Craig J. Smith and Christina Romann, are partners in C2 – a high end interior design firm specializing in designing and restoring luxury hotels. They have been designing,, restoring and renovating for over 20 years, and have never been without significant work, as they have done renovations to The Greenbrier Sporting Club, in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, The Turks and Caicos Sporting Club, in Ambergris Cay, BWI, The Trump International Hotel & Tower and the Lowell, both in New York, to name just a few.
But the 67M recent renovation of the Hotel Hershey in Pennsylvania provided them unique challenges and memorable lessons, both aesthetically and philosophically. Or, as Christina said, " My first impression when we walked into the Hotel, before we ever considered any renovation work at all, was, what is a hotel like this doing here?"
What Christina and Craig both saw was an elegant, though somewhat fading, 80 year old hotel, with a personal and philanthropic legacy. It originally was constructed on a small hill, overlooking Mr. Hershey's chocolate factory. Nonetheless, it reflected the worldly character of the original visionary, Milton Hershey, who created of the original recipe for Hershey's Milk Chocolate -- still a happily absolute NEED in many of our lives.
The Hotel began construction during the Great Depression, and was conceived originally as a project to keep many of the townspeople employed. It took three years to build, and was opened in 1933. Because of the elegance of its interior designs -- a circular dining room, and elegant appointments in the suites and rooms, exceptional pools and gardens, it became both a fascinating symbol, and still, somewhat of a gentle curiosity sitting atop Pat's Hill in Pennsylvania. But age and history often darkens what they touch, and so it was with many dimensions of the grand, old Hotel.
Enter Craig and Christina in 2008. Their first renovation project was the lobby and registration area. "Most people, when they register as hotel guests, rarely consider the space surrounding them," said Craig, " unless it feels closed in with low ceilings and with dim lighting. And this lobby had both those things -- that's because it was originally a valet parking garage, that had been renovated decades earlier. What a challenge!"
" So what we had to do, " he continued, " was infuse our new designs into the existing DNA of the Hotel," added Christina. "We designed a custom stained glass ceiling to create the illusion of an open space, and beyond that, brought more added height to the room. This also created more back lighting, giving the impression of more natural, welcoming light to the area. The custom floor carpeting complemented the ceiling, and provided what we hoped for -- a welcoming, yet calming path through the lobby to the registration desk."
" Another thing we learned when doing this lobby -- we had thought about it before, but we really learned it this time, was how much an open, welcoming environment affects attitudes and behaviors." said Craig." Before, families, couples, singles, would come to the hotel where the original entry was cramped and poorly lit, and behave without much opprobrium. The children were often ill mannered and surly as well. After our renovation, the hotel staff and management noted a change: there was a noticeable rise in politeness, of unspoken protocol, and awareness of others.
"It was once said that human beings seek two things of our buildings: to shelter us and to speak to us of whatever we find important and need to be reminded of, " added Christina, " It may be that the opening of the Lobby area reminded us on some level that we are in a civilized, historic place, and our behavior must somehow reflect respect."
Craig and Christina went on to renovate other hotel areas, and an area near the hotel also. They designed ten freestanding residences, called the Woodside Cottages, near the hotel, for larger groups -- families, corporate retreats – to use, between four and six bedrooms each. And for these, C2 may receive a special Silver LEED certification award, as they used recycled roofing materials, and native Pennsylvania stone for fireplaces and flooring. Within the hotel, they were grateful to be able to use the expertise of Amish carpenters to do much of the custom woodworking. " We felt these extraordinary Amish people felt and knew the Pennsylvania wood better than any we had ever seen," Christina commented. " Their care defined the type of legacy that Mr. Hershey would have appreciated."
In 2010 and 2012, though many other new boutique hotel projects are being done, Craig and Christina will return to the Hotel Hershey to renovate the Presidential and Vice Presidential Suites, and the Nostalgia suites. " What we hope we are doing is transforming the brand and the legacy Mr. Hershey bequeathed," concluded Craig. " He left a great hotel, but his vision and brand must move into the 21st century. Our goal is to romance the buildings with newer, complimentary designs and materials. Basically, we are exploring the new meanings of luxury, while maintaining Mr. Hershey's original vision."
