There once was a time when you would have been hard-pressed to find a cool, luxurious hotel to lay your weary head between Midtown and the Financial District in Manhattan. It was like a big inhospitable crater. Those days are long over, as a plethora of properties in the East Village, Greenwich Village, SoHo, the Lower East Side and Tribeca have flicked on their lights in the last decade, catering to art-obsessed, fashion-frenzied, dining-devout and nightlife-enthusiastic travelers.
Sleek and chic design-forward hotels, often from the minds of some of the world’s best architects, are now beacons of downtown Manhattan hospitality, blending world-class comfort with amenities geared for the hip and the happening. Think: rooms bedecked by the works of local artists, in-house cutting-edge restaurants, trendy rooftop bars shaking up well-executed cocktails and Persian-rug-clad lobbies that invite you to linger a while where you might be lounging next to your favorite fashion designer, rock star, actor or YouTuber.
Housed in a 1912 neo-Renaissance bank building in the murky terrain between Chinatown, the Lower East Side and the Big Apple’s newest unofficial neighborhood, the hipster-laden Dimes Square, Nine Orchard is a 12-floor, marble-clad temple to hospitality. The 113 rooms in this Two-MICHELIN-Key property have custom-made bed frames, Mid-Century Modern design vibes, and Bluetooth speakers that can tap into your phone or one of four hotel stations with New York-themed music curated by DJ Stretch Armstrong. The ground-floor cocktail bar, the Swan Room, boasts soaring marble ceilings and well-executed libations.
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European tourists flock to the Soho Grand, located in the southeastern swath of the neighborhood, making it easily accessible to the boutiques of Nolita, the restaurants of Chinatown and the bars and galleries of the Lower East Side. The 355 industrial chic guest rooms feature plus-sized windows, leather headboard beds and artsy wallpaper. The in-house Grand Bar is lively nearly every night of the week with locals and visitors alike and the Club Room is New York nightlife at its most glamorously out-of-control.
A favorite spot for visiting celebrities to lay their paparazzi-weary heads at night — as well as too-cool-for-school West Coasters and European tourists — the hyper fashionable Mercer is anchored on the corner of Prince and Mercer Streets in a late 19th-century building originally erected by the Astor family (unofficial royalty of Old New York). The 73 spacious, high-ceilinged, loft-like guest rooms in the landmark Romanesque Revival building are designed to feel like downtown Manhattan residences, with exposed brick walls, oversized beds, complimentary minibars and Dyson hair dryers. There’s no sign outside this One-MICHELIN-Key hotel. If you know, you know…
Liveried doormen greet you the second you step towards the door at this ultra-luxurious, Three-MICHELIN-Key property. Situated on the very southern tip of Manhattan near the ferry terminals to Staten Island and Governors Island, Casa Cipriani is housed in the landmark, early 20th-century Beaux Arts Battery Maritime Building. The 47 rooms have Art Deco light fixtures, made-in-Italy mahogany furniture, Lavazza coffee makers and marble showers. The well-dressed guests even get to choose between Italian linen or cotton sheets. The in-house eatery, bedecked to resemble a French ocean liner from the 1930s, serves up classics from Harry’s Bar in Venice. And the house car, a Lincoln Navigator SUV, offers complimentary one-way shuttles from the hotel to anywhere below Houston Street in lower Manhattan.
Opened in Autumn 2024, Soho's Manner hotel is brought to you by the folks behind the hipper-than-thou Standard Hotels. This smaller property, lodged mid-block in the heart of Soho, is a much more intimate version of the bigger sister properties. Rooms are minimalist with bare but colorfully painted walls and no televisions — by design. Instead, rooms and public spaces are strewn with books about music, art and New York City. The second-floor, guests-only lounge is open any time but between 4 and 7pm and there’s a daily aperitivo hour with complimentary snacks and wine.
It’s impossible to ignore ModernHaus SoHo. With its Bauhaus-esque design, this 18-floor property stands out (and above) the iconic cast-iron structures that define the physical aesthetics of Soho. The owner is a passionate private collector of works by modern artist Alexander Calder, and many of the prints and paintings have made their way into the 114 wood-floored, bigger-than-average rooms and suites here. Views from nearly every room are show-stopping, but even better from the rooftop cocktail bar, Jimmy, where there is also a swimming pool.
