The Beatrice is a 47-room boutique hotel centrally located in the lively historic district in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It is steps away from renowned restaurants, universities, commercial, retail, and art, and cultural institutions. Paolino Properties recently updated the historic 1887 Exchange Building creating an expansive glass atrium lobby which will serve as the check-in location for guests of The Beatrice. Also onsite will be a fitness center, two restaurants, and a rooftop bar and lounge serving guests, VIP’s and local patrons.
Hotel interiors feature modern design details to contrast with the 19th century bones of the building. Guestrooms are bathed in a color palette of neutral whites and pale grays accented by touches of pinks and pops of black and gold furniture. Luxe finishes such as herringbone floors, custom carpets, high ceilings and city views distinguish the rooms.
CRE Procurement Specialist, Zach Shope, walked us through the process of completing the FF&E package for a brand new boutique hotel in the middle of a pandemic.
How did you oversee the FF&E installation to ensure client satisfaction?
The Beatrice is a 5-floor hotel, so the installation process started on the 5th floor and worked down from there. It took roughly 3 weeks, but it was rather complicated since multiple trades were working at once. CRE had to coordinate with each trade, from the general contractors to the installers to drapery, etc., so each trade had their own space or floor to work on. It took a lot of communication with daily ownership calls to facilitate the appropriate dates and times for the install of each space.
What is the biggest challenge you faced during this project, and how did you overcome it?
The lobby chandelier is about 30 feet long and has hundreds of glass crystals. Because it is such a huge piece, it required it’s own install team with very detailed instructions.
In regards to COVID-19, it was necessary to adhere to all policies while still keeping the schedule on track. It was important to be knowledgeable of Rhode Island’s protocol. and communicate that with everyone on site in advance.
Is there anything else about the project that you’d like to mention?
One aspect of this project that I really liked was the addition of the rooftop bar to our scope. I enjoyed working on this creative space because the roof featured many coop pieces that made it unique. Overall, this project was super fun because the ownership group and design team were great to work with and always very helpful.