The Idea
Naming
Identity
The Stay
Suites
The Duke
Indigo
Music
Campaign
Luxury, composed differently
A contemporary luxury hotel experience inspired by the rhythm, sophistication and cultural legacy of Duke Ellington.
Where music, culture, design and hospitality meet.
01 — the ellington hotel concept · self-initiated · 2026
Elegant. Elevated. Eloquent.
Project
Self-initiated concept brand
Sector
Luxury hospitality
Location
Washington, D.C.
Role
Creative Director · Brand Strategist · Designer
02 — Project overview
The Ellington Hotel is a luxury hospitality concept designed as a contemporary tribute to Duke Ellington and the cultural sophistication of the Black Renaissance. The concept extends beyond traditional hotel branding to create a complete destination — combining accommodations, dining, nightlife, wellness, entertainment, retail and music into one cohesive guest experience.
Scope
Brand strategy · identity · hospitality experience · environmental ·
Packaging · F&B · digital · campaign
Sub-brands
The Duke · Indigo · The Record Room · The Ellington Theater · Spa
Design language
Afro-Modernism · Art Deco restraint · modern Afro-Dandyism
Figures
Concept planning only — not operating results
200
Rooms concept plan
88
Premium + signature accommodations
2
Signature dining destinations
1
Complete cultural experience
Chapter one
The Overture
The opportunity, the challenge, the idea, the position and the people it’s for — everything settled before a single mark was drawn.
03 — The opportunity
What could modern American luxury look like when Black culture, music, craftsmanship and sophistication become the starting point rather than the influence added afterward?
Luxury hospitality has long drawn its language of elegance from Europe: the Parisian palace, the Milanese atelier, the English country house. The Ellington begins with a different question: What does luxury look and feel like when Black artistry, culture, and history shape its foundation? Inspired by Duke Ellington and the creative spirit of the Black Renaissance, every detail of the property brings that vision to life.
04 — The challenge
How might we translate a cultural legacy into contemporary luxury without building a theme hotel?
The Ellington translates cultural legacy into contemporary luxury by treating it as a design philosophy. Duke Ellington’s artistry informs the hotel’s rhythm, craftsmanship, and sense of possibility, while the Black Renaissance inspires its expressive interiors, curated art, and culture of gathering.
References emerge through rich materials, tailored details, thoughtful service, and spaces that invite discovery. The result is a hotel that carries the confidence, warmth, and creative spirit of its influences while giving contemporary Black artists and makers a role in shaping what comes next.
Retro
Timeless
Literal
Cultural
Theatrical
Luxurious
Excessive
Expressive
05 — The big idea
Luxury in rhythm.
The brand draws from the structure of jazz itself. These five ideas govern everything downstream, typography, spatial layout, materials, naming, guest rituals and visual storytelling.
Rhythm
Repetition and movement. Piano-key intervals in the grid, in the facade, in the corridor lighting.
Improvisation
Unexpected details. One thing in every room that isn’t in the others — a record, a book, a note.
Harmony
Cohesive experiences. The bar, the restaurant and the spa read as one house with three moods.
Tempo
Pacing of the guest journey. Arrival is slow, the lobby is measured, the bar accelerates, the room resolves.
Soul
Culture and emotional connection. The reason a guest remembers the stay rather than the amenities.
06 — Brand positioning
Culturally rooted. Quietly luxurious. Unmistakably contemporary.
Traditional five-star luxury — European reference · formal service
Contemporary cultural hospitality — Design-forward · scene-driven
The Ellington
Sophisticated
Soulful
Artistic
Cultured
Warm
Timeless
Tailored
Quietly luxurious
07 — Audience
Five guests.
One standard.
Psychographic rather than demographic. The fifth is the one that turns a hotel into a destination, the guest who never books a room.
Concept audience model
01
The Cultural Traveler
Travels for architecture, food, music, art and meaningful experience. Chooses the city because of the hotel, not the other way around.
02
The Modern
Luxury Guest
Values service and craftsmanship over obvious displays of wealth. Notices the weight of the key, the finish on the brass, the timing of the greeting.
03
The Creative Professional
Looks for environments with cultural depth and design character. Books the corner suite, works from the lounge, stays an extra night.
04
The
Celebration Guest
Weddings, anniversaries, milestone trips, performances and destination events. Brings twenty people and remembers the dessert.
