2025 Hotel Design Award: The Jay by Avroko

Author:

From the outset, we knew we wanted to pay homage to the individuals who shaped San Francisco, but not your usual suspects—we were interested in the lesser-known artists and activists who are a bit more behind the scenes,” says Greg Bradshaw, cofounder of Avroko, on the design behind San Francisco’s newest boutique hotel, The Jay. “The building’s architect, John Portman, and his Brutalist architecture guided our overall design, while the specific muses we chose, Ruth Asawa and Peggy Caserta, for example, helped to bring a subtler story to individual rooms.”

The stairwell is covered in a deep red carpet from Blended LA. The concrete wall panels are by Guerin Design. Photos by Garret Rowland.
The lobby ceiling is painted using Portola Paints, the custom carpet is by Lucy Tupu and the tables and chairs were made by Stellar Works. Photos by Garret Rowland.

Located inside Le Méridien hotel in San Francisco’s Embarcadero neighborhood, the Brutalist structure was in need of reimagining. The property joined the Autograph Collection by Marriott and was transformed by the iconic commercial design firm to reflect the vibrant soul of San Francisco. “Our key directive was to create a unique property in the heart of the city with an approachable, casual and upscale voice for the local community and international guests,” Bradshaw notes. “When crafting the property we saw the design as a savvy San Franciscan that knew their history but had an edge, a friend in the know.”

Pendants by Goodshop hang over custom tables by Wesnic. Photos by Garret Rowland.
The terrace features multiple seating areas that offer close views of the skyscrapers that surround. Photos by Garret Rowland.

They started by embracing the existing guest rooms and shifting the main spaces. ”We moved the check-in from the first to the third floor to centralize the energy, which also opens onto the completely reimagined patio space,” he says. “We certainly wanted to pay homage to the Brutalist structure architect John Portman created—as that helped shape this part of San Francisco, especially in the surrounding Embarcadero Center—so we embraced the concrete and his geometries throughout.”

Inside the penthouse living room, furniture from Crate & Barrel, Lulu and Georgia and Claude Home make guests feel at home.
Photos by Garret Rowland.

The biggest challenge was pushing guests from the first-floor entrance to the check-in area located in the third-floor lobby, where they wanted guests to feel warmly welcomed. The team achieved this by designing a curvaceous staircase that is surrounded by brass and sculptural elements that lead the eye to the top. “We included a deep red carpet on the circular stair to draw the eye upon entry and then surrounded the staircase with custom wood fins spanning all three levels— distorting the view as guests ascend and revealing different perspectives along the path to the third floor,” says Bradshaw.

The dining and office area feature tables and seating by Arhaus. Photos by Garret Rowland.

They describe the remainder of the design direction as “warm brutalism,” because the heavy concrete architecture is balanced with soft and neutral materials, textures and furnishings. “We embraced the triangular pattern and angles created by the facade, mirroring textures through concrete and plaster,” he says. “For example, the patterning of the terrazzo floors takes on the same angles as the facade geometry of the building, and we warmed up the existing concrete columns of the space by surrounding them with a layer of travertine and fluted glass screens.”

Limewash walls painted using Portola Paints add a calming element in the bedroom. Photos by Garret Rowland.
A floating tub by Native Trails offers a place to relax with views. Photos by Garret Rowland.

Prior to the opening of The Jay, there weren’t many boutique hotel options that offered modern style. Now visitors and locals alike can enjoy one of the expansive 360 hotel rooms, a robust food and beverage program curated by Omakase Restaurant Group and endless views of San Francisco. “We’ve actually heard anecdotes that the property is trying to get more guests to come downstairs to enjoy the lobby spaces because guests are just so happy to stay in the rooms to enjoy drinks, even dinner, or have a few guests over,” Bradshaw remarks.