Not sure whether this qualifies as a luxury hotel (I'm sure it would qualify as trendy), but it's certainly not part of a chain, so I'll try posting here
I like the London club, and the sister property, Babington House, in the English countryside has a very good reputation.
The hotel is in the Meatpacking District. Is is a crummy area? I've never even been to that area, but there again I never feel threatended inManhatten in daylight and I use limos after dark and for longer journeys.
The hotel has a rooftop pool, restaurants and bars etc, and by all accounts is a seriously cool place. It sounds like it's wortha try for a weekend trip in late Summer, but I'd be grateful for any advice beforehand.
The meat packing district is fine. About five years ago, Pastis (a restaurant) moved in. Now there are several restaurants, two or three great bars and three clubs I can think of off the top of my head, all within two blocks of the SoHo House location. There is still somewhat of a seedy element from time to time, but nothing that you wouldn't see anywhere else in downtown NY. The area is very populated and busy at night so no issue of safety. My mother often has dinner in the area and feels very safe - this coming from a woman who would not venture below 50th Street until about 5 years ago.
The location is a fairly good one if you want to spend a weekend of shopping, eating and drinking. Not the most convenient location in terms of public transport, but there are several subway lines within 5 or 6 blocks.
I've seen the inside and it is quite plush. Have never been in SoHo House here in London or Babington House, so can't really compare. Some interesting designs in the NYC location, but nothing outlandish. It will be interesting to see how it wears over the years, however.
Are you a member? If not, I have heard the going nightly rate in NY is about $700. If you are, can you nominate new members?
[This message has been edited by jja34-1 (edited 07-03-2003).]
[quote]Originally posted by jja34-1:
[b]Are you a member? If not, I have heard the going nightly rate in NY is about $700. If you are, can you nominate new members?
I'm not a member, but rooms start at $250, which struck me as a good deal. They're probably tiny, but there again so are the rooms in most Ws, which I guess is going to be the closest comp in terms of chain hotels. Anyway, there are bound to be plenty of nice public areas (library, terrace etc) so we won't be spending too much time int he room.
Looking for over the holidays and now want to be Village or LES. Im not such a fan of the MPD, but want more public areas than Trump has to offer and MO/RC rates are outrageous. The FS rates are good with the free night, but the FS' neighborhood is not a good choice for this kind of trip.
Soho can be had for $405 run of the house, so Im seriously considering it. Anyone stayed recently? It might be getting long in the tooth? Or is it well maintained like a major chain would be?
Looking for over the holidays and now want to be Village or LES. Im not such a fan of the MPD, but want more public areas than Trump has to offer and MO/RC rates are outrageous. The FS rates are good with the free night, but the FS' neighborhood is not a good choice for this kind of trip.
Soho can be had for $405 run of the house, so Im seriously considering it. Anyone stayed recently? It might be getting long in the tooth? Or is it well maintained like a major chain would be?
A much, much better option would be to stay at the newly opened Crosby Street Hotel in SoHo, which is Firmdale's first venture into the US. It is a truly beautiful property and has some good opening rates, I gather.
Looking for over the holidays and now want to be Village or LES. Im not such a fan of the MPD, but want more public areas than Trump has to offer and MO/RC rates are outrageous. The FS rates are good with the free night, but the FS' neighborhood is not a good choice for this kind of trip.
Soho can be had for $405 run of the house, so Im seriously considering it. Anyone stayed recently? It might be getting long in the tooth? Or is it well maintained like a major chain would be?
i like the soho house concept and attitude [ up to a point ] but for some odd reason i tend to associate it ..well i cant really say it in this public forum ....suffice to say ..ditto chateau marmont
having said that i would recommend the Standard NY [ not luxury but I LOVE THIS PLACE !! ; ) ]...not village but to be near the revamped High Line Park alone is worth the stay...or if they ever open the new andaz at wall st or 5th Ave...although crosby st looks nice ...the transplanted NEO lauraashley meets tate modern look is best left in london...........
A much, much better option would be to stay at the newly opened Crosby Street Hotel in SoHo, which is Firmdale's first venture into the US. It is a truly beautiful property and has some good opening rates, I gather.
Thanks for the rec VOS. It looks beautiful. And I tend to like new properties as I tend to put more weight on room quality than others.
