Delamar West Hartford offers 114 rooms, a distinctive restaurant complete with garden, banquet space, meeting rooms, a luxurious spa, and much more.

By Ronni Newton

To say that West Hartford has a new hotel hardly does justice to what the Delamar brings to the town and to the area.

West Hartford has become known as a mecca for dining, but one thing the town sorely lacked was a hotel. On Sept. 12, Delamar’s grand opening day, that officially changed with the 114 rooms, casually-elegant Artisan restaurant/tavern/garden, and 5,000 square foot event and meeting space ready to welcome guests to a completely unique experience in a destination property designed to LEED Gold Standards.

“With this project, we aimed to create a boutique hotel that would be deemed exceptional in any major metro area. Delamar West Hartford will soon be a regional draw and the top hotel destination in Central Connecticut,” Charles Mallory, founder and CEO, Greenwich Hospitality Group, said in a statement.  

The six-story hotel, which held a soft opening on Sept. 1, boasts 114 rooms, including multiple suite styles. Twelve of the units offer longterm stay opportunities. Second floor rooms feature terraces with views of the hotel lawn, Artisan restaurant’s garden, and Blue Back Square.

Rates for entry level rooms begin in the mid $200s, and include valet parking. According to a Delamar spokesperson, a nightly service charge of $15 covers gratuities for all staff ranging from bellmen, housekeeping attendants, valet parking attendants, etc. The practice mirrors what is done at other Delamar properties in Greenwich and Southport, where guests appreciate the ease of staying in a “tip free” hotel where they don’t need to worry about having cash on hand to for those who assist them during their stay. 

The rooms and common areas are elegantly styled, putting a contemporary spin on the traditional yet offering comfortable seating nooks in the lobby as well as the rooms. A statement piece by artist Johnny Swing – a bench made of $1,500 worth of quarters welded together – highlights the lobby.

Attention to style can be seen in the post-modern styling of the bathroom vanities, all stocked with Bvlgari products. The beds are furnished with fine Italian linens.

Upon entering the hotel, all guests are treated to a complimentary glass of champagne. At the end of the night, there is turndown service with chocolates and a filled ice bucket every evening. “We draw the shades, turn on the music softly, so our guests will feel like they are really away and have a relaxing experience,” said Director of Sales & Marketing Jackie Kosiba.

Continental breakfast – included with the stay – is served in a cozy space off the lobby, with gourmet coffee available throughout the day.

Another amenity offered by Delamar West Hartford is complimentary transportation in the hotel’s courtesy vehicle to locations within a 5-mile radius.

All rooms have smart TVs and wifi. The hotel is pet-friendly, welcoming well-behaved dogs up to 100 pounds in size with their own bed, special treats, and bowls with bottles of water. An extra fee is charged, with a portion donated to a local animal charity.

The hallways serve as an art gallery, with traveling exhibits provided through a partnership with the New Britain Museum of American Art. The initial exhibit is East & West Coast Cool: American Art, 1960s to Now and features the work of iconic American Pop artists including Andy Warhol.

Attention to detail even extends to the wallpaper. “Even the wallpaper all ties into Connecticut history,” said Kosiba as she pointed out the tobacco leaf design as she provided a tour Monday afternoon.

And don’t forget to look up – where unique lighting makes its own special statement.

Artisan, which officially opened Sept. 7, is located on the ground floor of the Delamar West Hartford, and offers a unique dining experience for the public as well as for hotel guests. Artisan is a feast for the eyes and the palate, a restaurant that offers a variety of beautiful dining atmospheres in the garden, tavern, and dining room spaces, and a menu developed by award-winning Executive Chef Frederic Kieffer that features fresh-for-the-season New England-inspired and locally-sourced dishes.

Artisan also offers private dining in the Copper Room with seating for up to 14.

For more information about Artisan, click here.

Event space for corporate or other social events includes the Mystic ballroom, which features floor-to-ceiling windows and opens to a 6,000 square foot lawn that can be tented to add capacity. Three other private event rooms of varying sizes are available on the second floor.

Photos of many of the interior and exterior spaces can be found below.

In October, the Delamar Spa will open on the hotel’s second floor and will add another dimension of service for hotel guests. The spa, which will also be open to the public, will feature four treatment rooms and custom services, including massages and facials, using renowned skincare products from Biologique Recherche and Valmont. A nail salon and blow dry bar will be included with the spa.

Also in October, Lane & Lenge Florist and Connecticut Custom Clothing will open shops in the Delamar West Hartford Lobby.

Plans have been in the works for years. Back in December 2012, when then-Town Manager Ron Van Winkle announced that Greenwich Hospitality Group and its partners had been awarded the project in response to a town-issued an RFP to build a hotel on Raymond Road in Blue Back Square, he said, “Their presentation just blew us out of the water.” The committee felt that the group clearly understood the market, and would be able to develop the 90 Raymond Road property into a boutique hotel unique to the area.

Town officials, who along with Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, owner Charles Mallory, and other invited guests officially welcomed the hotel with a gala ribbon-cutting celebration Sept. 12, are immensely pleased with the results.

Visit the Delamar West Hartford website for further information or to make reservations. Questions can also be directed to 860-937-2500 or [email protected].

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