05
The
Local
Comes for The Duke, Indigo, brunch, performances, the record shop and events — without ever needing a room. The proof the concept is a destination.
08 — BRAND PILLARS
Four pillars.
Every decision.
Four principles sit underneath everything in the house. Every material, menu, hire and
room name has to answer to at least one of them, or it doesn't get in.
Governing framework
PILLAR 1
Culture
Celebrate Black artistry, music, history and contemporary creative expression as the foundation of the property, not the art on its walls.
PILLAR 2
Craft
Every element intentional: materials, typography, food, service, the weight of a key card, the temperature of the lobby at 9pm.
PILLAR 3
Rhythm
An experience that unfolds rather than arrives; arrival, stay, dining, entertainment and departure paced like a set list.
PILLAR 4
Hospitality
Luxury that feels personal, warm, intuitive and human. Formal enough to trust, relaxed enough to return to.
Chapter two
The Composition
Naming, identity, visual language, color, type, photography and the architecture the whole system had to live inside.
09 — Naming strategy
The catalogue,
as a floor plan.
Every destination and signature room takes its name from the Ellington songbook chosen so each one still reads as a
place a concierge could say out loud without irony. The reference rewards the guest who knows; it never requires them to.
Property · venues · suites
The Ellington Hotel
The property
The man himself
The Duke
Bar + lounge
His title, and the room’s
Indigo
Restaurant
Mood Indigo, 1930
Sophisticated Lady
Penthouse
Sophisticated Lady, 1932
Mood Indigo
Signature suite
Mood Indigo, 1930
Satin Doll
Deluxe king
Satin Doll, 1953
Take the “A” Train
Corner suite
Strayhorn, 1939
In a Sentimental Mood
Honeymoon suite
In a Sentimental Mood, 1935
The Record Room
Vinyl shop
The listening room
10 — Logo & identity system
A Didone,
and a monogram.
The wordmark is a high-contrast Didone with hairline serifs, the typographic equivalent of a well-cut dinner jacket.
The EH monogram is the working mark: foil on a key card, debossed on a folio, embroidered on a lapel.
Primary · monogram · treatments · sub-brands
Primary wordmark — horizontal
Reversed — ivory on midnight
EH monogram — brass foil
Deboss — ivory stock
Emboss — oxblood leather
One-color — black
The Duke — bar + lounge
Indigo — restaurant
badges
11 — Visual language
Music → form → system.
Seven design elements translate the rhythm, movement, and composition of music into a distinct architectural language.
Each expresses Ellington’s artistry through form, proportion, and detail, allowing the space to feel musical without relying on literal imagery.
Seven devices
Piano keys — structure &
rhythm
Staff lines — horizontal
rhythm
Vinyl grooves — concentric
texture
the rest - SPACE TO BREATHE
Brass forms — material reference
Syncopated grid — unexpected movement
Crescendo — GRADUALLY BUILDING INTENSITY
Music Made Tangible
PIANO KEYS
The alternating proportions of piano keys.
Cream and dark wood compositions that bring rhythm to floors, paneling, and print.
Staff Lines
The five lines that organize a musical score.
Fine parallel rules in wall inlays, menus, signage, and stationery.
Vinyl Grooves
The concentric grooves of a record.
Circular patterns, carved wood, textured surfaces, and embossed details.
The Rest
The pauses that give music its shape.
Generous negative space, quiet niches, restrained typography, and room to breathe.
Brass Resonance
The warmth and richness of a brass section.
Brushed brass finishes, sculptural curves, hardware, and
foil accents.
Syncopation
Unexpected accents within a steady rhythm.
Staggered slats, offset layouts, and varied spacing that create controlled surprise.
Crescendo
A gradual increase in musical intensity.
Repeated forms that grow in scale, layered lighting, and entrances that build anticipation.
12 — Color palette
The palette shifts
by room.
No environment uses all eight. The lobby is midnight, stone and brass; The Duke is oxblood and bronze; Indigo is plum and slate; the spa is ivory and stone. That’s how one palette produces eight distinct moods without eight distinct brands.
Eight values · environment-led
Midnight
#0F122F
The house ground. Deep navy that reads black in low light and blue in daylight — the lobby, the key card, the sleeve.
Indigo
#281237
The cultural and musical anchor, and the restaurant’s namesake. Plum-leaning so it never reads corporate blue.
