Pretty much all we've ever cared about in the opening of the Donovan House, the newest hotel from Thompson Hotels in D.C., is what the heck these cocoon spiral showers look like and how they work.
In the first extensive review of the hotel, which we got from Hotel Maven Flying Mermaid, we learned a lot about the property but nothing really about this "exotic" shower.
Now thanks to Scott Nash, we have some great photos and a helpful diagram of how it works:
If you looked down at the Cocoon shower, it would look like this.
· 1: The shower head is here, built in flush to the ceiling. · 2: Soap shelf · 3: On/off · 4: No door, but there's a lip to keep the water from running out. Unfortunately, water does tend to pool here, so if you're not careful you end up stepping in cold water when you're done.
Thanks Scott, now we can sleep at night!
So far, the Donovan House has gotten some decent reviews--decent for a hotel that's still in a soft-opening phase. Of course, the Blackbook-Thompson Hotels love affair continues with Blackbook's recent post on the new hotel saying, "[I]f anyone can get the capital grooving, it’s unquestionably that world leader of fashionable hotel-ing himself, Jason Pomeranc."
Jason, our Groove Meters are on. We're watching you.
The Gansevoort South will be getting another boutique hotel competitor soon. Already next door to the under-construction W South Beach, the Gansevoort will have to fight for guests with a planned 7-story development project across the street.
The Ankara project was supposed to be a condo development but now its developers want to put in a hotel and guess who they have been talking with? Miami Beach USA blog has this report:
"We have had several conversations with Thompson Hotels out of New York which we are hopeful to conclude," stated an attorney representing the project at a recent Board of Adjustments hearing.
The Ankara has had a few discussions with other hotel management companies but this one sounds the most promising.
Jason Pomeranc and co. were once the management company for the Sagamore Hotel but that ended pretty badly and Thompson Hotels haven't been back in Miami since. Let's hope they fare better this time around.
More news on the Thompson Hotel front. The Thompson LES Hotel will get a Pan-Asian restaurant from Susur Lee, considered Toronto's Rock Star Chef for his namesake restaurant, Susur.
And the Thompson Hotel peeps must be paying him good. Lee is closing down his fancy Toronto shop to move to NYC and open a restaurant inside Thompson LES. (His casual restaurant, Lee, will remain.) Here's what Lee and the National Post had to say about the project:
"Jason Pomeranc is great," he tells me, referring to the cool-dude hotel warrior who is considered by many as the "next Ian Schrager," and the one behind this up-and-coming crash pad. Called the "thinking person's sex symbol" by Vanity Fair recently, he's the chap responsible for the ever-popular 60 Thompson in New York's Soho District as well as the re-charged Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, among other properties.
Interestingly, Susur Lee comes from Toronto where Thompson Hotels is also opening The Thompson Toronto. Maybe he'll return to the city then. He's not saying anything for sure now.
As for the restaurant inside Thompson LES, that isn't expected until September's Fashion Week. Meanwhile the hotel is now set for a June 2 opening.
Much like Andre Balazs doing "Talk to Chuck" ads for Charles Schwab, fellow hotelier Jason Pomeranc is now hawking the Blackberry Curve.
Here is Jason speaking out about his job as co-founder of Thompson Hotels in BlackBerry's "Ask Me" promotion--a place where they "Ask someone why they love their BlackBerry."
Jason's reasons why he love his BlackBerry are no different from ours -- email in your pocket, web access in taxis, and ease of use. But one thing separates us from Jason:
I do use my BlackBerry as a creative tool. I could be in the jungle of Cambodia and take a photograph of a particular design idea that's been inspired out of a corner of an ancient temple."
We would give our left arm to hack his BlackBerry and get our hands on the original photo of the Colombian stone that ended up being help by guerillas -- allegedly.
