10012 Travel Guide
Hotel Woes / Hotel News / Hotel Restaurants / Manhattan Hotels / → All Tags
And Another Hotel Restaurant Fails To Launch
Despite a last ditch attempt last month to re-invigorate the space with some leather banquettes and a large communal table, Ellabess, The Nolitan's restaurant, has closed until further notice. A post on Eater confirms that the owners hope to come up with something new by this spring, though for now the plan seems unclear.
Bizarrely, this news comes just three weeks after the abrupt closing of Pillar & Plough over at Hotel Williamsburg. Granted, those guys are in the process of transitioning to new ownership, so they're (kind of) off the hook. But what's the Nolitan's excuse? As far as we know, nothing about the hotel itself has changed. And after all that build-up, too...
Hotel Lobbies / Hotel Art / Manhattan Hotels / Video Tours / → All Tags
With A Little Video Art, the Nolitan's Walls Come To Life
Instead of boring old Christmas trees, the Nolitan is making use of a different kind of greenery for the holiday season: computer-generated images of flowers and hanging vines. As part of a local art gallery partnership, a very beautiful, soothing ambient video is currently being looped and projected onto a wall adjacent to the Front Desk.
Produced by artist Jennifer Steinkamp, the video is entitled Rapunzel, and in many ways, it's the perfect complement to the Nolitan's quiet, intimate lobby, which essentially doubles as a waiting area for Ellabess, the hotel's restaurant. Lush, gently-swaying tendrils move almost as if blown by an invisible breeze, and have a kind of hypnotizing effect. To see what we mean, scroll down and watch a clip from the video!
What Is This / Hotel Furniture / Manhattan Hotels / Historic Hotels / Hotel Keys / → All Tags
What Are These At The Bowery House?
We like to keep it fun but informative here at HotelChatter so our newest series, What is This? is devoted to odd-looking items in hotel rooms that upon first glance look as if they serve only a decorative purpose. But everything happens for a reason, right? And we're here to tell you what these things really do.
Take a close look at this bizarre assortment we found at the Bowery House in Manhattan. It seemed pointless to use any snapshots from the rooms themselves—since, frankly, there's not much in those little cubbyholes to photograph! But this fixture in the lobby caught our eye, and if you give yourselves a little bit of reference to put things into context, we're pretty sure you can guess how these play into the story of the hotel.
Hint: the original building was used as a flophouse for soldiers returned from the war.
Celebrity Scoop / Kanye West / Andre Balazs Hotels / Hotel News / Hotel Employee / → All Tags
Kanye West Treats The Staff at the Mercer Hotel with Tickets to His Concert
Back in June, we learned that rapper Kanye West had moved into one of our fave NYC hotels, The Mercer Hotel in Soho while his apartment was getting renovated.
The Mercer already holds a special place in Kanye's heart because last February, he rented a floor at the hotel and turned it into a recording studio where him and Jay-Z recorded their new album, Watch The Throne.
But lest you think that Kanye West is an a-hole, celebrity guest, partying all night and demanding free rooms for himself and his entourage, a staffer from the hotel emailed HotelChatter detailing Kanye's recent random act of hotel kindness:
I work at the Mercer Hotel in Soho. On Sunday evening, Kanye West chartered a party bus to take our entire staff to the Izod Center in New Jersey for his concert with Jay-Z. We were all provided with complimentary tickets and Kanye personally thanked each team member for attending. The seats were amazing and he was such a gentleman.
Hotel Rooftops / Hotel Openings / Manhattan Hotels / Hotel Bars / Photo Gallery / → All Tags
Inside The Lobby, Up On The Roof At The Bowery House
If you had planned on trying to "peek" inside the rooms at Bowery House, think again. The narrow corridors and tight living quarters make it a little tricky to simply amble around unnoticed. Plus, as we mentioned before, the place is so labyrinthine you may never get back out. In any case, the areas you can easily spot are the public spaces: the hotel's lobby, adjoining "bodega," and rooftop are all worth a quick glance, especially if you're considering recommending the place to a visiting friend or relative. Which you should do, because they'll be eternally grateful for the one-of-a-kind experience.
The lobby boasts original Chesterfield leather couches, which are wide, resilient, and extreeemely comfortable. When you've just come up from the clangin'-bangin' racket of restaurant supply stores along the Bowery, this space is a much-needed haven. Turquoise walls and round medieval chandeliers give off an art-y vibe, but there's not too much pretension here. In fact, there's not even a coffeeshop!
Historic Hotels / Cabin Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / Cheap Hotels / Hotel Confusion / Hotel Beds / → All Tags
How To Not Get Lost Inside The Bowery House
It isn't easy, but there are ways to navigate the twisting, poorly-lit labyrinth that is the Bowery House Hotel. Just walk very carefully and slowly, remaining aware that any of these doors could fly open at any moment, knocking you off your weary feet and into another person's cabin. Also, shine your smartphone for additional light. It helps.
