The hospitality industry professionals behind The Ramble Hotel in Denver, where the lobby is interchangeable with its Death & Co bar, are taking their expertise to the next level, debuting a brand that will specialize in cocktail-forward boutique hotels.
Ryan Diggins, David Kaplan and Alex Day, the founders of cocktail bar brand Death & Co and The Ramble Hotel, launched vertically integrated lifestyle brand Midnight Auteur, which will span the ownership, development and operation of cocktail-anchored boutique hotels, according to a release.
The founders launched Midnight Auteur with the goal of building and operating hotels that “immerse guests fully and seamlessly between social spaces and retreat — offering a setting fit for both celebration and sanctuary,” the release said.
“We hold a deep, and slightly obsessive, reverence for the all-day lobby bar, which is really the foundation of Midnight Auteur,” Diggins said in a statement. “We love the idea of immersing our team and our guests in a vibrant, celebratory experience that only a hotel lobby bar can appropriately capture.”
Midnight Auteur will open its inaugural hotel, Municipal Grand, in Savannah, Georgia, in early 2025, the team announced.
The luxury boutique hotel will offer 44 guest rooms along with a variety of food and beverage concepts, including a namesake lobby bar and restaurant that will “serve as the heartbeat of the property,” according to the release. The hotel will also include a rooftop lounge and pool and a subterranean bar.
Revamped by locally based architect Lynch Associate Architects and its long-standing interior design partner AAmp Studio, the hotel’s design will be inspired by Savannah’s lush gardens and the building's existing mid-century qualities.
The property’s cocktail focus will carry through to the guest rooms, which will include a minibar — stocked with a bespoke selection of spirits, premium coffee and teas and unique glassware and bar tools — as the focal point.
Municipal Grand joins a slew of hotels opening in Savannah, as the market sees an uptick of luxury and lifestyle activity. A Ritz-Carlton property is set to open in the city later this year, and Hilton expanded its Curio Collection brand there as well.
