It’s no secret that the tourism in Asheville has been booming. Travelers throughout the Carolinas discovered Asheville’s irresistible fall foliage, breweries, restaurants, and the Biltmore Estate and spread the word across the United States. Now boasting numerous travel awards, the mountainous destination has become a cherished getaway. To accommodate for the overflow of people coming to town, construction of new hotels are on the rise. However, today’s tourists don’t want to stay in ordinary hotels. Instead, they want their hotel to be as unique as the destination, therefore initiating the surge of boutique hotels. These hotels feature upscale design and locally sourced cuisine and artwork that ensure a memorable stay. Some may consider boutique hotels another trend, but many tourists have established a dedication to strictly supporting local and out-of-the-box hotel concepts after staying at these amazing hotels. We will continue seeing boutique hotels popping up in major cities. In summer 2019, the tallest building in Asheville opens as Hotel Arras. Hotel Arras is a captivating boutique hotel that is reinventing the way tourists experience Asheville.
Those who have visited Asheville in the past may remember a large steel facade in downtown: the BB&T Building. The management and development group, McKibbon Hospitality, bought the BB&T building and are the masters behind the exquisite transformation. At the same time, they were buying the newly opened lifestyle hotel, AC Hotel, across the street where they also embrace local art. These two hotels share an updated parking garage with ample spaces. So as part of the hotel arrival experience, McKibbon commissioned a sculpture to go at the corner of Patton Ave and N. Lexington near the garage entrance.
Repurposing the BB&T Building was such a significant project that City Council had to approve the design because of its size and prominence. Erik Rowen, President of development and renovation services, states, “John McKibben and our whole team wanted to make sure we did it right and listened to the whole city so we initially held a couple public community meetings to get feedback.” All eyes would be on the building during the entire construction process. The builders stripped the interior to its concrete shell, except the elevator banks, and started from scratch. Then they began the demolition of the exterior in 2017. The former exterior building did not complement Asheville as well as it could have and needed to be modernized. The biggest challenge in the exterior was to blend it well into Asheville’s existing architecture, but still preserving it as a local landmark. Therefore, the team turned to architectural inspiration from other buildings downtown. The architects Reese Vanderbilt & Associates mixed modern and art deco detailing that not only makes the building appear more lavish, but not as massive. In fact, in order to give more texture and depth to the once vertical building, they extended the floors as much as 30 inches. Rowen agrees, “Its ability to coexist with its surrounding buildings is astounding.”
Upon entering Hotel Arras, the lobby will welcome guests with the first sight of its “mountain modern” interior. The color scheme of natural browns, grays, and whites, is relaxing and timeless. Warm stone, beautiful cuts of wood, and eccentric tiles blend beautifully throughout the hotel. Everything is layered perfectly. The style of the couches, coffee tables, and stunning chandeliers compliment the surroundings. They invested endless time and effort making sure every detail and nook was up to their standards. Guests will notice the open floor plan, meaning there are no walls separating the lobby from the two on-site restaurants.
From the beginning, Chairman John McKibbon vowed no national chains would be in Hotel Arras. Instead, the beloved husband-and-wife owners, Peter and Martha Pollay, of downtown’s Posana Restaurant will introduce two independent restaurants, open to the public, on the first floor of the hotel. The couple, part of Mandara Hospitality Group, were “involved in every restaurant design selection down to the fabrics on the chairs.” They chose fascinating seating arrangements, geometric ceiling structures, artistic metal dividers, and gorgeous white marble paneling. Both atmospheres are romantic and intimate. Bargello is an upscale, full-service Mediterranean restaurant open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Look forward to shareable foods and house-made pastas. For fresh coffee, small bites, and hand-crafted cocktails, opt for District 42, your more casual eatery. Both local restaurants will be under the reign of Executive Chef Jordan Arace.
Grand events and important meetings will be hosted on the second floor. The space is extremely versatile and can offer banquets, receptions, classrooms, and more. There’s a huge venue that can hold up to 150 people and divide into three rooms. A private wine cellar is also available to rent for guests to host impressive parties.
Traditionally, boutique hotels have a small number of hotel rooms, but Hotel Arras contains a whopping 128 hotel rooms including the luxurious suites. Each room is custom from the wooden bed canopies to the distinct bathroom tiles to the industrial light fixtures. It is all contemporary infused with nature. Their goal is to make you feel as comfortable as possible with soft bedding, dreamy pillows, homemade soap, and spa-like bathrooms. Guests are sure to get the rest they deserve after exploring or hiking all day.
Erik says, “We couldn’t represent the city properly and make this a true Asheville hotel if we didn’t incorporate local artists.” John McKibbon invests a ton in the art community and has made sure all of their properties feature local art so that they can get the exposure they deserve. All of the art is commissioned, one-of-a-kind pieces made specifically for the hotel. 20 local artists were invited to tour Hotel Arras and worked in conjunction with the design team in order for the artists to grasp what kind of pieces would embellish the space. Some of the art guests will see in the lobby and the hotel rooms are John Wayne Jackson’s mixed media, Wendy Newman’s tapestries, Carl Pittman’s sculptures and wooden bowls, and Eileen Powell’s sculptures. Local artist Catherine Murphy created artwork inspired by the nearby French Broad River to go above each bed.
Not only will guests be able to view real original pieces, they can further immerse themselves in an uncommon hotel occasion. In the evenings, guests can attend private art tours led by a hotel staff member or occasionally, John McKibbon himself. Guests will be educated on the local art collection while sipping complimentary wine. Later, guests can flip through a published book of Hotel Arras’ permanent gallery found on their night stand.
If anyone is on the market for a new home in Asheville, 54 luxury condominiums sit above the hotel on the 10th floor. The condos sustain the beautiful interior design themes seen in the hotel rooms plus homey features like a fireplace, marble kitchen island, and walk-in closet. Residents are also allowed to use the hotel’s first class yoga studio, massage room, and fitness center. They have everything in reach. The condos are almost exclusively floor to ceiling glass walls at the exterior so they all have expansive views of the Great Smoky Mountains. These one or two bedroom homes invite you to “join the skyline.” There is absolutely nowhere else in downtown Asheville guests can get these marvelous, unobstructed views.
Hotel Arras is the center of attention in downtown Asheville. Hotel Arras is going to change the way tourists plan their vacations. It’s not simply a place to sleep, but to enlighten guests with culture and knowledge. Arras wants guests to get as much of an experience inside the hotel as they do out and about the streets of Asheville.
