Boston's Copley Plaza Completes $20 Million Restoration

Mark Thompson READ TIME: 4 MIN.

Boston, Massachusetts - As The Fairmont Copley Plaza celebrates its Centennial and begins its next century of service, the hotel has completed a more than $20 million restoration and renovation which included all of the hotel's guestrooms and suites, Fairmont Gold, the Lower Lobby meeting space and the addition of a new rooftop health club and Lobby Lounge.

In addition, OAK Long Bar + Kitchen, Back Bay's newest drinking and dining destination, also debuts at the hotel this summer.

"This is one of the most exciting times in the 100-year history of The Fairmont Copley Plaza," said Paul S. Tormey, regional vice president and general manager. "This investment will enhance the hotel's preeminent position in the marketplace, while preserving much of the architectural detailing that has made the hotel a Boston landmark since its grand opening in 1912. The renovation has been thoughtfully curated to meet the needs of today's guests while celebrating the property's rich history and position in Boston's Back Bay."

The extensive renovation included all of the 383 guestrooms and suites and Fairmont Gold Lounge. The new rooms and guest corridors incorporate the marble colors and hues of the public space to bring elegant plum and blue color schemes into the guestrooms and suites. The effect in the guestrooms and corridors is a design palette of quiet sophistication that leverages the hotel's rich history and Back Bay location while meeting the needs of today's sophisticated traveler.

The Fairmont Gold Lounge emulates the feeling of a Back Bay mansion with comfortably elegant, residential decor. The hotel has also introduced eight themed suites, which are mini-museums each celebrating one of the city's iconic institutions. Suites include the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Pops, Boston Symphony Orchestra, The Freedom Trail, the JFK Library and Museum, Boston Public Library, The Museum of Science and The Catie Copley Suite.

The hotel's Lower Lobby Meeting space has been completely renovated into a new state-of-the-art conference facility, featuring built in A/V and technology capabilities, complemented by rich wood paneling. The five meeting rooms comprise 5,600 square feet of function space and feature ergonomic conference chairs, new conference tables and built in buffets.

Comprised of more than 3,000 square feet, the new Rooftop Health Club features state of the art TechnoGym equipment including cardio vascular machines with individual entertainment systems, weight machines, free weights and benches, an expansive stretching area and resistance training and core strengthening equipment. Designed as a contemporary urban loft space, the health club features floor to ceiling windows with views of the Back Bay. The facility will also include an outdoor deck.

The hotel's public areas have also received some new additions. An elegant Lobby Lounge, perfect for relaxing or an impromptu meeting, recently opened. Lavish furnishings and wall coverings are complemented by impressive art, including signed lithographs by Matisse, Picasso and Chagall.

Catie Copley, the hotel's canine ambassador, has even received a new custom-made dog bed as part of the renovation of this space. Adjacent to the Lobby Lounge, in Peacock Alley, the original hand-laid mosaic tile floor from 1912 has been restored creating a dramatic new feeling to the grand entrance of the hotel.

Following an extensive restoration, OAK Long Bar + Kitchen makes its debut this summer. The soaring neoclassical space features an expansive menu of hand-crafted cocktails and farm to table inspired American menu. OAK Long Bar + Kitchen rests perfectly between past and present; vaulted ceilings, original beaux arts plaster and restored copper mullions contrast with a lighter, more contemporary cerused oak palette (the first real oak to actually be brought into the space); fireplaces reminiscent of a University Club sit alongside a state-of-the-art wine room; and, tufted leather bar stools sidle up to an 83 foot copper-topped bar. OAK also features a seasonal outdoor patio. For more information about OAK Long Bar + Kitchen, please visit: www.oaklongbarkitchen.com

Since its prestigious opening in 1912, the Fairmont Copley Plaza has stood as a landmark and symbol of Boston's tradition of culture, history, elegance and hospitality. Designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, architect of the Copley Plaza's sister hotel, The Plaza in New York, the palatial quality and opulent d�cor create the feeling of a bygone era and of life lived on a grand scale.

Today, with the completion of an extensive renovation and restoration, the guest rooms and suites complement the grandeur of the public space, while providing a comfortable home away from home for guests. The Fairmont Copley Plaza is owned by Texas-based FelCor Lodging Trust, which owns interests in 82 properties with approximately 23,000 rooms in the US and Canada.

For additional information or reservations, please call (800) 441-1414, visit www.fairmont.com/copleyplaza or engage with The Fairmont Copley Plaza in its online communities at www.facebook.com/FairmontCopleyPlaza or on Twitter @FairmontCopley.

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by Mark Thompson , EDGE Style & Travel Editor

A long-term New Yorker and a member of New York Travel Writers Association, Mark Thompson has also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The author of the novels WOLFCHILD and MY HAWAIIAN PENTHOUSE, he has a PhD in American Studies and is the recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center. His work has appeared in numerous publications.

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