened RH Guesthouse, at 55 Gansevoort Street in Manhattan's Meatpacking District and just steps away from RH's New York retail showplace.  It is the company's first-ever overnight hospitality concept.

Accessed through a  private entrance and housed in a restored and reimagined triangular loft building constructed in 1887, the property features six guest rooms and three guest suites.  It also is home to RH chairman and CEO Gary Friedman's private residence ("The Residence"), which occupies the entire top floor and is sometimes available for booking. 

The rooms and suites at RH Guesthouse have been meticulously outfitted with bespoke furnishings,  soundproof windows and architectural lighting.  Each features two full bathrooms, a freshly-stocked gourmet pantry and an in-room gym. Guests also have exclusive use of the private rooftop garden, a 40-foot mosaic infinity pool and dining terrace.

The highlights of the 2,600-sq.-ft penthouse "residence" include 11-foot coffered ceilings, elegant boiserie walls,  herringbone floors, a monolithic Italian-travertine fireplace and chef’s kitchen. 

 The property also houses a "live-fire"  restaurant serving a variety of menu offerings. A 32-seat champagne and caviar bar is located in the Guesthouse cellar,  serving "the highest grades of Petrossian Caviar and a curated list of some of the world’s finest Champagnes," according to RH. 

"The RH Guesthouse has been designed through a lens of privacy and luxury," stated Friedman. "Privacy is the one thing everyone has given away on social media, and the one thing the internet has taken away, as you can access anyone online. We believe privacy is going to become a large and important market, and the RH Guesthouse has an opportunity to define that new market with an unseen-before level of design, quality and hospitality.”

The opening of RH Guesthouse follows the May 2022 launch of an 80,000-sq.-ft. showroom (“gallery” in RH speak) at the historic Bethlehem Steel Building, described as the “crown jewel” of Pier 70 in San Francisco. 

Constructed in 1917 and designed in the Classical Revival style by San Francisco architect Frederick H. Meyer, the landmark building has been meticulously restored and reimagined with great respect for its original vision, according to RH. The 10,000-sq.-ft. space is the brand’s largest studio to date and includes private client presentation rooms with state-of-the-art technology, an RH Rugs showroom, design libraries dedicated to textiles and furniture and lighting finishes, and an “elegant jewel-box” gallery showcasing bath and cabinet hardware designs.

[Read More: RH details multiple 2022 initiatives; CEO cites ‘chaotic’ challenges in retail]