jef7

It's funny how we really all have our preferences because in contrary, that hotel 'style' is something I do quite enjoy. Le Meridien does have several properties like that along with Hyatt, similar to some of my favorite ones including Sofitel Chicago and Sofitel Lafayette at Washington D.C. They're modern, has the 'hip' factor, and stylish enough on my own definition .

Kettering Northants QC

Hilton Auckland -

Doormen that wear long coats (We would call them flash macks) with the collars tuned up, walkie talkies in their ears, it felt like you were being granted access to a fancy city nightclub.

No member of staff appears to be older than 30!

Strange layout in the bedroom - massive shelf like desk, no where to store your luggage other than the floor. The safe is on the floor of the wardrobe - the TV is in the wardrobe perpendicular to the bed!

Minimalist decor in the hotel.

An excellent restaurant, "White", where everything, is....white

A very modern, supposedly hip hotel. Whilst not quite our cup of tea (we prefer the shangri la thing) the service WAS very friendly to us old F+rts and we quite liked the overall experience.

MisterNice

When "hip" is substituted for good service, quiet surroundings and larger room size, I walk. I booked a "W", the front desk area was so noisy it was getting difficult to check in. After I saw my garish small room I went downstairs and checked out.

MisterNice

blort

Oddly enough, the W Tuscany in NYC has some of the largest regular rooms in the city (~500sqft), a quiet setting (39th between Park and Lex) with a very sedate lobby and, in my experience, staff that will bend over backwards for the guests.

Of course, the W Times Square offers a much different experience...

"Hip" can be executed in a number of ways. Done properly, it's something you shouldn't even really notice; I think a number of properties have learned that they can be hip without necessarily being ostentatious.

bigguyinpasadena

Having spent some time in some newer properties in the Marriott chain,and last weekend at an older one(Marriott LAX)I vote for the new!
As far as stylish-well I think you can be contemporary without alienating folks over forty(myself)by looking for a blend of comfort and clean lines without silly gimmicks.
Some of the ridiculous Phillipe Starck designed furniture is going to look so dated in a few years -and it is uncomfortable also.But,to use an example from above,the Windsor court is to my taste so chintzy and old fashioned that I would feel uncomfortable.And the suite I looked at was rather worn and none too clean.
So function,comfort,clean lines and cleanliness will trump silly gimmicks and "hippness"everytime in my book.

CApreppie

I just want a clean room and bathroom and a comfortable bed.

Cheetah_SA

I'm with the consensus here - "hip" is a warning signal not a come-on to me. It's more likely to go horribly wrong than to charm the trousers off me.

The Hilton Trafalgar in London intrigued me but I read a lot of mixed reviews. Then I read one that said "they wanted to make this hotel so hip it hurts - and they got it half right". That decided it for me and I stayed elsewhere. But I was still curious so I walked in one night to check it out - and left 45 seconds later mentally sending my grateful thanks to that astute reviewer.

Ok so I'm probably not in the demographic they're trying to appeal to. But even in my clubbing days I can't believe I would
a) party at such a non-u place as a chain hotel lobby
b) stay in the same place where I party

gungadin

Another vote for not-so-hip. In the United States we stay at hotels that are clean, not worn looking, in a good area and that have an efficient and friendly staff. It helps a lot if the hotel has a decent concierage.
In Europe, we stay mostly at 3 star hotels. Again clean, in a good area--I will accept a little more worn ( antiques) because often that lends to the style of the place. Friendly efficient service is the key to everything.
I am so not interested in anyone's idea of how chic they can be. Or how hip they can be. Or how loud they can be. And minimalist furniture is Hard

Rejuvenated

I don't mind any hipness at where I'm staying as long as things don't get overly rowdy.

Non-NonRev

I also find myself, as someone who does like modern design, somewhere in the middle. I'm also one one of those "try anything once" consumers. I rememebr staying at the Royalton in NYC soon after it opened. I loved the lobby and the restaurant, and actually found the staff pleasant and not snobbish, but the Phillipe Starck furnishings in the living room of my suite were, simply, unusable. Looked stunning, but what good is it if you end up never using 60% of your accomodation (the bed, a beautiful wood-frame platform, and the bathroom with a huge soaking tub, were great). Bottom line is, I wouldn't pay extra, but I'd stay if the hip place was within my normal budget and if the location works (an example of the location factor is the "hip" SIDE Hotel in Hamburg. The SIDE is about the same cost as the Park Hyatt, but the SIDE is a mere half-block from the entrance of the Staatsoper).

SFOAmdam

I have liked the W's I have stayed in and the service is great. I think it is fun to be in a hotel that is a little different. Sure great service at the Ritz is nice to, but if you spend sometime in hotels having a little variety is nice.

Athena53

My husband and I stayed at the Marriott Park Lane in London last year. Ordinarily we don't check out the bars- we like to enjoy a private stash in our room, especially when the exchange rate is against us- but we met a friend for drinks and snacks in the bar. It was newly-remodeled and the style was more contemporary. The menu included various small pizzas and I didn't recognize the name of an ingredient listed on the menu for one. I asked the waiter what it was. He had no idea. I gambled and ordered it anyway. The mystery ingredient was arugula, which I love. They didn't call it "rocket"- I would have recognized that.

If you're going to be hip, you should at least clue in your employees!

alanw

The god-awful W Lakeshore in ORD was my worst-ever hotel experience (aside from the place with cardboard for a roof in Urique). Filthy, tacky, loud (I was literally unable to fully check in due to being unable to hear the clerk over the Yo MTV Raps episode taking place in the lobby), half-empty beer bottles on the SPG desk, ugly gray everything in the room, a big open space between the bathroom and bedroom, no closet, it goes on and on.

That was enough to put me off of Ws forever.

BearX220

I hate hip. Hip is too much work for the guest. And hip can be a code word for "rude" or "dismissive," as in service. If a place wants to come off as edgy or in-demand, the simplest way is to diss the guests.

I used to work/travel with a guy who was fixated on finding the Right Hip Property in every city, which always meant a dimly lit lobby, booming music, rude staff dressed all in black like Mike Myers in the "Sprockets" sketches eyeing you and finding you wanting, tiny rooms with noplace to sit or work, overpriced drinks and bizarre food. The worst was The Hudson in Manhattan, which he loved and I couldn't wait to get out of. (I went and got dinner from an Eighth Avenue deli while he preened in the bar.)

I like Hilton Garden Inns.

grumbler

This is an interesting thread. As the responses above suggest, people have their personal preferences depending what they want out of a hotel.

For me, the hipness/trendiness factor doesn't outweigh extremely good service, which does it every time. In NYC, compare the experience at a hotel like the Mercer with that at the Pen or FS - better with the latter, even though they are not hip. Besides, I can always get into the club or restaurant at a hip hotel if I am dying for that ambiance.

Someone mentioned the Trafalgar in London, which is an example of the quintessentially bad "hip" hotel - poky rooms and blah service covered up by a loud whiskey bar in the lobby. Better off at somewhere like One Aldwych - stylish and great service.