Oxblood
#33111A
Warmth and nightlife. The Duke’s colour — leather banquettes, velvet, the low end of the evening.
Burnt Brass
#A3855F
Luxury and instrumentation. The only metal in the system, used for foil, rails, hardware and every accent line.
Bronze
#795E33
The deeper brass. Signage, patinated fixtures, the back-bar, and type that needs to sit quieter than gold.
Slate Blue
#2E5270
Calm and sophistication. Guest corridors, the spa, and the blue-hour photography that runs through the campaign.
Stone
#B7B29E
The neutral that keeps the darks from closing in. Limestone, linen, plaster, and secondary type on dark grounds.
Ivory
#E8DAC5
Contrast and refinement. Every piece of primary type, every reversed mark, every folded towel.
13 — Typography
One voice for prestige.
One for the front desk.
A Didone carries the storytelling and the room names. A geometric sans handles wayfinding, menus, booking and every operational message — because the guest reading a door sign shouldn’t have to admire it.
Two families · defined jobs
Display
Cormorant Garamond Bold — prestige, storytelling, room naming
Display italic
Cormorant Garamond Italic — campaign lines, menus, service language
Functional
Acumin Pro Regular — booking, directories, operational copy
Utility
Monterio Regular wide tracking — wayfinding, keys, labels
14 — Photography & art direction
Cinematic,
never staged.
The photographic world should read closer to a fashion editorial than a hotel brochure.
Guests appear cultured and aspirational without ever looking like they were placed there.
Direction · grade · rules
Reference — architectural, warm, deep shadow
Reference — low light, brass highlight, saturation held
Always
Warm low lighting and deep, intentional shadow
Rich skin tones — graded first, never last
Brass highlights as the only specular note
Architectural compositions with real symmetry
Intimate lifestyle moments, mid-gesture
Blue-hour city views and tactile close-ups
Never
Bright, evenly-lit brochure interiors
Models toasting the camera
Jazz iconography — instruments as props
Sepia, grain filters or period pastiche
Empty rooms that look unoccupied rather than composed
Cool daylight grades that flatten the palette
15 — Architecture & interior direction
Afro-Modernism,
with Deco restraint.
Dark woods, burnished brass, velvet, stone and textured upholstery, under sculptural lighting with commissioned African and African American artwork treated as the point of the room rather than the finishing touch.
Lobby · corridors · suites · venues
Lobby lounge — velvet, brass, commissioned art
Guest suite — carved panel, walnut, blue hour
Afro-Modernism
Modern Afro-Dandyism
Art Deco restraint
Dark woods
Burnished brass
Velvet
Stone
Textured upholstery
Sculptural lighting
Commissioned artwork
Chapter three
The Stay
Arrival through departure — the journey, the accommodations, the signature suites, and everything the brand does once the door closes.
16 — Guest journey
Arrival. Discovery. Indulgence.
Culture. Rest. Return.
Six movements, each with a designed moment. This is where the concept stops being an identity and becomes an operating standard.
Six movements
01
Arrive
Valet, doorman, the house scent, lighting held low, and a live piano audible from the curb.
02
Check in
Seated, not queued. Warm reception, a poured drink, and the key card chosen to match the room.
03
Enter
A cinematic reveal — the city framed, the lamp already on, one record left on the turntable.
04
Explore
Dining, nightlife, spa, fitness, theater, vinyl. The property is designed to be wandered.
05
Retreat
Quiet luxury and privacy. Turndown at eight, the lighting drops again, the tempo resolves.
06
Depart
A final hospitality moment built entirely to earn the next booking. “Come again.” “Oh, we will.”
17 — Accommodations overview
200 keys,
four tiers.
Concept planning, not operating figures. The tiering matters more than the count: 88 premium and signature keys is the number that lets the
naming system carry meaning instead of decorating a spreadsheet.
Concept plan
Classic
110 keys
Standard Queen
340 sq ft
Standard King
380 sq ft
City View King
410 sq ft
Double Queen
440 sq ft
Accessible King
420 sq ft
Premium
62 keys
Premium King
480 sq ft
Corner King
520 sq ft
Junior Suite
580 sq ft
Executive Suite
640 sq ft
Signature
24 keys
Satin Doll
620 sq ft
Take the “A” Train
750 sq ft
Mood Indigo
900 sq ft
In a Sentimental Mood
900 sq ft
Penthouse
4 keys
Sophisticated Lady
2,100 sq ft
The Ellington
2,800 sq ft
18 — Signature rooms
Four rooms,
four records.
