NEW YORK, NY - New York City has more than its share of iconic hotels, but none are quite as revered and cherished as the InterContinental New York Barclay at 111 East 48th Street in midtown Manhattan.

And thanks to a recent $180M renovation by Shawmut Design and Construction, in partnership with architecture firm Stonehill + Taylor and interior designer HOK, the 90-year-old jewel has never looked more magnificent.

Today, most hotels undergoing a renovation of this size opt for ultra-modern décor, but the InterContinental New York Barclay certainly isn’t “most hotels.” The challenge here was to maintain the hotel’s 1926 Federal-style heritage while still catering to the needs of today’s guests. It proved to be a formidable task—but one that Shawmut was more than up to meeting. Over the 20-month renovation (the hotel was closed throughout the project), Shawmut renovated all 704 guest rooms and suites, the lobby, the restaurant, the bar, the fitness center, and built two new ballrooms—more than 420,000 square feet of redesigned interior in all.

The result of the massive top-to bottom renovation (one of Shawmut’s largest projects ever) is a luxurious, residential-style guest experience that will extend InterContinental’s long, rich legacy of providing unmatched elegance, comfort, and service for its guests—for years to come.

Photo courtesy of InterContinental New York Barclay