Put your sunglasses on before entering the Hotel Monaco. Or better yet, take them off. A rainbow of hues greets you in the lobby – powder pink and sky blue then orange, fuchsia, aqua, rose, deep yellow and magenta, all popping off white paneling, black furnishings, emerald green drapery and midnight blue Chesterfield sofas. There is so much to look at that it’s like a hotel lobby that’s morphed from the set of the Wizard of Oz. No, Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore, this is Kimptonville so prepare for an audacious interpretation of what a hotel is these days. Did you catch that chair with the peace sign on its back?
Step up to reception and focus. It won’t be easy as you approach the black, white and gold French Provincial desks fitted out for check-in facing a full-on back wall installation of antique calligraphy brushes and all lit by massive crystal billiards chandeliers. And this is just the beginning. As you grab your key and head for the elevators, look up to discover an illuminated replica of one of Columbus’ great ships hanging from the ceiling. Its bright light sends a message – it’s all about the juxtaposition of modern, whimsical design and classic, historic architecture here at the Monaco. Lavender velvet panels and tiny captain’s mirrors in the elevator cars keep up the sense of discovery and then it hits when you exit – a riot of patterns. Pink and red hounds tooth carpeting and scarlet moiré and glen plaid walls take you along corridors where bright yellow doors and vintage black and white photographs of the famous Philadelphia Mummers signal what’s to come inside your room. You’re about to be inducted into the new battalion of boutique hotels where fantasy rules. It’s not too difficult to see that this is an escape destination and it’s definitely the place to be. Turn the key and face a giant yellow poppy at your feet, and more patterns galore – stripes, polka dots, paisley, octagons, diamonds and not one but two patterns of wallpaper on the walls. Oh my, it’s deliriously fun!
Peek inside the bath and check out that soaking tub – plenty of room for two. The walk-in shower provides more than ample space to put those colorfully packaged Etro amenities to work. Skinny birdcage lanterns over the vanity add a sexy bordello chic element as well as the lipstick red lacquered cabinet in the suite and a 7 foot tall étagère cleverly worked into the scheme as a very different kind of night table. Talk about wow factors. What’s that on the shelf? Why, it’s a copy of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, no less. Well, if the Monaco isn’t a bonafide trip inside the looking glass, then I don’t know what is.
The hotel’s fearlessly fun décor is just the icing on the cake once you settle in and enjoy Kimpton’s hospitality with a number of perks and services like complimentary Wi-Fi, a nightly manager hosted wine hour in the living room and an onsite fitness center. Hotel Monaco has truly raised the bar in Philadelphia and that includes a stellar farm to table street-side restaurant with craft cocktails and the hottest rooftop lounge in town just in case you’re too revved up to sleep. And trust me, you will be.
*The Hotel Monaco has been cleverly installed inside the Lafayette Building, an 11 story structure from 1907. It’s one of a few early 20th century office buildings built on what is now Independence Mall in Philadelphia’s Old City historic district, within steps of Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and the Betsy Ross House. With 286 rooms and an inspired design aesthetic by Tal Studio, it’s a game changer for the city and a shining example of the boutique hotel genre’s evolution. This was literally a run-down office building that has been transformed into a spectacular property with a signature restaurant, the Red Owl Tavern, and a cutting edge rooftop lounge, Stratus, both destinations in their own right.