· Technically, this arrived in our in-box and was not a comment on a story but naturally it's post-worthy. From one Jordana Pomeranc, she of the same last name as hotelier Jason Pomeranc:
You need to get over your obsession with my family & our hotels. Keep mocking how long it takes us to open a hotel, were only the hottest luxury boutique chain in the east & west coast, meanwhile you write for a pathetic internet webpage. Time to re-evaluate.
Jordana Pomeranc
It's Friday and we don't have time/energy/desire to investigate this any further. Our pathetic schedule is actually very full. However, we guess she's probably Jason's niece and not his daughter. (If you're interested, she has a Facebook page like all 22-year-olds do.) But she could also be just some random gal trying to build her own fameball.
Also:
· People be dropping hints on where to stay Super Bowl XLII. · She'll probably hate us for even insinuating this but we think Monica Guy has a crush on our VIP Hotel Reviewer, Mr. TV Buff. · OMG. CourtneyMay was breathing the same air as J.Lo's womb at the Gramercy Park Hotel.
Hotelier Jason Pomeranc is nearing the completion of Thompson Beverly Hills and judging by his second "celebs-only" dinner party, we think BondSt must be ready to open to the public in the very near future.
Page Six reports that among the stars in attendance a happy to be solo Kate Hudson was enjoying herself:
The petite actress came with several girlfriends to Jonathan Morr's new Bond Street restaurant inside Pomeranc's new Thompson Hotel on Sunset Boulevard. "She is so happy being single and wasn't interested in guys," our spy said. Too bad, because Pete Yorn, Matthew Perry and Scott Caan would have gladly flirted with her. Also at the sit-down dinner were Rose McGowan and fiancé Robert Rodriguez, Ali Larter and fiancé Hayes McArthur, Giovani Ribisi and Topher Grace.
Just a quick clarification, Thompson BH is on Wilshire Boulevard not on Sunset Boulevard. And should you want to stay here, deluxe king rooms are going for $155. This is a total steal for Beverly Hills--just remember the place isn't quite done yet.
We have to give Thompson Hotels credit for getting their latest property, Gild Hall, open without epic delays. But were they able to get it open simply because it's not actually finished? Yes, says one prolific Yelp user:
*This hotel is currently under MAJOR construction.* If you were like us and can literally sleep through jackhammers, then stay here. They DO jackhammer at 9am, but are done around 4-5pm. So if you are in the Financial District and will be out of the room early and out late, THIS IS A GREAT PLACE TO STAY.
Because of the renovation, there is no lobby, no restaurant, no room service, no gym, no bar, no gift shop, no business center, no periodical and CD lending libraries, on-demand movies, no video games and no coffee makers.
Despite all this, I would totally stay here again.
That speaks volumes for the service and the handy location in the Financial District. Maybe there is something to that manifesto.
Yesterday we noted that the BondST restaurant inside the Thompson Beverly Hills wasn't open yet and wouldn't be until mid-January. While that is true for us little people and paying hotel guests, it doesn't apply to more important clientele in Los Angeles--celebrities.
The Party Hopper, some dude over at InStyle, reports that Grey's Anatomy Eric Dane and his wife Rebecca Gayheart along with Rose McGowan and Thompson hotelier Jason Pomeranc himself were in attendance of a BondST preview holiday party.
It doesn't look much like anything went on aside from plastic people standing around. Party Hopper was able to drop in some sugary sweet nice things to say about the hotel (as if the title of his column "Hollywood's Hot New Hotel" wasn't enough):
In L.A., hotels are valued as a place to party as well as a place to sleep, and I have a feeling that there will be many more stars checking out the Thompson Beverly Hills--and checking in--during this busy award show season.
We thought Thompson learned their lesson about catering to celebs after the scandalous first few months at Hollywood Roosevelt. Let's hope they keep that in mind here.
3 Comments - Add Yours
by juliana
· Technically, this arrived in our in-box and was not a comment on a story but naturally it's post-worthy. From one Jordana Pomeranc, she of the same last name as hotelier 
