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Native art to be selected for Grand Bohemian

Molly Hulsey //June 28, 2022//

Native art to be selected for Grand Bohemian

Molly Hulsey //June 28, 2022//

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A tree mosaic lines the lodge‰Ûªs private spa corridor on the ground floor. (Photo/Molly Hulsey)Almost all artwork found gilding the hallways of each Grand Bohemian Hotel comes from the Richard Kessler family private collection.

“It’s not just three pieces that go up,” Ron Nagy, general manager of the Greenville location, told GSA Business Report. “It’s every corridor, it’s every room, it’s every nook and cranny.”

Argentinian glamour defines the line’s Charlotte location; eclectic contemporary works adorn Charleston’s hotel.

Greenville’s incoming 187-room Grand Bohemian will be the line’s second lodge following its Beaver Creek Lodge in Colorado and in theme, will spotlight the Kesslers’ gallery of Native American art alongside the lodge’s hand-designed glass antler chandeliers and glistening geode-like installations.

Each frosted buck-inspired light fixture is unique, according to Nagy. During the second week of July, Richard C. Kessler, chairman and CEO of The Kessler Collection, will personally pick which pieces, including numerous examples of turquoise and silver jewelry and hand-carved wood pieces, he wants to place and where.

A lodge may have seemed a little out of place at one of the other downtown locations Kessler was shown by Mayor Knox White, who pitched Kessler on building in Greenville, according to previous reports. But at 44 East Camperdown Way, the lodge’s home next to the Reedy River, even under construction, offers a look at Falls Park that is both foreign and familiar.

“When you get to the back … you’ll understand what the connection is and why the lodge fits the criteria of this location,” Nagy told GSA Business Report. “It’s going to be warm and cozy but it’s going to have a lot of hints toward modern luxury, as well as what Mr. Kessler does with all our properties: we are going to give you an experience that you’re going to wander and look at pieces of art, artifacts, design elements that you’re going to be inspired by.”

From the Liberty Suite, its namesake bridge can be seen from a close-up, almost aerial view, while the west side of the hotel abuts a host of old oaks and other trees lining the banks of the Reedy River near the ruins of Vardry Mill. Thirty suites will have balconies.

“I think one of the things Mr. Kessler does is to kind of integrate both the local community and the surroundings into the experience inside as well,” he said.

Aside from the area’s native roots, the lodge’s Michelin-starred chef, Nicholas Abello, will also highlight local cuisine alongside dishes further afield. The restaurants were designed to be a gathering place for lodge guests and Greenville residents alike.

Prominence, located on the first floor, with indoor and outdoor seating, will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner with continental European flavors from Carolinia-sourced ingredients.

Through a cave-like hallway soon to be lined by the lodge’s bourbon collection, Spirit and Bower, will offer whiskey-inspired tapas and live music both inside and outside around a firepit overlooking the Reedy River.

Conference rooms — rented as a whole set with one entrance to the rest of the hotel or a la carte — have been booked out in advance for several events. The largest, the Antler Ballroom, can hold approximately 100 people, according to Nagy. The room’s backlit mirrors and antler chandeliers can be customized to the color of a booking event or company.

“We can book two, three years out,” Nagy said.

Like the lodge’s restaurant locations, two breakout rooms use natural lighting and exterior doors to a patio space.

After months of pandemic-related delays, Greenville’s Grand Bohemian is expected to open its doors in August. The lodge is taking reservations for mid-October onward.

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