As lower Manhattan continues to become the playground for the fashion crowd, The Wall Street Hotel is the latest must visit location. Opening its doors this year, the boutique hotel brings a chic sensibility and breath of fresh air to the neighborhood. Lauren Schubert, director of marketing communications, and Sherrin Thomas, director of sales and marketing, tell THE DAILY what you can expect.
Tell us about the family behind the hotel.
Sherrin Thomas: A family with a legacy that spans 100 years of international trade and travel is behind The Wall Street Hotel. The Paspaley Group is an Australian family-owned-and-operated company that has opened its inaugural hotel in New York City’s historic financial district. Recognized as pioneers of the Australian South Sea pearling industry, the company today has a diverse portfolio ranging from pearling to retail, aviation to agriculture. The Paspaleys’ goal for patrons of The Wall Street Hotel is to consider the hotel a home away from home and that every guest who visits returns time and again. This has been a north star in the hotel’s approach to hospitality and played an important role in everything from design and service to food and beverage. Their intention was for every detail of the hotel to feel welcoming and gracious, with an eclectic character that draws on the history of the building and its location.
What’s the aesthetic of the hotel, and who designed it?
Lauren Schubert: The hotel’s design was curated by Liubasha Rose of Rose Ink Workshop, and the interiors of La Marchande restaurant were designed by Vicky Charles of Charles & Co. The designers set out to carry a balance of sophisticated approachability and radiant character in all the spaces. The interiors are inspired by classic luxury New York residences, with a light yet saturated palette that evokes a sense of calm and warmth intended to make guests feel at home.
What are some of your favorite things about the property?
Thomas: Our favorite thing about the property is the hotel’s collection of contemporary Australian Aboriginal art. The hotel is home to commissioned works from five of Australia’s leading Indigenous artists and is the result of the Paspaley family’s relationship with APY Art Centre Collective. APY is an Indigenous owned and -operated group of independent art studios representing artists from remote communities in the central Australian desert. The communities are small, but a profusion of acclaimed artists and revered cultural custodians call them home. Each piece in the hotel’s collection was created especially for The Wall Street Hotel, commissioned initially as painted works, then re-created with master printmakers. Focusing on a variety of themes including light, homecoming, travel, and water, each piece in this groundbreaking collection has distinct cultural ties to the next. Together, the collection ties back to the hotel’s spirit and its Australian legacy and is a glimpse into the incredible talent of these artists whose works are exhibited in leading institutions around the world.
What services does the curated concierge offer?
Schubert: The curated concierge offers exclusive services and partnerships carefully selected to enhance the guest experience and bring the best of New York City to life. These include everything from on-demand massages, facials, yoga and stretching classes, custom tailoring, rush garment repair, shoe service, and private helicopter charters, as well as insider access to shows, concerts, and other local happenings.
You want To “Light Up Wall Street.” Say more about this!
Thomas: New York’s Financial District has been a post for Dutch fur traders, the first capital of the United States, and a center for global banking and commerce. Today, the area is on the verge of becoming something else, transforming over the past few decades from a dark-after-5 p.m. business center to a multifaceted 24/7 community. The Wall Street Hotel is poised to lead the transformation of the area, helping usher in an era. Lighting Up WALL STREET of vibrancy, culture, and chic sensibility all its own— everything modern travelers desire, and everything neighborhood residents crave. The hotel is embracing that spirit, with a goal to light up Wall Street and lead the cultural renaissance of the Financial District.
The Lounge on Pearl is so special. Can New Yorkers just drop by after work for a drink?
Schubert: Yes, of course! We want the hotel to act as the neighborhood’s “living room”—a gathering place for locals to pop in for a coffee or cocktail, a spot where guests feel they have the city in the palm of their hand. The Wall Street Hotel has a variety of spaces where that can happen, and the Lounge on Pearl is one of them.
What’s on the menu at John Fraser’s La Marchande?
Thomas: La Marchande conceptually aims to modernize French cuisine and is inspired by ingredients from around the world. The menu includes a grilled lobster dish, for example, an interpretation of Lobster Américaine, made with coconut milk instead of the traditional sauce, replete with butter and cream. La Marchande also showcases a classic New York raw bar, perched above the dining room, serving local and imported oysters, as well as creative tartares and rolls. For drinks, the menu features wines from France and the New World, and a cocktail list centers on vermouth.
Tell us about your event spaces.
Schubert: The Wall Street Hotel has more than 6,500 square feet of flexible event space. At 2,100 square feet, the Gerdau Ballroom is the hotel’s most spacious offering for both intimate affairs and grander occasions. Located on the top floor of the hotel, this room is flooded with light by day and surrounded by twinkling city lights in the evening. We like to call it our “jewel box” and, when paired with our top-floor lounge, bar, and terrace, it makes for the ultimate celebration. On the ground floor, there is the Pearl Room, which provides a bright and spacious venue perfect for seated dinners or creative meetings of up to 12 people. Similarly, La Marchande’s private dining room is the perfect setting for intimate groups of up to 10 guests overlooking the corner of Pearl and Wall streets.
You are both hotel industry veterans. What is it about this property that makes it so special?
Thomas: We like to think if buildings could talk, The Wall Street Hotel could spin infinite tales about the history it has witnessed. The building’s financial, political, and architectural legacy makes it one of the cornerstones of the city’s past, which is intertwined with the heritage of the family who now owns it. What makes it so special is that the hotel is itself a 120-year story that reveals many tales of adventure, curiosity, innovation, and global travel. We’re honored to be a part of this story and continue its legacy
