Chancellor’s House and Steinway & Sons Partner to Put the Spirio on Stage

Photo by Chris Lee.

One of the hotel industry’s most distinguished design firms, Wilson Associates, drew the renderings for the new Chancellor’s House hotel. When the Chancellor’s House Management Group saw that the drawings included a grand piano in the lobby, they immediately knew that it had to be a Steinway.

The luxury boutique hotel opens soon in Oxford, Mississippi, and Chancellor’s House aims to set the standard for luxurious lodging. They have selected only the finest amenities from furnishings to linens, and their dedication to service will be unparalleled. For a hotel that plans to surpass all others in luxury, the only choice was a Steinway, a brand that has a history of producing the very best pianos in both quality and refinement.

On October 5 in Steinway’s Manhattan showroom, executives from both Steinway & Sons and Chancellor’s House came together to celebrate their mutual commitment to quality for a reveal event for Chancellor’s House. Just as the beautiful and luxurious lobby of the Chancellor’s House will be the perfect stage for the Spirio, Steinway Hall was the perfect stage to launch the new line of luxury boutique hotels. The displays featured amenities that will be staples of the Chancellor’s House brand, such as a bed made up with Egyptian cotton linens, a sampling of James Heeley bath products, and champagne served in the Chancellor’s House signature silver julep cups.

Actors dressed as members of the Chancellor’s House staff, outfitted in custom uniforms from Top Hat Imagewear, passed samplings of Executive Chef Joshua Stetson’s menu for the new Chancellor’s Grill. Steinway Artist Simon Mulligan played the Spiro for the media in attendance, Gershwin, Beethoven, and some contemporary work, and then the Spirio wowed the crowd by playing back Mulligan’s work note for note.

According to Mike Donoghue, managing director of the Chancellor’s House Management group, “We are especially pleased to introduce the Steinway Spirio Symposium. To be held February 5, 6, and 7 at the new Chancellor’s House hotel in Oxford, Mississippi, the first Steinway Spirio Symposium will feature:

• The Chamber Quartet from the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra
• A lecture presented by Mississippi Symphony Orchestra’s artistic director, Crafton Beck
• A lecture and film presented by Jim Hoover, Steinway & Sons Historian
• Lectures and entertainment through the University of Mississippi Music Department
• A lecture from Executive Director Lester Senter of the Wideman International Piano Competition and participation from international competition winners
• The Faure Quartet in a live performance at the Gertrude Ford Performing Arts Center on the University of Mississippi campus
• Formal lunches and dinners

This three-day symposium will offer like-minded patrons of the arts from around the country an opportunity to enjoy the luxury of Chancellor’s House while engaging in educational programs and conversations with artists to learn more about the music that they love.”

Executives from both Steinway & Sons and Chancellor’s House were on hand enjoying the event, and Todd Sanders, vice president of sales and marketing at Steinway and Sons, said, “On behalf of Steinway & Sons, I extend sincere congratulations to Chancellor’s House on their decision to place a Steinway Spirio in the hotel’s exquisite lobby. This is the first hotel in the continental United States to feature a Spirio, and we are thrilled to be a part of this innovative and elegant new project. The inclusion of Spirio in the hotel lobby will bring the sounds of the world’s finest piano to all who enter Chancellor’s House. We’re very proud to partner with a brand that shares our commitment to quality, integrity, and artistry.”

Fred Alias, president of the Chancellor’s House Management Group and himself a Steinway owner, said, “We want the best of everything at Chancellor’s House to live up to our tagline, Setting the standard for luxurious lodging. Steinway, of course, is the piano that sets the standard for the finest symphonies and pianists in the world. We are so pleased that Steinway and Sons is hosting us here at Steinway Hall, and that they are allowing us to feature their brand at Chancellor’s House.”

Jim Hoover, directory of hospitality sales at Steinway & Sons, said, “Steinway & Sons has a long history of working with the very finest luxury hotels in the world. It is great to see that tradition continue with Chancellor’s House – and also to begin a new tradition with Spirio.”

Courtesy of Kat Grilli.