New hospitality brand, Midnight Auteur, unveils its first boutique hotel

Municipal Grand, scheduled to open in Savannah’s North Historic District neighbourhood in early 2025, marks Midnight Auteur’s first official venture in the luxury boutique hotel space. The brand was born from the successful partnership between The Ramble Hotel and Death & Co, which began almost six years ago when the storied bar opened its second location in the lobby of The Ramble Hotel.

image credit: AAmp Studio

With a shared intention among founders to build and operate hotels that immerse guests fully and seamlessly between social spaces and retreat – offering a setting fit for both celebration and sanctuary – the new hospitality company was created. The cocktail anchored experience at The Ramble Hotel, one in which the lobby is interchangeable with the bar, resulted in numerous accolades and awards, including Esquire’s Best Bars in America in 2019, North America’s 50 Best Bars in 2022 and named among Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Hotel awards.

“We hold a deep, and slightly obsessive, reverence for the all-day lobby bar, which is really the foundation of Midnight Auteur,” said Ryan Diggins, partner and CEO at Midnight Auteur. “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. The community created and hospitality shared over a coffee or cocktail is something we’re passionate about, and look forward to bringing to Savannah.’’

Led by Co-founders Ryan Diggins, David Kaplan, and Alex Day, who have more than four decades of combined hospitality experience in respective areas of expertise, Midnight Auteur deepens its impact within the hospitality industry through a vertically integrated approach that includes the ownership, development, and operation of cocktail-anchored boutique hotels.

“Our collaboration in Denver has been incredibly rewarding, and since opening The Ramble Hotel, we’ve spent years evolving the ideas started within its walls,” said David Kaplan, partner at Midnight Auteur. “We were very lucky to find this property in Savannah, which will enable us to bring our vision to life in one of our favourite cities in the world. While it may be a lofty ambition, we hope to create a space that can serve as Savannah’s living room.”

Located at the vibrant corner of Abercorn and Broughton Streets in the former First Federal Savings and Loan Association building, and most recently serving as the Broughton Municipal Building, Municipal Grand will feature 44 guestrooms, a lobby bar & restaurant, rooftop pool, and subterranean bar – all across six floors. The mid-century gem is being re-imagined by locally based architect, Lynch Associate Architects, and long standing interior design partner, AAmp Studio, who collaborated on The Ramble Hotel’s public spaces and several Death & Co locations across the country. Built as a banking headquarters in the 1960s, the landmark space stands apart from the historic core due to its mid-century design.

AAmp Studio has restored and preserved as much of the original 1960’s era charm and form as possible, creating an environment that simultaneously celebrates and offsets the property’s concrete exterior with the introduction of softened elements, such as curved interior walls and arched openings that invite passers-by and guests into a series of connected, warm, and lush spaces within. The hotel’s overall design takes inspiration from the surrounding city’s lush gardens and the building’s existing mid-century design, and will feature preserved terrazzo patterned floors, blue mosaic subway tile clad columns, walnut wood panelling, and warm metal accents throughout, while the hotel’s common spaces and food and beverage concepts will be vibrant, transportive, and layered with personality and engaging detail inspired by both Brazilian and Finnish modernism that evoke senses of escapism, respite, and conviviality.

Guest rooms will complement the warm design of the property’s common areas and offer a strong sense of privacy while also reflecting the inherent inviting nature of Savannah. The cocktail focus of the lobby bar and restaurant will carry through to the rooms, with an extensive mini bar that will serve as the focal point of each refined space and be outfitted with a bespoke selection of spirits, premium coffee and teas, and beautiful glassware and bar tools.

“A remarkable hotel isn’t just a place to rest, it’s a gathering place in service to building a meaningful community. That’s our vision at Municipal Grand,” said Alex Day, partner at Midnight Auteur, “to share with Savannah and its many traveling admirers a hotel that becomes a second home – a place both to retreat and to celebrate, for casual gatherings or to act as a platform for life’s most important moments. And while we’re excited to share our passion for hospitality and great food and beverage with Savannah, we’re equally excited for Municipal Grand to become ingrained in the city’s daily life, our offerings and approach evolving as we become a part of such a vibrant community.”

Municipal Grand will boast a variety of dynamic food and beverage concepts throughout the hotel, centred around its namesake lobby bar and restaurant, which will serve as the heartbeat of the property and offer a celebratory all-day gathering place for hotel guests, locals, and tourists alike. The lobby bar and restaurant will feature a beverage menu meticulously developed by the creative minds behind Death & Co and a food menu that takes inspiration from traditional and modern American steakhouse-inspired fare, while the hotel’s rooftop lounge and pool, the Sun Club, will offer hotel guests a concise menu of warm weather refreshers and group format cocktails alongside shareable bites to soak in the panoramic views of the city’s surrounding North Historic District and nearby Savannah River. Municipal Grand will also feature a soon to be announced subterranean bar.

Municipal Grand is ideally situated in proximity to Savannah’s most notable attractions and sites, including the SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah Historic District, Forsyth Park, and the Starland District, the city’s creative hub with a thriving restaurant and art scene.

Main image credit: AAmp Studio