waldrop+nichols studio, llc (w+n), the Dallas-based, interior-architectural design firm celebrates the opening of Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport with a ceremonial ribbon cutting that was held on September 8, 2021. Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport is a celebration of the visual and performing arts, an unrivaled academic culture, and the Seaport’s ongoing dedication to innovation. Guests and locals alike will experience a contemporary interior set in Boston’s most forward-thinking neighborhood.

“We have anticipated this day for over four years,” said Andrea Waldrop, Vice President of waldrop+nichols studio, llc. “This project has been a labor of love for our studio. We sought to create a destination equitable for both modern business ,leisure travelers, and locals alike, with a narrative that focused on Boston today. The hotel embodies the city’s future, focusing on the arts, culture, and innovation. We were drawn to multifunctional and flexible use of spaces within Seaport and around Boston, from library reading rooms, art museums and performing arts venues.”

Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport is a convention center hotel located in the Seaport/South Boston neighborhood, with proximity to the city’s finest arts and cultural centers, visitor attractions, the Harborwalk, and waterfront views. It boasts 100,000 square feet of flexible indoor-outdoor meeting space, and the city’s largest ballroom, 1,054 specially commissioned guest rooms, including 52 luxurious suites. Seven food and beverage venues cater to dining for any size group: an avant-garde restaurant spotlighting Boston’s rich orchestral history, a dynamic lobby bar with curated Seaport flair, an open-air pool bar oasis, and a progressive take on a grab & go coffee venue with rotating spontaneous offering and a wall-tap coffee system. A pool and spa provide spaces for guests to be active and relax as they choose.

Public Spaces Designed for Flexibility

Waldrop and her team took cues from spaces in the city that served multiple events and were highly adaptive. To embrace that dynamic, they did away with rigid boundaries in the lobby and embraced the flow of the harbor while cultivating art and innovation, nixing doors to Kestra, the all-day dining restaurant, and allowing it to participate in the vitality of the lobby. The off-white custom troweled finish throughout the first floor resembles the pureness of contemporary museums and provides a backdrop for custom art installations throughout the hotel. Three 85” LED screens behind the registration showcase digital artwork. Slatted walnut adds movement, texture, and warmth to the walls. Textiles provide pattern and color giving the space a warm ambiance suited to a wide variety of programming. Multilayered ceilings, illuminated by light coves, provide a layered and intimate vibe. A four-sided lobby bar provides a social anchor point without interrupting traffic flow. A Beethoven score of music, provided by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, was fabricated into a perforated metal screen and backlit, providing an authentic tie to the arts and the area. The lobby platform and step cushions offer an amphitheater-like experience.

The galleries on the east and west wings of the lobby showcase the innovation of the city. The east gallery connects guests to Breve spa through a proscenium-inspired arch entrance. The spa itself merges the social buzz of a dry bar with custom salon services. Walnut, lagoon quartzite and custom troweled walls create an indulgent, cocoon-like ambiance.

Kestra, the all-day dining restaurant concept capitalizes on the functional similarities of dining and co-working. A fireplace anchors the room and provides kinetic warmth. The Bates Hall reading room, located in the Boston Library, inspired the deconstructed, barrel-vault ceiling. A retracting center wall within the bronze-glassed, private dining areas provides space separation for social networking or private events. Thoughtfully chosen artwork depicting the movement of music is beautifully illuminated as the focus of the back bar. In the grand ballroom,ceiling sculptures were designed in lieu of traditional chandeliers. In the junior ballroom, a custom felt acoustic ceiling system was created for the space.

Patron Tower Guestrooms

The arts and the harbor location inform these 381-square foot guest rooms. Architectural silhouettes define the desk with its luggage bench and custom television surround. Bronze mirrored cabinet doors conceal closet space while providing a warm reflective surface. Floor-to-ceiling windows are luxuriously enveloped in a harbor inspired hue while decorative carpeting provides abstract artistry, creating an environment that speaks to the contrast of harbor and land, characteristic of the Seaport district. Bathrooms offer walk-in showers, rose gold fixtures, and illuminated mirrors all wrapped in the warmth of walnut and textural tile.

Artist Tower Guestrooms

Creating a modern loft-like feel, these guestrooms offer exposed concrete ceilings, bronze-mirrored and frosted bathing rooms, and expansive views of Seaport. The vanity is truly multi-purpose housing a vessel sink, a mini refrigerator and coffee machine. The safe and space for extras blankets or pillows tucks neatly into drawers housed within the bed platform. Hanging rods offer the effect of metal sculptures while functioning as coat hanger and towel storage. Wood-toned LVT unites the open spaces, providing a quiet warmth underfoot.

About waldrop+nichols studio, llc

waldrop+nichols studio, a Dallas-based interior architectural design firm continues to set a precedent within their industry of the hospitality and leisure lifestyle market. Established in 1985 by co-founder Reggi Nichols, the firm continues under her direction along with partner, Andrea Waldrop. The firm has crafted innovative designs for prestigious hotels, resort properties, convention centers, historic restorations, and spas throughout North America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.  Recognized in the industry for their ability to consistently produce award-winning design while responding to each client’s individual requirements respective of market, locale, and the value of design with regard to return on investment.

The firm’s work has been featured in Interior Design Magazine (including top 200 design giants for the past two decades), Hospitality Design Magazine, Hotel Magazine, Veranda and Lodging Hospitality Magazine. For more information, please visit www.waldropnichols.com.