Each signature suite is designed to the mood of its song rather than its era. Same house, four different times of night.
Editorial suite stories
Mood Indigo
900 sq ft · Signature suite · Floors 9–11
Deep indigo walls, dark woods, brass and velvet under lighting that never rises above warm. The most romantic and most immersive room in the house — designed for the guest who intends to stay in.
Indigo lacquer
Walnut
Brass
Mohair velvet
Turntable
Take the “A” Train
750 sq ft · Corner suite · Floors 6–12
City-facing on two sides, in cognac leather and charcoal with brass detailing. The room is built around the window: the view is the artwork, and the lighting is designed to disappear against it after dark.
Cognac leather
Charcoal plaster
Brass
Corner glazing
In a Sentimental Mood
900 sq ft · Honeymoon suite · Floor 12
The softest interpretation of the Ellington aesthetic; champagne, ivory and blush against walnut, with floral detailing and a spa bath that gets as much floor area as the bedroom. Same palette, different weather.
Champagne silk
Ivory
Blush
Walnut
Spa bath
Sophisticated Lady
2,100 sq ft · Penthouse · Floor 14
The most residential expression of the brand: a dining table that seats ten, a bar, a terrace, and privacy engineered rather than promised. Tailored materials throughout — this is the room the pinstripe device was drawn for.
Private terrace
Full bar
Dining for 10
Pinstripe joinery
Private lift
19 — In-room experience
The brand doesn’t stop at the door.
Everything a guest touches between check-in and turndown is a designed object. This is the section that separates a hotel identity from a hospitality system.
Bedding
Pillow menu
Robes
Slippers
Laundry bags
Garment bags
Stationery
Room service menu
Coffee service
Mini bar
Vinyl player
Curated records
Amenity tray
Key cards
Do Not Disturb
20 — The amenity collection
A Ritual in
Every Room
The Ellington’s bath products transform everyday routines into a refined part of the stay.
Each product is designed with the hotel’s signature language of music, material, naming and quiet luxury.
IN-ROOM RITUALS · PARTNERSHIPS · RETAIL EXTENSION
BLUE NOTE SHAMPOO
after midnight conditioner
satin rhythm body wash
golden brass hand soap
velvet tempo body lotion
mood indigo body oil
night song bath salts
facial soap
Beyond
the Bath
The amenity collection continues through dental care, sleep, grooming, stationery, garment care and travel essentials.
Robes, slippers, sleep masks, luggage tags, and guest folios make every detail of the room feel considered.
ellington hotel laundry bag
eh robe
facial soap
scented candles
hotel slippers
diffuser
eh towels
the ellington hotel coffee + tea set
welcome card
stationery
sleep mask
luggage tags
Partnerships &
Guest Extensions
The Ellington extends its identity beyond the hotel through considered collaborations that turn everyday routines into memorable rituals.
Each partnership is designed to feel native to the house: culturally aware, beautifully made and connected to the rhythm of the stay.
The Ellington Estate & The Smithsonian
Provenance
This hotel operates with the permission and involvement of the Ellington family. The photographs on these walls, the recordings in the lobby, and the history in your room's guest booklet come from the Duke Ellington Collection at the Smithsonian, drawn from the papers, scores, and correspondence he left behind. Everything here was checked against a record.
The Ellington Hotel x Uncle Nearest
at the bar
Uncle Nearest is the whiskey behind the bar at The Duke and the base of half the list at Indigo. It carries the name of Nathan "Nearest" Green, the first known African American master distiller, whose work went unnamed for more than a century. We serve it because it's good, and because a hotel that borrows Ellington's name should be careful about whose names it says out loud.
The Ellington Hotel x
Duke Ellington School of the Arts
the music residency
Not this building. But a mile and a half west, in Georgetown, there is a public high school that carries his name and teaches music to kids from every ward in the city. We work with them. Their students play the lobby on Thursday afternoons, our resident artists teach at the school during each season, and a portion of what the residency raises goes directly to their instrument fund. You will hear them whether or not you were looking for them. That's the point.
The Ellington Hotel x Philips
dental kit
A custom Philips toothbrush and dental-care kit brings the same level of thoughtfulness to the bathroom. Designed as part of The Ellington’s amenity collection, it transforms a practical daily routine into a polished expression of comfort, care and quiet luxury.
