Books, Bike Grease, and Bliss: ROOST Apartment Hotel

Special circumstances call for a special space. When life gives you lemons in the form of a remote work placement or a period of interpersonal transition, you can couch surf, sure. Or you can drag your weary bones to ROOST Apartment Hotel, whose handcrafted furnishings and bespoke amenities create a space for thinking, reading, socializing, and of course sleeping. ROOST is an "alternative approach to hospitality...designed to ease a transitional period and encourage immersion to new surroundings." With interiors designed by Morris Adjmi Architects, ROOST features 27 furnished, fully equipped residences in its current location at 15th and Chesnut, and "a second location at 1831 Chestnut Street is expected to be up and running with 27 more units, plus a restaurant, by the fall.
In designing the concept for ROOST, Randall Cook, chief executive officer contemplated the basic question: "Why do people need apartment hotels? Usually because they're in a unique time in their lives." But even if the circumstances that necessitate an extended hotel stay may not be ideal, Cook aims to create the ideal oasis for travel-weary guests. "How do we make this time special for them?" He asks. "How can we help stave off the isolation that accompanies travel?" Here's just a smattering of the ways in which the extended stay hotel strives to be so much more:

ROOST Receptions: Two of the past 'Resident Receptions,
' were hosted by Six Point Brewery and Art in the Age. "These were not only great events to get our guests to socialize and get to know us and one another better," says Cook, "but also introduce them to two really great brands."

ROOST Coffee Program: "I think we could fairly make the claim that we take coffee more seriously than any other company in the industry," Cook asserts. The company supplies each resident with about $750 of coffee equipment "so they can make the most incredible cup of coffee they've ever made for themselves." This includes hands-on instruction on how to actually use the gadgetry. Don't want to geek out over coffee? That's ok. The company also supplies every apartment with a Bona Vita drip coffee maker.

ROOST Lending Library: With picks ranging from a beginner's guide to Karma Sutra (which, incidentally, never made it back to the shelf) to how-tos on making Thai street food or the best cocktail you've ever tasted, the books in ROOST's lending library also include an "old-school library card in the back of each book that shows other residents that have borrowed the book, where they are from and how they liked it."

ROOST Bike Share: If you're in Philly for a short time, you may not have gotten a chance to discover the gloriousness that is Indego. ROOST offers bikes to its residents via Brooklyn Bicycle Co., as well as maps and guides (and helmets!) to help you navigate your way around the city on your own set of wheels.

ROOST Water Program: Each resident is supplied with a half gallon glass water jug and a Vero water station that offers both sparking and flat water. It's a solution, says Cook, "that is both economical for us and good for the environment (no plastic bottles flown in from Fiji) and your health (better to drink from glass than plastic)."

One bedroom apartment monthly rates start at $155/night and weekly rates start at $225/night.

· How a Luxury Apartment Hotel in the Packard Building Could Help You on Your Path to Enlightenment [Curbed Philly]
· ROOST Apartment Hotel [Official Site]