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What's Up with King & Grove Williamsburg?

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  Site Where: 160 North 12th Street [map], Brooklyn, NY, United States, 11249
February 28, 2013 at 9:49 AM | by | Comments (0)

King & Grove Williamsburg, or, as it was formerly known, Hotel Williamsburg, made a pretty big splash when it first opened in 2011 as Williamsburg's first proper boutique hotel. With a nice big flashy outdoor pool deck, a rooftop, and even a trendy restaurant with locally-sourced ingredients, all the elements seemed in place.

Then things started to go wrong. First, the restaurant got shut down after being open for just one month. Shortly after, the hotel announced it had been taken over by King & Grove, with "exciting changes" on the way (that we've yet to see).

Then, last May, The Wythe Hotel opened two blocks away, trumping K&G Williamsburg in almost every way (original design, hip crowd, view-tastic rooftop bar, and a restaurant that actually stayed open).

Now, a year later, we're wondering what's up with King & Grove Williamsburg?

For starters, we never hear too much about this hotel. No big parties, or celebrity guests, or happy hours to entice us over for a cocktail. Not that K&G Williamsburg necessarily needs to exist in the public eye, but for a hotel located in cool-obsessed Williamsburg, we figured the name would come up at least once or twice. In fact, when Brooklyn hotels come up in conversation and we mention K&G Williamsburg, folks often respond with a confused, "What's that?"

We recently popped inside the lobby on a Sunday evening, finding the place as dead as can be. A few guests sat at the bar (which, oddly, doubles as the reception desk) and we saw one group check in. But the general atmosphere was stale, empty, and a little off-key.

Luckily, we have heard plans for a new restaurant called The Elm, which is set to open in May. And things ought to pick up as the weather gets warmer and folks start showing up to use the pool.

But for now, considering this was meant to be King & Grove's big Brooklyn debut, we're a little mystified by this hotel's progress thus far.

Rates start at around $196/night.

Have you stayed here as a guest? Do you know anyone who has? Was the experience good, bad, or just meh? Let us know in the comments below!

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