Jupiter NEXT—the Jupiter Hotel's Luxe 'Big Sister'—Is Now Open
A week before opening, Lisa Donoughe dodged construction workers in the glassed-in lobby of the Jupiter NEXT, the Jupiter Hotel's new 67-room, six-floor standalone addition right across Southeast 9th. Despite the hubbub, the space felt open, airy. Composed. Unlike the original Jupiter—a converted 1960s motor inn, that, since 2004, has courted hipsters, rockers, and fans of lo-fi vice tourism—this new structure feels more dinner party than dive bar.
"The Jupiter has grown up a bit over here," says Donoughe, of Watershed Communications, explaining why the hotel owners decided to build a shiny new hotel right next to the scrappier original. "There's still a loud party next door, but everyone is 14 years older now; they want a quiet cocktail maybe."
The Jupiter NEXT—which officially opened on June 1—is a sleek, lofted box with maximal asymmetry. Its exterior is modeled in part on the pop-out facade of East Burnside's new Slate building, with an interior centered by a "floating wood" staircase from high-end Portland fabricator Laura Sol. Donoughe calls it the Jupiter's "older sister," and if that hard-working woman wants a guava macadamia Mai Tai in a refined urban jungle setting, well, at Jupiter NEXT, she shall have it.
In the lobby, past the welcome bar and staircase, Jupiter NEXT offers a full-service café and late-night bar, both called Hey Love. Behind the project: Emily Mistell (a former bar manager at Rum Club) and Sophie Thompson, who previously ran food and beverage at Mississippi Studios and Revolution Hall. And contributing to the retro "fern bar" feel (and sound—the set playlists here will mostly tap out after the mid-'80s) are Dig a Pony co-owners Nicholas Musso and Aaron Hall, the latter also XRAY.fm's founding music director. Hey Love's newly announced chef is Roscoe Roberson of Chefstable; a sample menu promises cloud eggs, shakshuka, and neon shrimp (descriptor: "addictive chills"). The atmosphere? Hey Love literature promises a vibe that combines "a community meeting hall, an afternoon study spot, a hidden garden and a house party."
For the hotel proper, guests can expect chalkboard room doors (chalk provided), "fresh air patios" on each floor, woven bed throws from Seek & Swoon, and Roxy concierge systems—like Alexa for hotels, says co-owner Tod Breslau, customized for the "LoBu" neighborhood. A second floor ballroom opens to a private patio that Breslau and co-owner Kelsey Bunker call the "Secret Garden." The floor also houses a gallery loft paneled in massive metallic leaf artwork from Francois Pascal (Bunker's spouse), a catering kitchen, and a private, multimedia-enabled room called, punnily enough, "The Bunker."
"The neighborhood has evolved and our clientele is older," says Breslau. "This is our next step in design: an artistic building, a unique shape and style."
Between Jupiter NEXT and the evolving Burnside Bridgehead (the Slate building, the Fair-Haired Dumbbell) it looks a lot like LoBu is losing its once-pervasive grit. Some might call that growing up.