• First luxury, urban resort in Manhattan’s meatpacker district.
• Signature restaurant and rooftop cocktail bar.
• Rooftop pool area.
• Sophisticated yet minimalist guest rooms.
The Whole Story
Too much is never enough. If this is your mantra, then Gansevoort is your hotel. Bigger than all the other buildings in the Meatpacking District, and often accused of not fitting in architecturally, it certainly does fit in with regard to the main reason most people come to this part of town; namely to eat and drink. With all the different bars and lounges on the roof, the heavily booked new age Japanese restaurant Ono on the ground floor, the bamboo pavilion Chinese-inspired bar, and the day spa that turns into a subterranean lounge after hours, there’s no shortage of adult entertainment on offer at the Gansevoort. The elevator to the rooftop must log more miles each night than a yellow cab during rush hour. With a big swimming pool and a view of the setting sun over the Hudson River, it’s not hard to understand why. This is a very Manhattan kind of bar, the kind of place you might expect to pop up in the next Woody Allen film. With four separate and different lounges, both inside and out, covering 5,000 square feet of glass enclosed space surrounded by the skyline of Manhattan, the Gansevoort has so thoroughly put its stamp on the idea of a rooftop playground that it has made it the signature of its expansion plans. The soon to open Gansevoort in Miami and Las Vegas are also planned around vast rooftop entertaining areas. The advantage for overnight guests is clear – you don’t have far to travel to be part of the action. Just step in the lift, press PH for the roof, L for the lobby or B for the basement. The Gansevoort is not just a ‘scene’ but a collection of scenes. You don’t ever need to venture out of the building to enjoy the hedonistic energy of Manhattan. Even the uniforms of the bar staff have been coordinated to go with the nightlife. Cocktail waitresses on the roof wear clinging black and large Jackie O style sunglasses, and in the bamboo bar next to Ono the outfits are shiny satin tops in Chinese red, white hot pants and big boots. By contrast, considering for instance the enormous paintings of Yakuza tattoos in the restaurant, the rooms themselves seem quite sedate. Decorated in shades of grey, with tasteful but not particularly inventive contemporary furniture, they are almost corporate in their avoidance of anything too risqué, trendy or avant-garde, but perhaps that was the intent – to provide a restrained repose from all the frantic partying going on in the rest of the hotel. In any case, the average guest probably wouldn’t even notice when they collapse on their bed, half dressed, fully tanked. If you have lots of work to do in New York and you want room service and early morning starts, the Gansevoort may not be for you. On the other hand, there is Hemmingway’s famous quip; “The true test of a man is the ability to work with a hangover”.
The Rooms
Superior Rooms –with lofty 9-foot ceilings, Queen beds, complimentary Wi-Fi and alarm clocks with iPod docking stations.
Deluxe Hotel Rooms – on lower floors, many with bay windowed seating nooks, step out balconiesand a choice of King, Queen & Double beds.
Gansvoort Suite – large King bedded rooms with separate seating areas, living rooms and bedrooms with step out balconies, Hudson River or Meatpacking District views, sofa beds, and an option for a second adjoining King bedded room.
Other room types are also available.