The Bowery Hotel

From the outside it’s clear enough that the Bowery Hotel is a relatively recent addition to the neighborhood, but what’s inside is such a faithful homage to classic New York you’d be forgiven for starting to think it’s been here forever. Its eclectic, bohemian look helped usher in a new kind of romance in boutique-hotel style, and the timelessness of its aesthetic means the romance is still fresh long after the glossy minimalism of some of its contemporaries has begun to fade.

The rooms are inspired by an imaginary prewar Manhattan apartment, with furniture and design elements sourced from all over the world, many of them vintage or salvaged. With cast-iron frames on the full-length windows, patterned rugs on the hardwood floors, and beautiful weathered brass fixtures in the marble-and-tile bathrooms, the Bowery’s visual style is a distinctive and memorable one.

Gemma, the Bowery Hotel’s trattoria, is a neighborhood fixture, and for good reason, thanks to its confidently executed modern-classic Italian fare and its warm and convivial atmosphere. And the Bowery’s lobby bar is much more than an ordinary hotel lounge — with its warren of armchairs and sofas and its typically stylish clientele it’s one of downtown Manhattan’s most desirable spaces.