The New York City Hotel Down Low
[This is the first entry of a series by Kate, who gives her rundown of luxury New York City hotels.]
I have sampled most of New York’s best hotels. The luxury chains are as expected: the Four Seasons is generic; the Mandarin is quite nice (they usually are); and the Ritz Carlton is boring. But I must admit that some of my most memorable hotel experiences were at less well known places.
My favorite boutique hotel is The Hotel on Rivington (called THOR for short), a hidden gem in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The gritty neighborhood gives the hotel an added charm in that it detracts from your typical Park Avenue Princess lux-hotel hopper. Sometimes it’s nice to just get away.
An adventurous Upper East Side couple was seeking such a downtown getaway, and I was invited into the Owner’s Suite they had booked for a hedonistic evening. There is nothing quite as pleasing as entering a stunning hotel suite to be warmly greeted by an equally stunning woman (but that’s another story… *wink*).
As with most boutique hotels, the furnishings are impeccably chic. There is a nice mixture of warm lighting and postmodern embellishments. But I was most struck by the amazing view. In fact, you can’t miss it. The entire hotel building is encased with glass panels that offer every room with the most breathtaking views of Manhattan’s skyline.
The Owner’s Suite in particular has great amenities. The large space spans an entire floor with a loft-like feel, completely surrounding you with windowed “walls�?. There are all the electronic furnishings a techie like me desires: flat panel television, iPod speaker deck, and bedside room remote. The bathroom boasts of heated slate floors and a large Japanese soaking tub (big enough for two) and is surrounded with glass encasing — it’s interesting to bathe in a glass box, just don’t be shy!
A nice compliment to the hotel is the excellent THOR restaurant adjacent to the lobby, a hip place to dine.
I’ve stayed at THOR on several other occasions since my first memorable visit, and I always recommend it to friends visiting New York. Just don’t spread the word too much — I like keeping my favorite Manhattan getaway a bit of a secret.
The Hotel on Rivington
A: 107 Rivington Street, New York, NY
T: +1 212.475.2600
W: www.hotelonrivington.com