Opening this July, Piaule Catskill immerses guests deep in the landscape of New York State’s Hudson Valley.
The brainchild of Nolan McHugh and Trevor Briggs, the NYC-based creatives behind the cult homewares brand from which the hotel takes its name, the 50-acre modernist retreat faces the Catskill Mountains and fuses a luxurious boutique hotel with a spa experience, blending sustainable design with a tranquil location.
Arriving along a quiet tree-lined country road, guests are welcomed to a serene property where technology is invisible and service is unobtrusive. After parking, they are free to wander through the woods to the hotel’s main house, a 7,000ft² glass, steel and cedar-clad structure that hosts a lobby, restaurant and bar extending into an expansive green roof. Directly below, concealed within the hillside, is the spa, which features a series of relaxation areas, treatment rooms, a movement studio, steam room, sauna and temperature-regulated pools. With its back to the road, the entire building is oriented toward an unobstructed mountain view.
From the main house, residents can walk or take a short buggy ride to the hotel’s 24 cabins, built as standalone modules and designed in partnership with Garrison Architects. Sitting lightly in the landscape, each cabin was placed to minimise disturbance while providing opportunities for quiet gratitude – a counterpoint to the communal area. The 380ft² guestrooms showcase Piaule’s restrained aesthetic through furniture and accessories of their own design, alongside pieces from local partners. Nature floods through floor-to-ceiling windows and wall-to-wall glass doors, while all rooms have en-suite bathrooms with heated stone floors, and a selection feature private balconies built around existing trees and rock formations.