The Ellington Hotel x Fluance
vinyl record player
Every one of our eleven room types comes with a Fluance turntable and a crate of records chosen for that floor. Play them at any hour. The walls were built for it. If nothing in the crate suits you, the lobby library holds several hundred more, and the front desk will bring up whatever you name.
The house is still
being furnished
Everything in this hotel came from somewhere, and we've been particular about where. The turntables, the whiskey behind the bar, the archive behind the booklet in your room — each of those was a decision, and each of them took a conversation.
We're open to more of those. If you make something we'd actually put in a room, pour in a glass, or program on a stage, we'd like to hear from you. We're less interested in placement than in whether the thing is good and whether the story holds up when a guest asks about it
Start a conversation → hello@shene.design.
What tends to work here
Makers with a history, told honestly
Anything that improves a room without announcing itself
Music, film, and print programs that can run a full season
Regional producers, particularly in the District
Products a guest would want to take home, and could
What tends not to
Placement for its own sake
Anything that needs a logo on the front of the building
Ellington × Vinyl Pressing
An annual pressed compilation from the residency programme, numbered and sold only in The Record Room.
Ellington × Fashion Designer
A capsule uniform collaboration — the Afro-Dandy direction made by someone who tailors for a living.
Ellington × Local Artist
Rotating commissions for the atrium wall, acquired rather than borrowed, credited on the guest directory.
Ellington × Distillery
A house barrel finished for The Duke, poured nowhere else, with the bottle designed into the amenity system.
Ellington × Jazz Festival
Official hotel and second stage — the theater becomes a festival venue for one week a year.
Ellington × Cultural Institution
A D.C. partnership placing archive material and programming inside the property, on loan and on record.
Chapter four
The House
The Duke, Indigo, the dessert, the music program, the record room, the theater, wellness and the ballroom — the reasons a local walks in without a reservation.
21 — The Duke · bar + lounge
Bar · Lounge · Late night
A sophisticated lounge inspired by the social energy of jazz culture designed for cocktails, conversation, live music and evenings that unfold slowly.
Environment
Oxblood leather banquettes
Burnished brass rail
Vinyl wall, floor to ceiling
Corner stage, no riser
Lighting at 2200K after nine
Identity
Script logotype, ivory on oxblood
Blade sign and awning
Coasters, letterpressed
Matchbooks
Etched glassware
Programme
Live trio, Wed–Sun
Late set at 11pm
Seasonal residencies
Sunday listening sessions
Uniform
Midnight tailored jacket
Ivory shirt, no tie
Brass EH lapel pin
Oxblood apron, bar only
The Duke — lounge, Deco fan wall
The Duke — signAGE
The Duke — coasters
The Duke — etched barware
The Duke — lounge host
22 — Indigo · restaurant
Modern Southern dining
A contemporary dining experience rooted in Southern flavors, Black culinary traditions, seasonality and elegant presentation
the kitchen the whole hotel is planned around.
To begin
Deviled eggs, trout roe
Smoked paprika, chive
Charred okra
Benne, chili, lemon
Oysters, mignonette
Half dozen, sorghum vinegar
Cornbread, cultured butter
Cast iron, rosemary honey
The table
Brined half chicken
Collards, pot likker, hot honey
Shrimp & grits
Anson Mills, tasso, sherry
Braised short rib
Red rice, burnt onion
Whole roasted carrots
Peanut, sorghum, mint
To close
The Ellington
Flamed tableside · see below
Sweet potato pie
Brown butter, crème fraîche
Buttermilk sorbet
Preserved peach
Chicory coffee service
For the table
INDIGO — MODERN RESTAURANT
indigo — shrimp & grits
indigo — braised short rib
indigo — cast iron cornbread
indigo — sweet potato pie
Environment
Plum lacquer and slate
Open pass, no theatre
Banquette perimeter
Candle only after seven
Identity
Script logotype, ivory on plum
Menu system, four seasons
Napkin embroidery
Table card, letterpressed
Programme
Dinner, nightly
Sunday brunch with trio
Chef’s table, six seats
Seasonal guest kitchens
Uniform
Slate jacket, ivory shirt
Indigo tie, optional
Brass EH pin
Long ivory apron
The signature ritual
The Ellington
Bananas caramelized in brown butter and dark muscovado, flamed tableside with aged rum and banana liqueur, served over Biscoff brown-butter ice cream with speculoos and burnt sugar.
