HotelChatter

True, this budget chic comes at a price as shared bathrooms will be down the hall. However, for "slightly higher rates" guests can opt for the 250-sq.ft. rooms which will have private baths. There will be 200 rooms in total--150 are tiny, the other 50 (with the private baths) are just small.

Here is the official inspiration/explanation of these "micro-hotel" rooms:

Balancing the efficiency of a pod hotel with the lived-in character of a hostel, MacPherson and Goode, in characteristic style are overseeing every detail of rooms and public areas, from hand-picked artwork to original wallpaper designs to furniture and fixtures.

Inspired by luxury train cabins, rooms use smart design to pack maximum conveniences into minimal space; each "cabin" will come standard with air conditioning, fan, rails with coat-hooks, and a compact twin bed with built-in drawers and upper/lower storage space. All rooms will feature free high-speed internet access and 23" flat-screen LCD televisions.

Wow we are totally getting a Wes Anderson/"Darjeeling Limited" vibe from this description. And this type of traveling bohemia feel is exactly what Goode and MacPherson hope to bring back to New York.

SeanMac says:

Virtually all new Manhattan hotels seem to be versions of each other, high-end design palaces. By restoring the landmark hotel, rather than renovating it, we hope to resurrect an authentic slice of idiosyncratic New York, bathrooms down the hall and all.”

Goode and MacPherson will also restore the Riverview ballroom, once the gritty Jane Street Theater and birthplace of the rock musical “Hedwig and The Angry Inch.” Since the hotel rooms are going to be too small to do anything but sleep in, the hoteliers are hoping the ballroom will be the communal place to hang out. They are even going to offer complimentary breakfast here in the mornings.

But we think the real hit will be the swimming pool. The original hand-tiled swimming pool and bathing area will be restored and a sauna and bathrooms will be added as well. Pool party promoters be on guard for a new pool party in town.

The hotel will open a block of preview rooms in July and will unveil the rest of the hotel in stages during the Fall.