Searching for the perfect stay for Manhattan exploration, we’ve chosen the splendid The Quin, a Hilton Club as our base to explore the area. Placed right in the heart of the city, two blocks from Central Park and steps from Carnegie Hall, the resort is defining the modern opulence, offering an unbeatable comfort, distinctive style, and extraordinary service.
HOTELS
We sat down with Matthew Sparks, Executive Vice President & Chief Development Officer for Hilton Grand Vacations to talk about The Quin, a Hilton Club, return to tourism, as well as the future plans for the resort and HGV.
What is the idea behind Hilton Grand Vacations?
Hilton Grand Vacations (HGV) is a premier vacation ownership brand with headquarters in Orlando, Florida, and is known for delivering a consistently exceptional standard of service, terrific flexibility for our owners and guests and 154 family-friendly resorts in desirable destinations around the world. Signature elements of HGV include spacious, well-appointed accommodations and best-in-class resorts with extensive on-site amenities.
As one of Hilton’s 18 premier brands, membership with HGV provides top-notch programs, exclusive services and flexibility for our members around the world.
HGV pioneered the urban timeshare concept in New York. What did The Quin bring to the company’s extensive portfolio?
HGV was the first major brand to open a timeshare property in New York City nearly two decades ago with The Hilton Club – New York, and we continue to redefine vacation ownership in the world’s most sought-after city.
HGV purchased The Quin, a Hilton Club in 2018 and launched a renovation beginning in mid-2019, investing more than $50 million to transform the building into a luxury resort with the amenities today’s luxury traveler expects.
This top-to-bottom renovation showcases our commitment to historical and archeological integrity, as well as the increasingly significant role of timeshare in New York City’s hospitality industry. HGV evolved this nearly 100-year-old-historic building into a new flagship location and best-in-class property within our extensive portfolio.
With the opening of the hotel this May, you celebrated the return to tourism. Is tourism really back to like it was before?
We were thrilled to celebrate our grand opening of The Quin back in May of this year as New York City eagerly welcomes the return of tourism. Officials have anticipated New York to receive 56 million visitors this year, which is a 70% increase from 2021.
We’ve heard from our owners, and they’re eager to get back to the Big Apple. This October, we hosted another ribbon-cutting event opening to celebrate the opening of our fifth New York City property – The Central at 5th, a Hilton Club. The Quin’s transformation and recent opening of The Central at 5th, underscores our commitment to New York and confirms that our owners are excited to visit.
What is the story behind The Quin? What sets it apart from the other hotels in NYC?
The Quin was originally constructed and opened in 1929, and was once home to some of the 20th century’s greatest artists, including Marc Chagall and Georgia O’Keefe. The nearly 100-year-old-building is now a premier boutique-style timeshare resort, which has been upgraded to offer our owners and guests a more intimate, residential feel that is similar to a Manhattan pied-à-terre.
It’s very important that when our owners visit us in NYC, they feel like they’re getting the overall “city living experience.” The Quin’s excellent location, amenities, service, and its legacy of artistic inspiration make for an unparalleled experience for our owners and guests.
With its 207 spacious suites, the hotel defines modern opulence. What is the idea behind the design?
The updated urban icon features 207 spacious studios and one-bedroom suites, a fitness center, and a planned private owners’ lounge to be opened in the future. In addition, the newly expanded 18th and 19th floors include dramatic penthouse suites with outdoor terraces.
With these significant renovations to The Quin, we wanted the design to give off a modern flair that fit with the resort’s amenities and sweeping views of Central Park. The interior design and décor juxtapose bold contemporary elements and custom-designed furniture with understated classic style, which creates an environment of forward-looking luxury for our owners and guests to experience when they come visit New York.
Who was in charge of the interior?
To bring this project to life, HGV worked with renowned studios on the architectural and interior design for the refurbishment of The Quin. Specifically, for the interior design, Forrest Perkins, a hospitality and multi-residential design firm, led the design efforts for the penthouses, and Bill Rooney Studio, Inc. designed the individual guest rooms.
The hotel also features a significant number of contemporary art pieces. Can you tell us more about that?
The Quin has a well-known history of being an artsy retreat, and the artwork featured in The Quin currently was specifically created for the resort by British artist Nick Walker and curated by DK Johnston. Walker was the first artist-in-residence of The Quin’s Arts program, creating 15 original pieces on-site for The Quin’s permanent collection during his residency in 2013.
Walker revisited The Quin in February 2016 to present both historical images and a new vocabulary of abstraction. DK Johnston curated this solo exhibit, which included 25 original works, and opened the hotel’s Quin Arts program for the 2016 season. The artwork he created for The Quin enhance the artistic legacy of this iconic property.
Tell us a bit about the location. What can the visitors expect to see in the area?
The Quin is located on “Billionaire’s Row,” at the corner of Sixth Avenue and 57th Street, right in the vibrant Midtown neighborhood across the street from Carnegie Hall. The Beaux-Arts style building is only steps away from Central Park, Fifth Avenue, MoMA, the Metropolitan Opera House, and Lincoln Center. Its location allows our owners and guests to easily connect to all the city has to offer.
What are the future plans for The Quin?
We are excited to partner with Simon Oren, an established eatery operator in NYC and managing partner of Tour de France Group, who will redevelop the currently vacant restaurant space connected to The Quin into a new boutique-style restaurant.
What is next for HGV?
In August 2021, HGV acquired Diamond Resorts and created the largest network of upper upscale and luxury vacation experiences in the timeshare industry. Since then, we kicked-off rebranding Diamond Resorts’ leisure resorts and sales centers, which are being elevated under the new Hilton Vacation Club brand. The first group of properties that are being rebranded are located in sought-after destinations such as Orlando, Virginia Beach, Scottsdale, Sedona, Sint Maarten, South Lake Tahoe and Whistler.
We’ve also announced our largest expansion of membership offerings since our inception. This includes the addition of HGV Max, a new membership program, and HGV Ultimate Access, an experiential events platform. HGV Max will provide members with exceptional features and benefits, including the ability to visit more properties in more destinations, and also have access to invitation-only special events and exclusive discounts across Hilton’s global network of 7,000 hotels and resorts.
We’ll also be holding our annual LPGA Tournament of Champions in Orlando under the HGV brand on Jan. 19-22, 2023, and will continue to host the tournament at the renowned Lake Nona Golf & Country Club through 2024.
The Quin, a Hilton Club
101 W 57th St, New York, NY 10019, United States
www.hiltongrandvacations.com
+1 212-245-7846
