Inside the design of The Jay, an Autograph Collection Hotel
The Jay, an Autograph Collection Hotel, opened its doors in San Francisco as 2023 drew to a close, following a multi-million dollar renovation helmed by Avroko.
Transforming a glass and concrete shell into an ode to San Francisco’s history, designers opted for a ‘warm Brutalist’ scheme for the 360-room hotel, which sees Brutalist forms balanced with softer materials and colours.
Elements of the personal home of John Portman, the building’s original architect, influenced the design, including an oversized circular staircase leading from the ground floor to the hotel’s lobby, third floor restaurant and rooftop terrace bar. Featuring bronze castwork by artist Arnaldo Pomodoro, the three-storey staircase was, according to the Avroko team, the most challenging design aspect, with complexities arising relating to the facilitation of vertical circulation between the first-floor entry point and the third-floor lobby.
Guestrooms at The Jay offer angled floor-to-ceiling windows, giving guests glimpses of the skyline while also providing copious natural light on each level. Featuring warm-toned wall coverings, soft furnishings and clean lines, guestrooms showcase a colour palette of dark burgundy reds and black, with touches of bronze and white. Warm oak is woven throughout each room in the form of screens that are inspired by the facade of the nearby Embarcadero Center. Bathrooms feature a free-standing walnut vanity with a marble top, while custom glass partitions incorporate fluted and clear glass in an embodiment of the ‘blurred lines’ philosophy underpinning the hotel’s design.
The 1,660ft² penthouse suite – which comprises a living and dining area, as well as a bedroom – is a soft space that also continues to lean into the Brutalism of the original architecture. San Francisco’s counterculture era informed the patterns and textures selected, as did the sculptural work of local artist and activist Ruth Asawa.
“We’re thrilled to be a part of this exciting new lifestyle hotel right in our backyard,” says Greg Bradshaw, co-founder and Principal of Avroko. “We’ve envisioned The Jay to feel like a ‘friend in the know’ – someplace friendly and warm, but also sophisticated and well crafted. By bringing a layer of warm woods, textured stones and plasters we were able to honor the building’s original Brutalist structure while giving it a new life and energy that we believe San Francisco’s next chapter can be.“