The sleek, giant sail-like 21-story property, looking like it was plucked from the Dubai skyline and planted in the hip East Village, is perfectly positioned to take advantage of Lower Manhattan’s renowned after-dark revelry. And when it's time to return to the hotel, the in-house No Bar will just be getting warmed up with live DJs. The 145 rooms and suites have wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling windows for maximum city skyline views and soft Italian linens ensure a pleasant night’s sleep.
Once you see the rooftop swimming pool of SIXTY LES, bearing the image of Andy Warhol on the base of the pool, you’ll immediately get the vibe of this 137-room hotel in the heart of the bar-and-gallery-strewn Lower East Side. Opened in 2008, the hotel was one of the first hip properties to flick on its lights in this once-gritty, now fashionable downtown neighborhood. Rooms are sleek, with floor-to-ceiling windows and black-mirrored walls, plus walk-in slate showers. The rooftop cocktail bar, Make Believe, and the ground-floor Blue Ribbon Sushi Izakaya, tempts guests to spend time ensconced in the warm embrace of this fashionable hotel.
The lobby of this Lower East Side One-Key hotel is sprinkled with plush couches, quirky art on the brick walls and a working fireplace, inviting guests — both book-and-laptop wielding locals and guests alike — to stay awhile. That’s not all. The industrial-chic hotel, which attracts a disproportionate clientele from the music and fashion industries, features art from neighborhood galleries in its 175 guest rooms, bathtubs with city views, and colorful Missoni couches in suites. The in-house eatery is the always-packed Dirty French — from the restaurant group that brought you Torrisi and Carbone.
One of the first chic and sleek hotels to fling open its doors on the once-derelict, now-fashionable Bowery, this 12-story, 135-room hotel features a comfy couch-and-antique strewn lobby with an enormous fireplace that invites guests to linger — plus a quasi-hidden bar for a quiet cocktail. Rooms are bedecked with Persian rugs, hardwood floors, and soft king-size beds. The in-house restaurant, Gemma, serves up rustic Italian fare.
Located on the southern end of the Bowery in Chinatown, this sleek, 229-room property is ideally located to take advantage of downtown Manhattan diversions, such as some of the city’s best restaurants, bars and shopping. Guest rooms have oak floors, plus-sized windows for enticing views and bathrooms with subway tiles and rainfall showerheads. The rooftop bar, located on the 21st floor, offers creative cocktails and views over the Chinatown and Little Italy roofs.
In a neighborhood practically synonymous with Robert De Niro, Tribeca’s Greenwich Hotel is the ideal place to check in — since the legendary actor is one of the owners. Regardless, this impeccable 88-room One-MICHELIN-Key hotel is a luxurious oasis. The in-house Locanda Verde, run by famed chef Andrew Carmellini, attracts both foodies and the see-and-be-seen crowd for its rustic-meets-sophisticated Italian fare. Each guest room is unique, but expect comped minibar snacks and bottled sparkling water, Siberian oak floors, and Persian rugs in the more-spacious-than-average rooms. Staff members undergo butler training, so service is outstanding.
This Paris-based hotel brand’s New York City outpost is as luxurious and comfortable as you’d expect. The 97 Art Deco-bedecked, pastel-clad guest rooms feature Bluetooth speakers, king-size beds, chandeliers, ultra-high thread count linens and beauty products by Diptyque. An in-house brasserie channels classic Parisian fare under the guidance of legendary chef Pierre Gagnaire. The loyal clientele here are generally of the more mature, well-off set who take advantage of TriBeCa’s tranquil urban atmosphere.
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This Lower East Side spot was born out of a dream-team collaboration between lauded Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, hip hotelier Ian Schrager and celebrated Peruvian chef Diego Muñoz, whose ground-floor restaurant serves up creative takes on Peruvian fare. The 367 rooms are Manhattan-small, but smart and comfortable, with hardwood floors, low-rise mattresses, Bluetooth speakers, floor-to-ceiling windows and remote-controlled blackout shades. The hip, artsy guests flock to the sleek rooftop bar for well-executed cocktails and panoramic views of the city.
