Elite college club becomes extended-stay hotel
September 18, 2013 12:05 p.m.
The Williams College club had been an alumni retreat for nearly 100 years. Now, it will reopen in December as The William.
The Williams Club at 24 E. 39th St., which closed several years ago, will begin a new life in December as The William, an extended-stay hotel being developed by Kash Group.
The building—which since 1924 had been the elite alumni club for Williams College—was sold last year to Kash Group for $9.02 million. The real estate firm is investing $11 million to revamp the interior, creating 33 rooms that are available for rent for a minimum stay of 30 days. The majority of the rooms will have full kitchens.
“We believe the extended stay market is under-served,” said Shlomo Bakhash, president of Kash Group. The firm would have needed a variance to build a hotel that rents rooms on a daily basis because the property is zoned for an apartment hotel, he said.
When the Williams Club closed, its alumni were given privileges at the nearby Princeton Club, which also took in alumni from Columbia University and New York University, both of which gave up their clubhouses.
Mr. Bakhash kept the name William because of the building’s long history associated with the college—and he is adding a restaurant playfully named The Shakespeare, operated by Jason Hicks and Yves Jadot. Mr. Hicks own Jones Wood Foundry, an authentic English pub on the Upper East Side. The restaurateurs are also opening The Peacock, a fine dining restaurant, in the hotel.
“They are both European, from England and Belgium,” said Mr. Bakhash of his food and beverage partners. “They understood this product, because it’s similar to a private club in England.”
Room rates at the hotel will range from $7,500 to $18,000 per month, he added.
Las Vegas-based Warner Hospitality will manage The William. The firm manages two Hard Rock Hotel & Casino properties in Las Vegas and Sioux City.
No Comments