Despite being such a compact neighborhood, the Meatpacking District is home to four of the city’s chicest boutique hotels. And with their glamorous rooftop bars, panoramic views of Manhattan, on-trend restaurants, fashion-forward decor, and pampering spas, these hotels are not for tourists only.
355 West 16th Street (between Eighth and Ninth Avenues)
Dream Downtown. Image: susanjanegolding/Flickr
Dream Downtown is one of the neighborhood’s two hotels located in buildings that formerly housed the National Maritime Union of America—and therefore is one of the neighborhood’s two hotels with round, porthole-style windows. (The other is the aptly named Maritime Hotel.) Handel Architects, which converted the 12-story building into a hotel, added even more round windows, some smaller, to the sloped 17th Street side of the structure and clad it in shimmering stainless steel. The 16th Street façade is also covered in stainless steel, though here it is perforated for a more textured effect.
As striking as Dream’s exterior is, its interior is easily as impressive. A metallic mosaic of Old Glory dominates one wall of the lobby’s lounge, which also features sofas and chairs perfect for sinking into as you indulge in a cocktail from the bar or a cappuccino from the barista station. Downstairs is another bar, the Electric Room, with a decided Cool Britannia theme. It’s the place to go if you want to sip extravagant cocktails and dance to pulsating tunes till four in the morning. Also downstairs, and more sedate, is Megu, which brings a modern vibe to traditional Japanese cuisine. Another of Dream’s restaurants, Bodega Negra, gives a similar treatment to Mexican cuisine, aided and abetted by some spectacular mezcal and tequila cocktails. The hotel describes the decor here as “Tudor hacienda”—though how the disco ball covered with 10,000 pennies plays into that theme is anyone’s guess.
Just above the main floor is a 5,000-square-foot deck dubbed the Beach, with a glass-bottom pool that looks down directly into the lobby. True to its name, the Beach has a section filled with sand, and chaises line the area. Though the Beach is exclusively for hotel guests, the PHD rooftop nightclub is open to all adults. Whether you sit on the terrace or at one of the leather banquettes in the glass-enclosed penthouse, you will have a spectacular view of the Manhattan skyline as you sip cocktails, treat yourself to champagne bottle service, and nibble on small plates. After 11 on most nights DJs help transform the space into a dance party.
18 Ninth Avenue (at 13th Street)
Hotel Gansevoort. Image: Shinya Suzuki/Flickr
Hotel Gansevoort also has a rooftop lounge, which is where you will find the hotel’s pool—hence the lounge’s name, Plunge. Though the pool, like that of Dream, is open only to guests, you do not need to be staying here to savor the panoramic views of Manhattan and the Hudson River from either the indoor banquettes or the balcony couches. During happy hour you can enjoy light bites and drinks; later in the evening the menu is somewhat more expansive, with a limited assortment of salads, mains, and small plates. With DJs at night and Plunge Pops—alcohol-infused frozen treats in varieties including Fruity Sangria and Orange Pinot Gris—on the menu, the ambience is one of a beach party year-round.
The lobby bar is more low-key, with a Deco-meets-diner-style pool table among the leather and velvet seating. Adjacent to the lobby is the Chester restaurant, whose decor references both Tuscan farmhouses and English private clubs; in warm weather you can tuck into its burgers, steaks, and salads alfresco on its vine-wrapped terrace.
The hotel’s Exhale gym and spa are also open to the general public. After your barre, cardio, or yoga class, soothe your muscles in the sauna or treat yourself to a massage or a facial. If you need to look your best immediately after your workout, book a blowout at the hotel’s outpost of the Glam & Go salon chain.
363 West 16th Street (at Ninth Avenue)
The Maritime Hotel.
Like Dream Downtown, the Maritime Hotel is housed in a former building of the National Maritime Union of America. The hotel embraces its origins with subtly nautical decor: pops of blue, red, and white; anchor-shape andirons in the fireplaces; lustrous wood paneling reminiscent of a luxury yacht; and of course those porthole-style windows.
The lobby strays a bit from the theme in that its ambience is more that of a private library. Order a drink from the bar, pluck a book from one of the shelves, and curl up in an armchair; in winter, you will want to opt for one by the fireplace. One of the hotel’s two restaurants, La Sirena, is just off the lobby. Italian for “the Mermaid,” La Sirena consists of a formal dining room and the more casual bar room. In the dining room you can opt for a three-course, fixed-price meal or order à la carte Italian dishes such as orecchiette with lamb sausage and fava beans and cacciucco alla livornese with red snapper and sweet-potato gnocchi. For lighter bites including meat and cheese plates, head to the bar room or even the lobby. During the warm weather La Sirena opens its 4,000-square-foot terrace. Located a story above street level, it enables you to add a helping of people-watching to your meal.
Downstairs is Tao Downtown, a lavishly decorated pan-Asian eatery and nightspot. In addition to the massive main dining area, it includes a sushi bar and several more-intimate areas eating and drinking areas. Tao also has a nightclub. Every bit as over-the-top in appearance as the restaurant, it is a favorite spot of night owls, including many a bold-faced name, for dancing and drinking into the wee hours.
848 Washington Street (between Little West 12th and West 13th Streets)
The pool in Le Bain, a nightclub in the Standard. Image: Gigi Altarejos/Wikimedia
The High Line courses below the Standard. Pillars support the hotel so that it appears to stand astride the park like a fairy-tale giant. As you would expect, the views from the hotel’s vantage point are exceptional, and the Standard offers numerous public areas where you can savor them. Perhaps the best, and most exclusive, spot is the rooftop bar and disco, Le Bain. Named for the triangular plunge pool that takes up part of the dance floor during the summer, this hot spot has tables, chaises, and banquettes atop artificial turf outdoors as well as tufted leather seating within the glass-walled penthouse. A rotating crew of DJs commandeer the decks on most evenings.
The rooftop is also home to Top of the Standard. Come here for afternoon tea, live jazz in the evening, oysters, caviar, small plates, and cocktails in Deco-inspired splendor. Another gathering spot is the lobby bar, the Living Room. Open from seven to four a.m., it serves breakfast pastries, all-day nibbles, hot drinks, and alcoholic beverages. Just outside is the Standard Plaza. In winter it is transformed into an ice-skating rink; after your stint on the ice treat yourself to hot cocoa (straight or spiked) and Alpine snacks from the rinkside café. During the warm-weather months the plaza hosts an array of art installations.
Below the main structure and the High Line, on street level, is the Standard Biergarten. Beer is, of course, on the menu, but so are schnapps, vodka cocktails, a variety of sausages, and apfelstrudel. In summer, when the festivities spread outside to the patio, you can sit at a long table with built-in taps. And anytime of year is a good one for playing ping-pong, foosball, or other games in its game room.
For a multicourse meals, head to the Standard Grill. This New American steakhouse consists of a formal restaurant and a bistro. Weekend brunch is a special treat, with a raw bar, pastries, charcuterie, frittatas, lobster rolls, and bowls of punch among the options.