The exterior of Hotel Marcel New Haven, Tapestry Collection by Hilton commands your attention.
If you don’t know Hotel Marcel New Haven, Tapestry Collection by Hilton by name, chances are you’d recognize its facade—especially if you live in the New York Metropolitan Area and have cruised up north via I-95. Prominently planted in an Ikea parking lot in New Haven’s Long Wharf District, the 1968 brutalist concrete masterpiece by the Hungarian-American modernist architect Marcel Breuer commands your attention.
First known as the Armstrong Rubber Company Building then the Pirelli Tire Building, the iconic structure stood vacant for nearly two decades before architect and developer Bruce Redman Becker of Becker + Becker purchased the landmarked building in late 2019. His ambition? To create a climate-conscious and aesthetically pleasing hotel that remained true to Bauhaus’s functional and minimalist roots.
Hotel Marcel New Haven carefully restored many of its building's unique elements.
After years of careful planning (during the pandemic, no less), Hotel Marcel New Haven opened in May of 2022 as the country’s first Passive House-certified hotel. For this distinction, the 165-room property had to meet rigorous standards by demonstrating high energy efficency, resiliency, and exemplary comfort year round.
Making all this happen was no easy task—especially since the hotel is the first of its kind—but from day one Becker was set on having Hotel Marcel operate solely on energy generated on-site without fossil fuels. To that end: Over 1,000 solar panels laid across the buiding’s roof and parking lot source all of the hotel’s electricity. In addition to the guest rooms and common spaces, the electricity runs the laundry facilities, the all-day eatery BLDG—where Chef Megan Gill just launched an enticing happy hour of New England squash hummus, local grass-fed beef sliders, and eco-friendly cocktails—and most interestingly, a backup system allowing Hotel Marcel to operate seamlessly during power outages. Other sustainable measures include 24 EV charging stations and a complimentary EV shuttle for hotel guests. Since opening, Hotel Marcel also gained LEED Platinum status—it’s only the tenth property in the U.S. to have this elite title—and is well on track to be net zero by 2025.
Hotel Marcel New Haven, Tapestry Collection by Hilton historic suites
Beyond accomplishing far more than what most hotels claim in the name of sustainability, Hotel Marcel’s pared-back aesthetic has also caught the eyes of design lovers from all over. The former executive offices and meeting spaces on the eighth floor have been transformed into spacious suites balancing beautifully-restored original details like ceilings and wood panels with muted tones and clean-lined furnishings including Marcel Breuer’s Cesca chair—they’re sublime examples of quiet luxury and timeless style. Even the event spaces impress: Unlike the drab subterranean dens found in most hotels, the ones here are perched on the top floor, lofty, and sport striking elements like concrete floors and exposed steel trusses.
Note this stunning Marcel Breuer granite desk in the lobby adjacent to the main elevators.
Another reason to book a stay at Hotel Marcel? Location. Without traffic, it’s just a 90-minute drive from New York City and offers an unexpected kind of weekend getaway: one that’s chic, truly kind to our planet, and convenient as well. Plus: if you need to stock up on affordable home goods or Swedish snacks, Ikea is right across the parking lot.
