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Kohler’s suite of innovative bath products helps Marriott develop its first-ever smart hotel

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Project Location

Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.A.

Developer

Sinclair Holdings LLC

Architects and Designers

Merriman Anderson Architects, and ForrestPerkins

Often referred to as the land of cowboys and culture, Fort Worth, Texas, is a city on the move. This rapidly expanding metropolitan wonder is the ideal site for The Sinclair, a Marriott Autograph Collection Hotel and beacon of innovation and old world glamour.

Initially commissioned in the 1930s by oil pioneer Richard O. Dulaney to house the headquarters of his rapidly expanding oil company, the Sinclair Building was a gleaming art deco structure representing Fort Worth’s future.

Nearly a century later, Marriott International, Inc. partnered with renowned design firm ForrestPerkins, Merriman Anderson Architects, and Kohler to transform the property into a hotel that would capture that same spirit of forward thinking.

Preserving a Historical Landmark

After the building fell into disrepair in the 1980s, a group of investors purchased the space to convert it into a premium hotel. That’s when ForrestPerkins and Merriman Anderson Architects began their thoughtful transformation of the property.

The renovation retained the building’s signature Zigzag Moderne design elements and addressed the desire for an innovative, luxurious lifestyle hotel in downtown Fort Worth’s Sundance Square District. With its smart technology-equipped guest rooms, the Sinclair Building became known as The Sinclair, A Marriott Autograph Collection Hotel.

Creating a Tech-Forward, Luxurious Experience

When The Sinclair opened in October 2019, it gained national media attention for its innovative use of technology. The Sinclair is the world’s first battery-powered hotel, thanks to the replacement of a traditional diesel generator and backup power source with a lithium-ion battery pack.

The building also features voice-activated amenities and in-room network presence-sensing technology that customizes and automates everything from lighting to mirrors, along with gym equipment that can power the facility.

“Having the first truly connected hotel in the country means that we have a living lab,” says Jeff Voris, Senior Vice President, Global Design Strategies at Marriott. “It allows us to iterate over and over again to improve every day and make the guest experience better.”

While the technology is impressive, so is the hotel’s tangible luxury and unique style. Each guest room and suite is fitted with custom-made Italian furniture and boasts intricately layered textures and patterns of leather, brass, wood, marble, and more.