Aspen Hospitality has pulled back the curtain on the design direction for The Nell New York, the 134-room hotel the Aspen One division plans to open in fall 2027 at 10 Rockefeller Plaza. When it debuts, the property will be the only hotel located inside Rockefeller Center and New York City’s sole Relais & Châteaux member.
Two New York-based studios split the work: Rockwell Group handled the public spaces — among them the arrival sequence, reception, the seventh-floor dining and social areas, a wine lounge and cellar, the spa, the fitness center, and meeting venues — while Pierre & Co. took on the guest rooms and suites. Both teams looked to Rockefeller Center’s architecture, materials, and art program for cues, filtering the landmark’s Art Deco heritage through the sensibility of the Nell Hotels brand.
“We never wanted The Nell New York to feel like a hotel that could be anywhere,” Julie Frank, vice president of design at Aspen Hospitality, said in prepared remarks. “Rockefeller Center gives us a unique context, both as a hotel in New York City and as a project housed within this iconic landmark. Its Art Deco architecture became our point of departure for the project. The goal was not to recreate its history, but to interpret the era in a way that would feel current, residential, and distinctly Nell.”
Rockwell Group’s concept casts the hotel as a grand Manhattan townhouse, trading the surrounding neighborhood’s density and pace for a run of calm, residential rooms. Nods to Rockefeller Center’s Art Deco vocabulary surface in geometric stone inlays, metalwork, custom furniture, and lighting.
Guests will enter on 48th Street through a limestone-fronted doorway scaled like a private residence, with sconces and a drapery-framed, backlit window suggesting the warmth inside; a large fireplace anchors the foyer. Elevators carry guests to the seventh floor, where reception, dining, lounges, wine experiences, and meeting spaces connect as a suite of adjoining rooms. The bar on that level layers fluted amber stone, marble, custom lighting, and textured glass portals, with curated artwork and a direct view of the Rockefeller Center ice rink; an all-day dining room sits alongside it, aimed at locals as well as guests. A private wine lounge and cellar — marble floors, illuminated bottle displays, and a fireplace — builds on the wine program Aspen Hospitality established at The Little Nell in Aspen. One floor up, the spa leans on warm wood and natural stone, while the fitness center pairs large windows with millwork and antique mirrored walls.
“We approached The Nell New York as a collection of rooms in a gracious Manhattan townhouse rather than a traditional hotel,” said Shawn Sullivan, partner at Rockwell Group. “The experience unfolds gradually, from the discreet residential entrance on 48th Street to the lounges, dining spaces, wine cellar, and spa that look out over the ice rink and the city. We drew on the craftsmanship and the geometric, Art Deco language of Rockefeller Center and translated those references through warm woods, stone, bronze, plaster, and an incredible art collection. The result feels layered and collected over time, like the quintessential New York residence.”
In the guestrooms, Pierre & Co. worked the same Deco references through a quieter, contemporary lens: clean lines against softened curves, warm neutrals, and natural materials. The studio chose a muted persimmon as the accent color, a reference to the curtains at Radio City Music Hall. The Presidential Suite scales the scheme up with burgundy accents, richer stone, and a primary bathroom wrapped in curved marble walls.
“We spent a lot of time thinking about how people would actually experience these rooms,” added Pierre Josselin, founder of Pierre & Co. “A guest might have breakfast at the table in the morning, take a call from the desk, get ready for dinner, or simply come back at the end of the day and want to switch off. We wanted every element to feel considered and purposeful, but never over-designed. The goal was to create rooms that feel unique, yet natural and comfortable from the moment you walk in — spaces where everything has its place, and where the details gradually reveal themselves throughout your stay.”
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