Sneak Peek :: A First Look at The Jane Hotel

July 28, 2008 at 12:39 PM | 4 Comments

We were lucky enough to get a guided tour of the work-in-progress that is The Jane Hotel from none other than the supercool hotelier himself, Sean MacPherson.

While much of the place is still under construction as it transforms from rundown SRO housing to the budget-chic Jane, we were still able to see just how interesting this place will be when it opens.

We say interesting because if you know Sean MacPherson's work, along with his partner Eric Goode, they aren't in the business of building sterile, white boxes for people to spend the night. Although, it's funny we should say boxes....

The official room photo

We got a look at some of the "micro-rooms" that make up a large portion of The Jane Hotel. MacPherson warned us before we stepped inside the room that it would probably be the smallest hotel room we have ever seen. In fact, he cited those Japanese capsule hotels as a reference.

The rooms are pretty true to the pictures we first saw about a month ago, except while we had The Darjeeling Limited in mind, MacPherson said he was thinking more along the lines of a Royal Tenenbaums sensibility.

There is not much to do in there except sleep. Bathrooms are down the hall and forget in-room yoga equipment -- although you might be able to get in a few triangle poses next to your bed.

Each room does have a small window, a flat-screen TV, A/C, and storage space above and below the bed. Plus the mirrors on the opposite wall do make the room seem a tad bigger. Too bad you can't really fit two people on that bed.

There will be other larger rooms open in the hotel with private baths and more space, but those won't be available for a bit longer.

While capsule hotels are not a new concept, there is one major difference between The Jane Hotel and a place with budget rooms like the Pod Hotel or even a hostel. Because the Jane Hotel (formerly The Hotel Riverview) is an SRO building, the tenants are still in there. And they will stay there, long after the Jane Hotel is fully open and accepting guests.

So when you stay at the Jane, you will be sleeping amongst some of the city's most eccentric residents. As Sean puts it: "The hotel is going to be weird. And I like that about this hotel."

The micro-rooms will be open to book sometime in mid-August for about $99 a night. And MacPherson says the soft-opening will be extremely bare bones--"Like a gel-opening or a liquid-opening. What's softer than soft?" he asked. [Ed. Note: A Thompson Hotel Opening?]

What he means is that only about 20 of the micro-rooms will be ready to book and the lobby, the rooftop bar and basement swimming pool will open much later. But when those public spaces do open, that's when the magic of The Jane will really come out.

We'll have more of a sneak peek of the Jane Hotel's public spaces tomorrow so stay tuned.

Tags: The Jane Hotel / Hotel News / Sneak Peek / Hotel Hype / Hotel Openings / Sean MacPherson

by juliana

Re: Sneak Peek :: A First Look at The Jane Hotel

I live at this dump and I don't appreciate an idiot, who knows nothing about me, referring to me as "eccentric", especially since that fits him much more than me or some of my fellow residents. Does it take a slander suit to shut this creep up? Two rooms were remodeled last year and those are the ones pictured. The rest of the hotel is not finished as yet. Some residents have been evicted already and others have been given notice to that effect too. Walk by any evening and you will see the rats playing in the doorway leading to the basement, which shares a common garbage room with the restaurant. Tenants take pictures of the rats all the time. Visit some evening and you'll be surprised what you see running around that place. Talk to the residents and see some of the pictures they've taken. A new hotel is going up around the corner; you can see the construction going on. And the boys never mention that Jane Hotel aka Hotel Riverview has been on the wishlist of area reasidents to be closed down; they probably didn't know about that, but they would if they talked to their neighbors. Why stay here when the new hotel will have PRIVATE bathrooms where you can be assured you won't run into rats, roaches, mice, thousandleggers or other critters?

Yes, the Jane is weird and eccentric, but it isn't the residents who make it that way.

4 Comments

Return to » Sneak Peek :: A First Look at The Jane Hotel

Legal Secretary

HotelChatter Member
July 29, 2008 at 8:34 PM

Re: Sneak Peek :: A First Look at The Jane Hotel
"So when you stay at the Jane, you will be sleeping amongst some of the city's most eccentric residents. As Sean puts it: "The hotel is going to be weird. And I like that about this hotel."
I live at this dump and I don't appreciate an idiot, who knows nothing about me, referring to me as "eccentric", especially since that fits him much more than me or some of my fellow residents. Does it take a slander suit to shut this creep up? Two rooms were remodeled last year and those are the ones pictured. The rest of the hotel is not finished as yet. Some residents have been evicted already and others have been given notice to that effect too. Walk by any evening and you will see the rats playing in the doorway leading to the basement, which shares a common garbage room with the restaurant. Tenants take pictures of the rats all the time. Visit some evening and you'll be surprised what you see running around that place. Talk to the residents and see some of the pictures they've taken. A new hotel is going up around the corner; you can see the construction going on. And the boys never mention that Jane Hotel aka Hotel Riverview has been on the wishlist of area reasidents to be closed down; they probably didn't know about that, but they would if they talked to their neighbors. Why stay here when the new hotel will have PRIVATE bathrooms where you can be assured you won't run into rats, roaches, mice, thousandleggers or other critters?
Yes, the Jane is weird and eccentric, but it isn't the residents who make it that way.

jorgeE

HotelChatter Member
July 30, 2008 at 1:10 PM

Re: Sneak Peek :: A First Look at The Jane Hotel
Obviously someone does not know well the people who live there, we should be very careful when "labeling" individuals "eccentric" or "addicts" homeless etc,etc...
Mr.Mc Phearson, you do not know these people well enough to pass judgment or labels! be very careful, very careful many don't appreciate those comments you have been making.
Eccentric..? yes I can think of one person the man who used to be GM of the property (just until a few days ago); he is eccentric,mean, unethical & unprofessional the lowest form that you could ever find to work for you.
I used to be a long term tenant at your Jane Hotel and I find your comments out of touch.specially the comments that were made when you thought that it was going to be easy to evict us all. Guess again....

juliana

HotelChatter
July 30, 2008 at 6:27 PM

Re: Sneak Peek :: A First Look at The Jane Hotel
To be clear: I used the term eccentric. Mr. MacPherson did not. But the last time I checked, eccentric was not a bad or derogatory term. So please don't be offended!
That said, I know that tenants and former tenants have concerns about the upcoming hotel and its construction and we are trying to be respectful of that here.
Am just curious though--this animosity won't be directed at hotel guests when they check-in, will it?

justice will come

HotelChatter Member
October 20, 2008 at 7:25 PM

here is the truth
This comment represents and speaks for all the tenants of "the jane hotel" formally known as the " hotel riverview". Only a small percent of us are left after a year of major harassment consisting of construction,bed bugs,rats and mice. sean macphearson and eric goode do not have any regards for humane rights and that is a fact. We have had to live with that fact,but not for long

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