The Ameswell Hotel, a new design and technology-oriented independent hotel, is now officially open as of mid-July in the heart of Mountain View, California. Designed by BAMO, San Francisco’s award-winning design team, The Ameswell is the newest hotel from Broadreach Capital Partners and Rockwood Capital, managed by Storey Hotel Management Group. With many of the same key players behind the nearby critically acclaimed Rosewood Sand Hill in Menlo Park, The Ameswell is bringing modern luxury to Mountain View. Inspired by the backdrop of California’s wilderness and Silicon Valley’s legacy of unconventional thinking, this 255-room hotel brings together innovation, art, wellness, sustainability, and natural beauty, featuring an extensive art collection, multiple destination bar and restaurants, a library, meeting and event space, along with a resort-like setting that includes an outdoor heated salt water pool, wellness/fitness center, an event lawn, recreational field, and direct access to hiking and biking trails.
“We have aimed to be the first hotel that comprehensively combines the Silicon Valley and tech aspects of Google (speed, reliability, ubiquity) with Apple (ease of use and elegance of design), and Amazon (give the customer what they want quickly, efficiently, reliably) with the traditional hospitality virtues of a comfortable environment, a warm welcome, and a good night’s sleep; a healthy and fun respite from a demanding workday. We are looking forward to opening and becoming a part of the surrounding community”, said Philip Maritz, lead owner and developer of The Ameswell.
The Ameswell Hotel is located steps from Google, Apple, and Facebook’s Silicon Valley headquarters, as well as Microsoft’s sustainable campus, Moffett Field, Shoreline Amphitheatre, Levi’s Stadium, Stanford University and many of Mountain View’s bustling restaurants, bars, and shops. With a commitment to sustainability in many forms, the property will feature hyper-efficient heating and cooling; solar panels; LED lighting throughout; indigenous plant species; organic soaps/shampoos/lotions; no single use plastic; electric car charging stations; and bicycle connections to the surrounding corporate campuses.
Inspiration, Art and Design
The Ameswell draws inspiration from the nearby NASA Ames Research Center, celebrating the spirit of its namesake through the history and future of innovation, along with an underlying commitment to wellness and sustainability. The property was built from the ground up with design by BAMO, with interior architecture by BAMO in collaboration with RYS Architects, and the exterior architecture by WRNS Studio, also responsible for Microsoft’s Silicon Valley Campus. The LEED Silver building boasts a permanent world-class art collection on the ground floor curated by Art Advisory Service: Hangar One Art Gallery, named after Silicon Valley’s nearby hangar that once housed WWII naval airships. All of the individual pieces have a focus on, or are a response to, nature, such as local artist Ala Ebtekar’s work using negatives from the Hubble telescope, or a seven-monitor video installation by contemporary artist Chris Doyle.
In addition to the art collection, the hotel places a large emphasis on attainable luxury and wellness, boasting a Wellness Wing that features private spa treatment rooms, guestrooms with the Mirror and G.O.A.T Fuel, an all-natural energy drink founded by Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, and ample equipment from the Oakland-based company Fitnesse for personalized workouts, along with easy access to a 1,600 square foot state-of-the-art fitness center and heated salt water swimming pool.
Restaurants and Guest Rooms
Dispersed on the grounds are the hotel’s three restaurants: Roger, the hotel’s main bar and restaurant with garage-style doors connecting the indoor/outdoor seating featuring seasonal California cuisine married with Mediterranean flavors along with craft cocktails and wine on tap; the Flyby, a quick and casual all day lobby café offering everything from La Colombe coffee to made-to-order and grab-and-go meals; and the Airstream Bar, a retrofitted vintage trailer serving up casual Cali-inspired cuisine intended to enjoy outdoors by the pool, lawn, or firepits. The beverage program, concepted by James Beard winner Shelley Lindgren and her husband Greg, focuses on wines from nearby small producers, while the cocktails feature unique techniques inspired by NASA astronauts. As the first hotel to feature Bear Robotic’s Servi, a self-driving indoor delivery robot, the restaurants are extremely tech-forward, boasting top of the line kitchen equipment with precise food temperature programming for quality control and technology to reduce food waste, and offering the ease of touchless ordering and payment options through mobile phones. Furthering their commitment to sustainability, The Ameswell has eliminated 96% of single-use plastic on premises, and solely uses biodegradable or reusable containers at all restaurants.
The hotel’s 255 spacious guestrooms were designed by BAMO with comfort in mind, and all feature floor-to-ceiling windows, statement graphic wall-coverings, punches of California poppy orange, and rich California Black Walnut finishes that elevate a vibe that is cutting-edge, West Coast casual. Detail and craftsmanship punctuate the space via custom-designed lighting by Granville McAnear Lighting Design and locally handcrafted blue fireclay tile featured in the bathrooms, while design of the custom desks is inspired by an airplane wing. Every room features integrated technology and custom touches to remind you where you are, the global center for innovation and creativity, such as a medical-grade air filtration system that ensures guest rooms never share air, advanced water filtration, and exceptional sound quality, plus 100% organic toiletries by cult favorite Juice Beauty, and ethically-sourced coffee and tea by local Santa Cruz company, Steeped.
Meetings, Events and Outdoors
Located on an expansive 11 acres, The Ameswell Hotel offers endless possibilities to create memorable experiences for weddings, corporate meetings, fundraising dinners or celebratory events through over 15,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor settings. Unique venues include The Infinity Ballroom, a flexible 4,400 square foot space that can be set up for intimate or grand affairs and features floor to ceiling windows that let in the natural light; the expansive outdoor Event Lawn, which can be used with a 40×80 tent and has an adjacent Meadow Lawn that is perfect for ceremonies or smaller gatherings; while other meeting spaces include two boardrooms, a private dining room, the Hangar One Lounge and art gallery, and the library. Guest room televisions can be customized for individual guests with event details. The property offers on-site event planners and management along with catering from the on-site restaurants.
Outdoors, more than two acres of gathering space with over 26 varieties of indigenous trees, plants, and flowers will play host to a range of cultural programming, such as regularly hosted live music, wellness retreats, winemaker dinner series and tastings, along with guided hikes along the Steven’s Creek Trail. As part of the hotel’s commitment to sustainability, the Event Lawn is covered in life-like astroturf, eliminating the need for excessive watering, while the hotel’s solar panels power the LED bulbs throughout the property, and guests can find electric charging stations at the parking garage.
