Scheduled to open on December 9, the Elysian is a luxury hotel in the Gold Coast. A cobblestone courtyard—lined with a snow-melting system that will keep the area ice-free—leads to the lobby, which is spruced up with busts and an oversize chandelier. In an adjacent lounge, a fireside seating area holds plush couches and a bar that offers beverages such as champagne or hot chocolate.
On the second floor, the 34-seat Bernard's bar channels an old-fashioned gentleman's club with leather seating, walls lined in chocolate suede, and a menu of Scotches, bourbons, and whiskeys. The third floor houses two restaurants: Balsan and Ria. The former, a more causal eatery, offers charcuterie and oyster bars, a wood-burning oven, and a private dining room with seating for 34. At Ria, the menu focuses on global dishes such as Pennsylvania Peking duck with plum and ginger and Tasmanian ocean trout with fennel pollen and sweetbreads. Ria's private dining room seats 12.
On the fifth floor, function spaces include the Sinclair Ballroom, which can host receptions for 270. The Fitzgerald Boardroom can accommodate meetings for 12, and the Hemingway Salon can hold receptions for 100 or meetings for 36.
Averaging 890 square feet, the 188 guest rooms are decorated in platinum or champagne color schemes. Italian linens cloak the beds, bathrooms hold white marble soaking tubs, and minibars are stocked with house-made snacks such as gelato or chipotle pistachios.
In the 14,000-square-foot health club and spa, lounge areas contain warm water baths, saunas, and steam rooms. Men's grooming services take place in a studio adjacent to the gentleman's lounge, which has a fireplace, a TV, and lounge chairs. Twelve treatment rooms house facials, massages, and body treatments; the spa also offers manicures, makeup application, and hairstyling. At the health club, guests can take advantage of personal training or join group classes in Pilates, Gyrotonics, or water aerobics.
The Elysian's other amenities will include a Marc Jacobs boutique, scheduled to open in spring 2010, and a private fleet of luxury cars, which can transport guests around town and to and from the airport.
