HotelChatter

Hey, we know that guy!

Actually, The Roger is not a new hotel at all but rather a new envisioning of an already established hotel, the Roger Williams, which has been around since the 1930s. Though it's never exactly been an old-fashioned hotel (we've lounged in their lobby on a few occasions, and always found it to be tasteful), the owners have now decided to completely revamp the place into something fresh, modern and chic.

Hence, shortening the name from "Roger Williams" to just "Roger." So chic.

Though the rooms have already been completely renovated, and will continue to be occupied, the rest of the hotel will shut down for one month (starting this past Monday) while the public spaces get renovated. According to a rep for the Roger, "a whole new design" is on its way to the lobby, bar and restaurant, and the new look will be "more sophisticated."

While renderings still haven't been released (not that they always tell us that much anyway), it doesn't look like we'll have to wait that long to see the finished results. In any case, the hotel also had this to add:

"The idea is of a hotel being passed down from father to son. This is a new phase for the Roger. It's been around for so long, and we want to be able to improve the service and quality of the hotel."

We plugged in random dates for mid-June and got starting rates from $395/night for a Superior King, which is a little steep. But then again, we'll have to wait and see once the whole hotel is done to find out if the "new look" is actually worth it! Stay tuned!

[Photos: reader submission; Roger Williams]