Before it was Refinery Hotel, it was the Colony Arcade - a hat factory in Manhattan's Garment District. In the first decade of the 20th century, Winifred T. McDonald opened a ladies-only tea parlour in the factory's expansive ground floor. It's rumored that well-heeled shoppers from Fifth Avenue came to the industrial area not just for hats - but for Winifred's illegal hootch during Prohibition.
• • •
Website
Using the history of the Colony Arcade and its original ground-floor tenant as inspiration, I helped produce a video of a modern-day Winifred as the hero of the hotel website.
One of Refinery Hotel's marketing goals was to 'redefine Midtown' - to establish the hotel as a cool place for locals to hang out. By telling the story of the Colony Arcade and Winifred, I established Refinery not as a new refuge - but a place where fashionable, rebellious ladies have been going for more than 100 years.
• • •
Editorial
Drawing inspiration again from the hotel's former life as a hat factory, I created original content for the Refinery Times. The online magazine takes a fashion-forward approach to major events like Fashion Week, but also general travel tips for a wider audience, such as where New York's coolest guys get their hair cut.
• • •
Social
• • •