Hilton New York Relaunches Prime Ballroom Space

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. December 17, 2009

NEW YORK, NY, December 16, 2009 - The 1,980-room Hilton New York recently completed an ambitious $1M soft goods refurbishment program of its Trianon Ballroom triplex and Mercury Ballroom, totaling over 15,000 square feet. To celebrate the relaunch of its Trianon and Mercury Ballrooms, the Hilton New York held a festive reception and party last night to mark this special occasion inspired by a retro 1960's pop art design concept with a modern twist created by noted New York event planner, Jerry Sibal, founder of Design Fusion.

Manhattan-based design firm Champalimaud Design handled the refurbishment program and took a customized approach to redesigning each ballroom. Champalimaud's designers were inspired by the Hilton New York's “grand hotel in the modern tradition” style and created a contemporary new look by incorporating classic architectural design elements into the materials used including wall coverings, carpeting, fixtures, furnishings, etc. These function rooms with ceiling heights of approximately 23' 6”, along with the hotel's 25,000-square foot Grand Ballroom (the largest hotel ballroom in New York City), serve as the “heart” of the Hilton New York's existing role in the vibrant and dynamic commercial and social fabric of midtown Manhattan venues.

“The new redesign of our ballroom space brings this hotel into the 21st century,” said Conrad Wangeman, General Manager, Hilton New York. “In the past, the Hilton New York, since its opening in 1963, has had a reputation for being very traditional hotel in its design aesthetic, and with the ballrooms' refurbishment project, we wanted to provide our clients and guests with an updated look that would appeal to both groups. We do not want to be known as your grandfather's Hilton,” Wangeman added.

The current refurbishment project for the two ballrooms is only one component of the Hilton New York's overall capital improvement program which also includes a major renovation of the hotel's guestrooms. Since 2005, the hotel has invested more than $80 million in refurbishing approximately 1,000 of the hotel's 1,980 guestrooms and suites.

Champalimaud's designers were tasked with refurbishing the interiors of the Trianon and Mercury ballrooms with a whole new look and ambiance that would reinforce each ballroom's purpose and function of playing host to both social and business gatherings.

To achieve that end, for the 10,000-square foot Trianon Ballroom triplex, Champalimaud's design incorporated many of the classic and grand details which were present to enhance the ballroom's wonderful scale and whimsy. In selecting materials used, the designers identified key words underlying what comes to mind when one thinks of this space - sparkle, fantasy, scale and texture. The designers' intention was to exploit these assets in a unified manner. Champalimaud added to the whimsy that exists in the carpet of the Grand Ballroom and played it off of the texture and sparkle of the interior architecture as well as simplifying the color contrast on the wall surfaces. By gracefully coloring the walls in a tone which creates a subtle vibrancy, Champalimaud allowed the upper section to ground the lower sections of the space. A bouquet of vibrant and complimentary colors in a traditionally-inspired pattern brings the idea of magic to sparkle to fruition.

The designers' approach to the hotel's 5,800 square foot Mercury Ballroom also shared a classically elegant underlying theme in the restoration. The stone pilasters, which flank the ballroom's walls, accentuate its general vertical scale. That scale needed to be exploited and a more gentle approach was taken for the coloration of the space. The ballroom's tailored space reflecting a warm masculine appeal and boasting graceful lines, were provided with a softer, muted color palette including rich and subtle tones of maroons, browns, silver and gold tones. The carpeting selected for the ballroom features a geometric design complementing the strong linear composition of the space.

Additionally, the Mercury Ballroom's Rotunda area included the installation of an innovative new lighting design concept, created by California-based MoodSpace. The Hilton New York is their first large hotel project and their first installation in New York City. The installation is a four seasons theme for Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall. The artwork and lighting were designed to cycle through the various colors of each season. MoodSpace uses LED lighting which is a “green” product that requires very little maintenance because the lights last for up to 10 years.

MoodSpace is a unique, patent pending technology that uses custom imagery and computer programmable lights to create “live art”. Their installations are used to create soothing and calming environments (UCLA Emergency Room, Santa Monica, California), relaxing and inspirational environments (Wit Hotel Spa, Chicago, Illinois) and undulating panels that make the space come alive (“four seasons” for the Hilton, New York).

MoodSpace combines LED lights, custom programmed light shows and layered imagery to create installations that give a tactile, kinetic charge to the room. It is not animation nor is it video. The visual chemistry between specifically arranged visual elements and LED lights results in 'emphasizing' and 'de-emphasizing' parts of the images. This results in parts of the images partially 'disappearing' because of the principle of complementary and opposing colors. This dynamic shift creates a sense of mystery and exhilaration in the viewer. There can be up to eight different light shows triggered by a wall mounted switch with each light show initiating a specific sequence of color cycling that brings out a different quality in the artwork.