The lights lower.
The flame rises.
The band continues.
The final number begins.
23 — speakeasy · hidden treasure
NOCTURNE
Tucked beyond the public rhythm of The Ellington is Nocturne, an intimate speakeasy designed for the hours when the evening becomes something else.
HIDDEN SPEAKEASY
Beyond an unmarked door inside The Ellington, Nocturne is an intimate cocktail room of velvet, brass, low light, rare spirits, and late-night music.
Come for one drink. Stay for what happens next.
NOCTURNE — SPEAKEASY
24 — The music program
Music as an operation,
not a decoration.
The single decision that keeps this from being a theme hotel: music has a department, a budget and a director.
It is programmed the way food is programmed seasonally, with named people responsible for it.
Six programmes
01
Live music
Nightly at The Duke, Wednesday through Sunday, with a late set at eleven. Sunday brunch trio at Indigo.
02
Vinyl program
A turntable and a curated stack in every signature suite, rotated quarterly and chosen by the music director.
03
Music director
A named role, not a playlist vendor. Programmes the property end to end, from lobby to lift to last call.
04
Listening experiences
The Record Room — a shop and a listening room where guests and locals can sit with a record properly.
05
Seasonal residencies
Musicians, vocalists and artists in residence for a season, with rooms comped and a stage guaranteed.
06
Hotel compilations
A pressed annual compilation, sold in the shop and left in the penthouse. The brand’s most collectible object.
The vinyl Room · The Theater · spa & Wellness
The Vinyl Room
Vinyl, books and limited releases, with two listening stations and the hotel’s own compilations. Local artist pressings get the front rack, always.
Vinyl
Books
Listening stations
Merch
Retail & listening
The Theater
An Afro-modern screening room for classic cinema, Harlem Renaissance films, music documentaries, artist talks and live recordings. The story continues after check-in.
120 seats
Live recording
Private hire
Cultural programming
Spa & Wellness
A quiet, restorative spa in ivory and stone, a refined fitness floor, and the wellness extension of the amenity line; Mood Indigo oil, Night Song salts, the house candle.
Spa
Fitness
Retail line
Spa & fitness
25 — Events, ballroom & celebrations
Moments worth
remembering.
A concept becomes credible the moment it shows how it earns. The ballroom and conference floors are the commercial engine and
weddings are the clearest demonstration that every venue in the house works together.
Commercial extension
Ballroom
The Grand
400 seated · 600 reception. Weddings, galas, performances, cultural events and corporate gatherings, with a stage sized for a full orchestra.
Conference
The Strayhorn
Six rooms, 12–120. Meetings, executive retreats, presentations and private dinners, with Indigo handling every plate.
Celebrations
The Full House
Ceremony in the ballroom, cocktails at The Duke, dinner at Indigo, the honeymoon suite upstairs, brunch the next morning.
Private
The Theater
Screenings, live recordings, listening parties and artist talks — bookable in full, with the bar programme attached.
Ceremony. Cocktails. Dinner. Brunch the following morning.
One address.
Chapter five
The System
Touchpoints, digital, keys, collateral, uniforms and the language the staff actually use — the operational layer most concept work never reaches.
26 — Brand touchpoints
Nine ways in.
One house.
The scale of the concept in a single view. Only three of these require a room booking which is the entire argument for calling it a destination.
Ecosystem
01
Stay
200 keys across four tiers, from Classic through the Sophisticated Lady penthouse.
02
Dine
Indigo — modern Southern, nightly dinner, Sunday brunch, chef’s table for six.
03
Drink
The Duke — cocktails, conversation and a late set that runs past midnight.
04
Listen
Live music five nights, in-room vinyl, seasonal residencies, a music director.
05
Watch
The Theater — cinema, documentaries, artist talks and live recordings.
06
Restore
Spa and fitness, with the wellness extension of the amenity collection.
07
Gather
The Grand ballroom and the Strayhorn conference floor, 12 to 600.
08
Shop
The Record Room — vinyl, books, local pressings and hotel compilations.
09
Celebrate
Weddings and milestones that use every venue in the building in one weekend.
27 — Digital experience
Your stay,
in tempo.
Booking, dining, tonight’s programme and every request in one place, designed with the same restraint as the property.
