Who's Going
Joss Stone, Mark Wahlberg, Fashion-philes
Reason to Stay
Boutique Hotel, Designer Hotel, Hip Crowd, New Hotel
Hotel Type
Boutique Hotel
It wasn't long ago that an overnight stay in the Bowery district included a meal voucher at the Salvation Army Depot, which is still there, and a barbwire enclosed motel with bulletproof reception area. The latest area branded for gentrification, the Bowery, now comes complete with an uber-hip luxury boutique hotel from Maritime-owners Eric Goode and Sean MacPherson. Like a scene from a Marxist drama, Prada-heeled urbanites step over used syringes and panhandling teenagers and enter a haute-industrial lobby space cast with antique tapestries, distressed flooring and grandmotherly settees recreated in ornate fabrics and textures.
Transcending the modernist craze that's swept hotels for over two decades, the space transforms a beloved loft space with gothic architecture of curved archways, marble fireplaces and rod iron chandeliers. A grand lobby area includes Gemma restaurant, a fabulous dining room recreated from the 1930s, as well as a small lobby bar and VIP lounge. Sadly, you'll have to commute for expected amenities like a gym, outdoor pool or spa, as the hotel is currently without.
The Room
The 17-story hotel offers loft-like guest rooms with high-ceilings and oversize iron windows framing views of the East Village and Midtown on higher floor. Continuing the wave of dressed-up boutique hotels started with the Gramercy, the décor mixes brass lamps and aged oriental rugs with more modern wood tables and voluminous chairs and sofas. Beds feature embroidered sheets with a Bowery hemstitch, atop buttery soft linens and elevated mattresses. Guests shouldn’t pack their entire wardrobe, as storage and closet space is at a minimum. All rooms feature flat screen TVs, free Wi-fi and i-pod powered stereos, if not lucky enough to score one of the private terraces and outdoor showers that come with larger suites. Bathrooms shock the midnight senses with cold slabs of white marble floors, albeit comforted by waterfall shower heads and lemony-fresh scent of C.O. Bigelow toiletries of Greenwich Village. Not your usual hotel crowd, guests should expect a lobby crowd of fitted-blazer fashion types with short-skirted party girls and the occasional transient taking a peek at the Bowery’s future.
Preferred Room
Standard Suite
Special Features
Hip Scene, Designer Hotel
Amenities
indoor Pool, Designer Decor, Bar, Restaurant
