The Roxy Hotel New York

Tribeca is one of Manhattan’s oddest blends, a district mixing the arty downtown cool of Soho with the big-money sheen of the financial district, the spot where 19th-century cobblestones meet sleek industrial architecture, with a dash of bright light courtesy of the sun going down over the Hudson (not to mention several of New York’s best restaurants). Perfectly exemplifying this blend of high gloss and arty edge is the Roxy Hotel New York.

Downtown funk comes in the form of the brick and iron facade, and that natural light can’t fail to penetrate the wide glass roof of the eight-story atrium, making most other New York hotels feel gloomy and claustrophobic by comparison. Far from huge, though large enough by New York standards, rooms are organized around the atrium, each exquisitely designed and hyper-modern, yet authentically calming. High-speed internet and a work desk ensure you’ll get your work done. No shortage of luxuries, either, including Frette linens and robes and a selection of Five Wits bath products, which you’ll surely feel tempted to liberate.

Then again, with in-house Blackstone's Salon working its magic, perhaps you won't need to, and you won't feel troubled about snagging your morning zip, either, with fair-trade forerunner Jack's Stir Brew Coffee right in the lobby. Also in the lobby: the Roxy Lounge, an intimate, conversational space by day and bustling hub by night, intensely fashionable in the way only a few places in New York can be at one particular moment, with the kitchen open late enough to have saved many a carouser’s or jet-lagged guest’s life. Mixology and small plates define the cellar experience at the Django, complete with a performance schedule worthy of the name, while cinema buffs can get their fix at the hotel's own cinema, which screens both local favorites and indie productions from around the world.

Noise-damping technology ensures the sounds of revelry from below won’t intrude on your sleep time, and there’s something to be said for the short trip from hot nightspot to hotel room, not to mention the Sunday Brunch, which runs to four in the afternoon in consideration of the hardy souls who stayed up to see the bar close at the only-in-New-York hour of four in the morning.