Type on ground, one brass rule, no photography competing with the room you’re already in.
Conceptual booking & guest app
28 — The key system
A key you’d keep.
At The Ellington Hotel, even the room key is designed to feel like part of the experience. Each key features its own distinctive artwork, color story and suite identity, turning an everyday object into a small piece of the hotel’s visual world.
Beautiful enough to slip into a wallet, frame, or tuck into a travel journal, the keys are intentionally designed to feel more like keepsakes than disposables. A simple reminder of where you stayed, what you experienced and the rhythm you took home with you.
Eight variants
29 — Collateral & operational branding
The pieces nobody
puts in a portfolio.
Valet tickets, door hangers, folios and receipts don’t photograph well which is exactly why designing them is the proof that the system was built to run a building rather than fill a case study.
Fifteen operational pieces
Check-in folio
Stationery
Envelopes
Luggage tags
Valet tickets
Key sleeves
Door hangers
Room service cards
Guest directory
Menus
Coasters
Matchbooks
Gift cards
Receipts
Compliment slips
VALET TICKET
ENVELOPES
COASTERS
GIFT CARD
30 — Staff experience & uniforms
Tailored in
Rhythm.
Tailored silhouettes in midnight, ivory and burgundy with brass detail. This is where the design language is most literally worn and where the hotel’s cultural claim either reads as considered or as costume.
Seven roles · one wardrobe
Doorman
Midnight double-breasted with brass buttons, ivory pocket square, EH lapel pin. The first and last impression of the house.
Front desk
Midnight tailoring, stone shirt, no tie. Softer than the door, more formal than the bar.
Concierge
Slate jacket with bronze keys at the collar. Distinct enough to find across a lobby.
The Duke
Oxblood apron over ivory, sleeves rolled, brass pin. The only role permitted to look relaxed.
Indigo
Slate jacket, long ivory apron, optional indigo tie. Reads as service, never as costume.
Housekeeping
Stone and ivory with bronze detail — deliberately the quietest palette in the building.
Spa
Ivory on stone, unstructured, slate piping. The one uniform with no brass on it at all.
Music & residency
Midnight with bronze, no name badge. Artists in residence are guests of the house, not staff of it.
31 — Service language
Elegant,
never scripted.
A cadence rather than a script. Staff are given the register and the intent; the wording stays theirs. The test is whether a line could be said twice in one evening without sounding rehearsed.
Tone of hospitality
On arrival
“Welcome to The Ellington. Enjoy your stay.”
Early evening
“Your evening is just beginning.”
Offering the bar
“May we prepare The Duke for you?”
Handling a request
“We’ll take care of the rest.”
At turndown
“We’ve set the room for the evening.”
On departure
“Come again.” — “Oh, we will.”
Chapter six
The Encore
Campaign, film, social, collaboration, cultural responsibility, and the case for what all of it adds up to.
32 — Campaign platform
Where the night finds its rhythm.
Fashion-led rather than hospitality-led. The campaign sells an evening, not a room — suites, cocktails, dining, music, culture, nightlife and romance, shot like a magazine rather than a booking site.
33 — The commercial
The Ellington — “Enjoy Your Stay”
Miles and Regina arrive on a Friday and leave on a Sunday. No voiceover, no product shots — one couple moving through every venue in the house, which is the only way to communicate that this is an experience rather than accommodation.
Nine-frame board
01 — EXT. ARRIVAL · DUSK
Welcome to The Ellington. Enjoy your stay.
A warm welcome, live piano, and thoughtful service introduce Regina and Miles to The Ellington.
02 — INT. MOOD INDIGO
The reveal
City views, plush surroundings, and vinyl spinning set the mood for an extraordinary stay.
03 — INT. THE DUKE
First set, 9pm
Over expertly crafted cocktails, the couple settles into the rhythm of The Duke.
04 — INT. VINYL SHOP · MORNING
Morning Tunes
Regina discovers a classic, choosing a little of The Ellington’s soul to take home.
05 — INT. indigo - 8pm
The Ellington, flamed tableside
The signature dessert ignites tableside, turning an intimate dinner into an unforgettable performance.
06 — INT. INDIGO · 12PM
Gospel Brunch
Beautiful plates, champagne, and the soaring voices of a gospel choir bring Sunday morning to life.
07 — INT. indigo mood room
The Balcony
Above the glowing city, Regina and Miles share a quiet moment, letting the world slow down.