To call the cabins at the hotel 'compact' would be an understatement. But for all of its 'personal space' issues, this place also has a ton of charm. Dorm-style "bunk rooms" are available for people traveling in groups (same-sex only), but the real winners are the "original cabins." Once you've imprinted the floor layout into your mind, all that's left to enjoy is the tiny, dollhouse-like room, which barely fits a bed, dresser, and some (minimal) luggage. See below for photos from inside!
Hotel Bathrooms / Thompson Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / Odd Hotels / Video Tours / → All Tags
This Might Be The Trippiest Bathroom In New York
We recently got to check out a suite at 60 Thompson, a hotel known for its sex appeal as much as for its spicy Thai food. But what struck us during the visit wasn't the designer condoms, or the use of curry paste (though the restaurant's tangy Pad Thai was awesome). It was the near-psychedelic effect produced by all the dark red marble lining the bathroom walls.
The patterned walls are such a sensory overload that they gave our camera's auto-focus a run for its money. Zooming in and out to get a clear shot, we felt ourselves getting a little woozy. It was all we could do to stop ourselves from grabbing the door, lowering ourselves to the floor, and blurting out a: "Woah, man."
Divorce Hotels / Celebrity Scoop / Ashton Kutcher / Demi Moore / → All Tags
Demi Moore Has The Most Depressing Hotel Stay Ever
It must be true. Your choice of hotel mirrors your station in life. Take for example this celebrity couple on the brink of divorce.
Ashton Kutcher most likely ended his marriage to Demi Moore with a groupie sex fling at at the Hard Rock in San Diego, a notorious party hotel. Meanwhile, Demi sought solace from the sex scandal in the loving arms of the refined Crosby Street Hotel in Soho.
Star Magazine managed to bribe get a staffer to divulge the details of Demi's stay and it's super sad.
She didn't have any visitors, including room service or maid service during her stay, a hotel insider reveals. And she was never spotted outside her room except for when she left to appear on Good Morning America and to attend the premiere of her upcoming film, Five, on September 26.
Cheap Eats Near Swank Suites / Manhattan Hotels / Brian Silverman / → All Tags
Where to Eat Cheap When Staying at The Crosby Street Hotel
This week's special series is for the people who feel guilty about splurging on their hotel room in NYC and are looking for ways to trim other travel costs, like eating out. Thanks to Brian Silverman, the adventurous eater at Fried Neck Bones, and author of the Frommer's New York City Travel Guide, we've got affordable alternatives to the fancy hotel restaurants downstairs. And you won't have to walk more than a few blocks. Naturally, we're calling it Cheap Eats Near Your Swank Suite. Of course, this series also works for people who like to mix fancy hotel suites with cheap eats...just because. Bon appétit!
The daily overnight admission to a room at the Crosby Street Hotel (79 Crosby St, between Spring and Prince Streets) will most likely set you back more than $500, depending on the day and season, while a suite might cost you at least three times that. But there’s a reason those who have the means fill the vibrant hotel’s rooms.
Staying in the rarefied real estate of SoHo is one; the views from the warehouse-sized windows another. The possibility of watching a movie in the hotel’s own screening room might be fun while afternoon tea in the drawing room unique for SoHo, if afternoon tea is your thing.
Manhattan Hotels / Andre Balazs / Hotel Employees / → All Tags
The Mercer Hotel Recollects The September 11 Attacks
The view downtown from Soho, without the Twin Towers of course
This weekend is not like other weekends. Why? Because it's the tenth anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001 and that means everything from heightened terror alerts to large memorial services to front page news around the world. As New York prepares, the personal tales of those who survived the World Trade Center are being re-told, and it's important to remember that it wasn't just the towers that fell, but also surrounding buildings such as the Marriott World Trade Center.
With lower Manhattan crippled and locals evacuated from their homes, hotels outside of Ground Zero rose to the occasion, helping with accommodations, supplies and even toiletries, as we've learned from the personal recollections of a concierge at The Mercer Hotel.
Hotel Openings / Manhattan Hotels / Cheap Hotels / SRO Hotels / → All Tags
Live Out Your Flophouse Fantasies At The Bowery House
With so many hotel delays clogging up the system these days, it's easy to forget the ones that quietly open without any fuss at all. New York Mag takes a look at the Bowery House, a converted 1940s Single Room Occupancy (SRO) building with single-, twin-, and full-size cabins available.
Funny timing, considering the parallel buzz surrounding the Nolitan, which opens today just three blocks away. But then again, we're talking apples and oranges. Whereas a single room at the Nolitan goes for $305 a night, rates at the Bowery House start at a reasonable $59. Very reasonable.
Sneak Peek / Hotel Openings / Manhattan Hotels / Hotel Skateboards / Photo Gallery / → All Tags
Guests Will Cruise Around Nolita On Their Nolitan-Branded Skateboards
It's finally finished. Almost. The Nolitan opens next Monday to guests—though as of Thursday, many of its rooms were still wrapped in plastic, pending the installation of some straggler glass shower stall doors. Boy, these guys really like to cut it close.
First things first: yes, that newspaper we showed you on Friday is the hotel's classy new brochure. And though we find the whole thing a little contrived (headlines read: free wifi! cheap minibars! yoga mats!), we have to admit, there is also something badass about a hotel touting its own fabulousness in the pages of a self-published newspaper.
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