This trip calls for active nightlife near the hotel and, as you probably know, Soho (& Tribeca) can get downright sleepy at nighttime. Thus my preference for LES or Village... the MPD being the northern part of the W Vill. So, if rates are equal, I guess my options would be Rivington, 60 Thompson, that newer one up on the train tracks (forget the name for the moment) and a few others. Does anyone have the frame of reference to differentiate among that group?
I stayed at SH for 3 nights in July with 3 friends (4 rooms), my first stay since just after it opened. It is very, very good in Summer, because of the rooftop pool. I had a playroom, I think, and the others were split across the smaller rooms.
In many ways, SH ticks more boxes than many so-called luxury hotels. Toiletries? There are 8 bottles of shampoo and shower gel (full size) - pick your favourite each day. There is a FULL selection of 'other stuff' - toothbrushes, mouthwash, nurofen etc, I have NEVER seen better. The selection of relevant books and magazines in your room is very good. The hi-fi set-up is fantastic - never had a better system in any hotel I've used. (This is all based on a playroom / playhouse, smaller rooms may not have all this.)
The huge baths you can see from the website. Housekeeping is fine. The bigger rooms are genuinely big as fully open plan, with curtains to separate the space if necessary. Excellent mini-bar with super collection of stuff you actually want to drink. The top suites have combined shower / steam rooms. In general, the suites work best because of the space but the smaller rooms offer good value for people who will be out and about.
The pool is obvious fantastic in Summer with a decent crowd up there. The odd celebrity adds to the mix. Soho House also has a full programme of events (film screenings, rooftop parties etc) and you can go to everything that is on whilst you are there. There is nothing better than sitting around the Soho House pool at 9am on a Summer morning eating your breakfast, especially as they have the same-day British newspapers as well (The Times is now printed in NYC for expats).
The indoor bar is a lovely space, there is also a pool table etc. When did you last see a pool table in a luxury hotel? The restaurant is also good although it won't win a Michelin star. Never used the spa. No business centre, 1 complimentary PC in the bar, free wi-fi throughout. Concierge - if you want it (Waverley Inn table for lunch) they can often swing it and I have no doubt that the SH concierge carries more weight at a lot of places than most hotels.
When we were there, one of the guys had his birthday and they sent up a bottle of champagne on the house. Front desk know you immediately as you'd expect given the small number of rooms. Staff are TOTALLY on the ball with none of the attitude you often get in NYC, although you should accept the limitations of a members club - if you need a babysitter at short notice, need a shirt pressing quickly etc then they might struggle.
The area is no longer crummy. In fact, the biggest problem I have with it is that it is going too mainstream - there is an Apple store directly across the street now, for instance, and the Gansevoort and Standard hotels are not exactly modest in their appearance. It is totally safe because of the large groups milling around the bars and restaurants. Plenty of trendy places to eat and drink within 60 seconds walk - Spice Market, Pastis etc. It is quite a walk to the nearest subway but taxis are never a problem, because the street outside the door is pedestrianised and taxis park there and wait for fares to save gas.
I really like this place as you can tell. For me, as a late-30's guy who thinks he's trendy but actually (as he works in an Inv Bank) isn't, it's a nice place to hang out and pretend to be cool. And I wouldn't like it if it didn't work properly as a hotel. I think I paid an $8,000 bill at the end of our 3 nights / 4 room stay (I was comping the trip for my friends) and didn't regret the cost at all. Perhaps it helps to be British, because a lot of the senior staff are also British, it is British owned and it has a Shoreditch loft-living feel to it which I'm used to.
PS. One tip. The room rates are fixed (sometimes reduced at slack times but never increased). This makes it very good value at peak days in the NYC calendar, and because its not in the GDS - I think - they can have availability if you call. And, for what its worth, my boss - 50 - has stayed here at my recommendation on one of those days when the rest of NYC was sold out, and he also liked it, later returning with his wife.
The indoor bar is a lovely space, there is also a pool table etc. When did you last see a pool table in a luxury hotel? The restaurant is also good although it won't win a Michelin star.
Pool tables?
The Rhu Bar at Four Seasons Langkawi
The Pool Room at Wildflower Hall, Mashobra
Umaid Bhawan Palace
Vanyavilas
Kinnaird, Perthshire
etc etc etc
