The Nell New York Reveals Design Plans for Rockefeller Center Hotel
The 134-room property is slated to open in fall 2027, with public spaces by Rockwell Group and guestrooms by Pierre & Co.
Photos: Courtesy of Nell Hotels
The Nell New York has unveiled its design plans ahead of a planned fall 2027 opening at 10 Rockefeller Plaza. Aspen Hospitality says the 134-room property will be the first hotel within Rockefeller Center and New York City’s only Relais & Châteaux hotel.
Two New York design firms are dividing the work: Rockwell Group is designing the public spaces, from the entrance and reception to the restaurants, lounges, spa, and meeting rooms. Pierre & Co. is responsible for the guestrooms and suites. Both have drawn on Rockefeller Center’s Art Deco architecture, though the hotel is intended to feel more like a contemporary residence than a period recreation.
Guests will enter through a discreet doorway on 48th Street, where a limestone façade and a foyer fireplace set the tone. Elevators will lead to the seventh floor, which will house reception, an all-day dining room, a bar overlooking the Rockefeller Center ice rink, and a private wine lounge and cellar. The eighth floor will contain the spa and fitness center.
“We approached The Nell New York as a collection of rooms in a gracious Manhattan townhouse rather than a traditional hotel,” said Shawn Sullivan, a partner at Rockwell Group. The firm’s plans include geometric stone inlays, bronze details, warm woods, and artwork that reference the building’s setting without copying it outright.
Guestrooms will have neutral colors, natural materials, and softened architectural lines. Pierre & Co. has chosen a persimmon accent inspired by the curtains at Radio City Music Hall; the Presidential Suite will add burgundy details and a bathroom with curved marble walls. The firm says it designed the rooms around the ways guests will use them throughout the day, whether working, dining, or unwinding.
The New York property extends a hotel collection built around The Little Nell in Aspen. Its wine lounge, in particular, draws on the Aspen hotel’s established wine program. For guests who want to stay in the heart of Midtown, The Nell’s strongest distinction may be its address: Rockefeller Center’s restaurants, shops, and cultural attractions will be just outside the door.
