Inn-Town Stay: The Elliot Park Hotel

Photo by Ryan Patchin

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A proper getaway doesn’t always have to involve putting many miles between you and your home. Sometimes, all you need is a neat space with different windows to look out. A chance to look at your city from a new angle—at different altitude.

For me personally, I needed a place where I could hunker down and start compiling Lavender’s annual Pride Edition—a (wonderful) behemoth of a task. I sought a comfortable workspace; I needed solitude. And food.

The Elliot delivered.

Hit 5^th street if you’re coming from the south on 35W–and you’re already there. It’s named for the neighborhood it sits in, and the highway off-ramp leads you to straight the front entrance of the newly constructed (2018) property. The Elliot offers both uncovered and secured, underground parking, for a reasonable, daily rate.

I parked and made the short trip into the hotel’s lobby. Tall ceilings; a grand staircase; fine finishes; and the bar/restaurant carry you toward the check-in desk. I was introduced to Elizabeth, whose kindness and attentiveness set the tone of omni-present regard.

I was invited to experience the hygge (Danish and Norwegian word describing a mood of coziness and comfortable conviviality with feelings of wellness and contentment) life, a theme I’ve seen carried throughout other Autograph Collection properties—and well executed at this one.

In a prior stay, I checked into a single suite for a night’s stay. This trip, I was booked in a corner suite—for a two-day work-a-thon.

I settled into my third-floor suite and immediately fell in love with the lack of clutter. Unlike many over-furnished hotel suites, this room had simple, necessary furniture and it had space. Good old, wide-open space.

Windows on Fifth.

The room is brought to life with a plentiful array of massive windows. Being a corner suite, you get the one-two punch of natural light and downtown people watching. The bathroom is beautifully simple—a wall-flush walk-in shower opposite an ultra-modern vanity. A full-size tub faces wall-sized, picture window.

After I settled in, I met with Elliot Park’s General Manager, Jordan Stokes, who took me on a tour of the property and showed me the versatility their spaces offer. A ballroom, meeting rooms—gathering spaces for any occasion. Many of the spaces can be transformed to suit the needs of guests. The Elliot offers a modern and elegant feel—without going over the top. It’d be a great place to take those photos you’ll be looking at for a lifetime.

The Elliot Park Hotel has a clean, better-than-most-hotels gym, and top-notch dining.

On my first night, I kept it simple: I headed down to Tavola, the in-house bar/restaurant, and ordered a wood-fired pizza. I chomped away on a few pieces while I took in my well-finished surroundings and perused the menu for my next day’s trip to Tavola.

Night two followed a full day of hygge-style work. I headed downstairs for my 7:00 reservation, already knowing full well what I was going to order. I had the New York Strip, cooked medium. My steak arrived on a curiously tasty bed of potatoes. Not mashed or fried—but good. I bit into a perfectly seared and accurately cooked steak, and it was worth the day I’d spent thinking about it.

I headed back upstairs for a second night in my comfortable, borrowed bed. I turned on, and immediately ignored my favorite garbage cable television show, and turned my attention to the downtown view. I fell asleep to the dampened sounds of the city—and for a second night, I slept well.