08 — INT. departure
Farewell
A gracious farewell meets a joyful promise: “Oh, we will be back!”
09 — END CARD
Before they’ve left the hotel behind, Regina calls her mother: “Just book the room. Trust me.”
Frames above are the storyboard, composited from concept renders — casting, wardrobe and production stills to follow.
34 — Social & launch
A feed that reads
like a publication.
Closer to a luxury editorial than a hotel account. Architecture, suites, food, nightlife, culture, detail, people on a
fixed rotation, so the grid holds its composure at thumbnail size.
nine-post launch grid
theellingtonhotel
Washington, D.C. · Elegant. Elevated. Eloquent.
35 — TAKE ELLINGTON WITH YOU
The Ellington Collection
Let the story continue beyond your stay with merchandise inspired by The Ellington Hotel.
Select favorites enjoyed in your room including candles, robes, tea, coffee, hand soap, body
oil, and body lotion; may also be available for purchase. Discover vinyl records available in
The Vinyl Room, and ask our team about bringing your favorite Ellington comforts home.
keepsakes + everyday luxuries
TOTE BAG
POSTCARD
PLAYING CARDS
T-SHIRT
TUMBLER
KEYCHAIN
36 — Design system overview
Nine disciplines.
One role.
Zooming back out. Every artifact on this page comes out of one of these nine; and all nine were mine.
Scope of role
01
Strategy
Positioning, audience, pillars, naming architecture and the guest experience model.
02
Identity
Wordmark, EH monogram, sub-brand logotypes, treatments, minimum sizes, seven graphic devices.
03
Hospitality
Room tiering, signature suite stories, in-room programme, service standards and rituals.
04
Environment
Interior direction, wayfinding, signage and the palette-by-room logic across eight venues.
05
Food & beverage
Indigo and The Duke — positioning, menu systems, the signature dessert ritual, service.
06
Culture
The music programme, residencies, The Record Room, the theater and the community commitments.
07
Product
The eight-piece amenity collection, retail, packaging and the key card system.
08
Digital
Booking and guest app, tonight’s programme, requests, and the editorial social system.
09
Campaign
Photography direction, the campaign platform, and the nine-frame film.
37 — Design impact
No invented
results.
The property is conceptual, so there is nothing honest to report in revenue. What there is: four things the design had to accomplish, and a page of evidence for each.
Concept — not operating results
Impact 01
Culture as foundation
Built a luxury hospitality identity from Black cultural excellence as the structural premise — not as decoration applied to a European template.
Impact 02
Brand as experience
Extended the brand across stay, dining, entertainment, wellness, retail and service, so no single touchpoint carries it alone.
Impact 03
Story as system
Used the Ellington legacy to generate naming, environments, products and rituals that feel connected without ever being literal.
Impact 04
Design at scale
Created a flexible system capable of holding hundreds of physical and digital touchpoints across nine disciplines and five sub-brands.
1
Hotel
8+
Experiences
Dozens
Of touchpoints
One
Cohesive story
38 — Seven core project goals
01 — Reimagine luxury
Create a contemporary luxury hospitality experience rooted in Black culture.
02 — Honor legacy
Reference Duke Ellington without building a museum or a theme hotel.
03 — Build a world
One ecosystem across rooms, dining, nightlife, wellness, culture and retail.
04 — Design for experience
Consider every step of the guest journey, not just the visual identity.
05 — Create cultural depth
Integrate music, art, food, design and storytelling meaningfully.
06 — Develop a scalable system
An identity capable of supporting many sub-brands and physical touchpoints.
07 — Make it memorable
Signature moments guests associate specifically with The Ellington.
Luxury, composed differently.
The Ellington Hotel explores how hospitality can become a complete cultural experience. Through strategy, identity, environment, dining, music, product design, storytelling and service, the concept reimagines modern luxury through the sophistication, rhythm and enduring influence of Duke Ellington.
Creative Direction • Brand Strategy • Identity • Hospitality • Environmental • Packaging • Digital • Campaign • Experience Design
A fully imagined hospitality ecosystem.
One cultural idea, scaled across brand strategy, architecture, guest experience, food and beverage, product design, entertainment, digital and campaign. Self-initiated, sole author, every discipline.
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The Ellington Hotel — concept brand
Shené Brownlee © 2026 · Imagine Reign Creative Studios