The Style Group’s Top Luxury Hotels of New York
The Soho Grand Hotel
310 West Broadway
New York, New York 10010
Grand Corner King Room

 

  

  The cab driver can’t understand why I’m leaving one hotel only to go
to another, so when I tell him we’re heading to what would actually be
my sixth New York hotel in two weeks, his head swivels around and he
just has to have the whole story. I hand him my business card and say, “Here, check out my website—you’ll see what it is I do.”

He screeches his creaky cab to a stop in front of the industrial-looking building with the Soho Grand Hotel logo. “So, this is one of the best
hotels in New York?” he asks. I tell him he’ll have to read my review
to find out. Just then, a team of like-attired young men descends upon us offering assistance. “Welcome to the Soho Grand Hotel.” “Checking in?” “Need some help with your luggage?” One of them swings open the
tall doors to reveal a scene out of Blade Runner—a two-story distressed-metal
lobby with a unique iron and bottle-glass stairway. It feels more Peter Lindbergh,
less David LaChapelle. 		 
 


You may have read about this place in the Hip Hotels book, and it is just that. This is not your mother’s luxury hotel—its hard-floor surfaces would be unfriendly to her varicose veins, and there’s a gaggle of young guests chatting their way through the lobby two decibels louder than at the typical luxury property. If the soundtrack to your conventional luxury hotel is lounge, this one moves more to a lounge-techno-house track.
I check in and plop myself on a cushy chair-and-a-half in the Grand Bar and Lounge and, like a tire with a slow leak, deflate deep into the soft down. Given the right lighting, I’d be snoring in about 45 seconds. The Grand Lounge, as they call it, is a comfortable and cool place to be seen at night. What that means is someone like me probably wouldn’t be let in past the velvet ropes unless of course, like tonight, I was staying here.

The lobby, which includes the Grand Bar and Lounge and reception area, sits on about 10,000
square feet. Designed by Bill Sofield, who’s known for designing a few of Tom Ford’s retail spaces,
 
 

the lounge has been effectively divided by earth-toned couch groupings anchored by 16 gigantic lamps. An attractive server smiles brightly and places a one-sheet menu on the large square coffee table/ottoman before me. “May I have the risotto with mushrooms and parmesan broth…oh, and an Arnold Palmer, please.”

I step to the front desk and try to snag an impromptu meeting with Ian Nicholson, general manager
of both the Soho Grand and Tribeca Grand hotels. “No, he’s not in right now,” is the response, so I retreat to my comfy seat in the lounge. For the next couple of hours I attempt to get a face-to-face with Ian. It’s like trying to see the Pope. From what I gather from the front-desk manager, he’s “in meetings” (with bigger names than me, no doubt). I’m tempted to pull out my “I’m here doing a
review” card, but don’t. And never have. Really.

I can’t help but eavesdrop on a nearby conversation. They’re conducting a focus group study for Conde Nast’s Cargo magazine, talking about various places to live in the city. I’m a novice to New York’s nice and not-so-nice areas—a subway virgin with, frankly, no intention of going there. For
me, that would just be a derailment waiting to happen. I’d miss my stop and end up in Hoboken encircled by a gang (I’m not sure why I’m referencing Hoboken; I don’t even know where it is). The woman next to me is Ashley, a cute temp who’s been hired to welcome the ‘focused’ and send
them up to the room to be grilled. Meanwhile, she’s the focus of as many men coming up and
offering her a drink as have been hired for Cargo’s study group.

The Gallery, a small, casual dining room that accommodates about 75, is featuring a brilliant exhibition of Nat Finkelstein’s black-and-white photographs from the 60s. Over a period of three years, Finkelstein created iconic images of Andy Warhol and his Factory that document this significant ‘15 minutes’ in American pop history. Photos of Donovan, Warhol, Timothy Leary, Allen Ginsberg, Elvis and others who shaped the 60s—and, of course, the women: the Chelsea Girls,
Edie Sedgwick, more.

I call Finkelstein at the number posted on the wall. His machine picks up and I leave a message.
Five minutes later my cell rings. “Hi…this is Elizabeth Finkelstein, Nat’s wife. You just called?” I’m thinking in my head, ‘Elizabeth, do you believe in serendipity? Could this be the real reason I’m
here reviewing the Soho Grand—so I can get to meet you and Nat?’

 
 

 
I explain I’m working on a piece for a fashion magazine called Genlux out of Beverly Hills, and would like to feature Nat to tie into the 60s theme for our Fall Fashion issue. Elizabeth cuts in, “Let me put Nat on the phone. Would you like to speak with him?” Yes, of course, I respond. We set a meeting for Thursday, right here at the Soho Grand. I’m elated. Interestingly enough, one of the reasons, Nat states in his gruff Brooklyn tone, for meeting at the Soho Grand is that “the waitresses there are so cute.” Did I mention that Nat is a sprightly 72?

Similar dialogues abound at the Soho Grand—movers and shakers setting up projects and deals
and shoots and interviews and model go-sees. Everyone is young…well, under 40—and I feel excited to be here, like I’m in the New York mix. I decide to ride the elevator for a little focus group study of my own. Between floors, I speak to everyone I can about the hotel: What do you like about it? It’s cool. Great location. The design. Where are you from? Dallas. San Francisco. New York. Canada. How many times have you been here? Once. Twice. Many. There seems to be a magical affinity among the guests, almost as if, just because we’re staying at such a hip hotel, we share a common bond of coolness.

My risotto arrives, and it’s wonderfully rich and creamy! Cecilia and Jenny stop over and no, I’m not sharing—get your own. But I do announce that it’s so good they must have the same. The Soho Grand is a luxury hotel with a modern sensibility. It calls itself a ‘luxury boutique hotel,’ and although it has way too many rooms—more than 350—to be considered a boutique, it feels like one. The service is great. The staff is, if not extremely helpful, at least gorgeous. And the Soho district is very fashionable, quaint, safe, and easy to walk around in. There are even some clock-stopping brick-paved streets nearby.

The Soho Grand has a unique amenity worth mentioning. You can pour your own café mocha or other coffee drink from the convenient coffee maker near the ice machine on every floor. You can have it small, medium or large; with or without chocolate; mild, medium or strong; and full, 50/50
or decaf. I’d switched to green tea over the last few months, but the idea of having an iced café mocha from just down the hall is way too tempting. I have four the first day (PS: I’m back at home and back on green tea).
   
 

Lori DeBlois walks up and introduces herself. She’s a cute, cherub-faced woman with a cheerful disposition. She helped set up this review and promised to put in a good word to Mama Nature, knowing how much I hate humidity. It worked. As I write this, it’s 94 degrees, I hear the cracking of thunder in the distance, and I understand flood-advisory warnings are in effect throughout the city.
So much for connections. Lori has called the Soho Grand home for the last five years. She gives me a quick tour of The Yard—the hotel’s nice new outside patio. It has a lawn and barbeque and bar and party area: perfect for an office barbeque party/event. Do you have any idea how luxurious it is to have a yard in New York? Lori also lets me know that I have an interview set up with Ian for tomorrow at the Soho Grand’s sister property, the Tribeca Grand.

The Room: B+
I slide my key card and pop open the door to a room that the front desk claims is the largest on the property…well, except for the two huge ‘lofts’ which, to be honest, I’m a little annoyed not to be staying in. They’re both occupied. By New York standards, this room is large. It has a creative vibe about it. It is one open rectangular space with no foyer. I fiddle with the Sony surround-sound stereo and it starts up, playing a spacey track by Ursula 1000. The Ursadelica CD is genius, and, fortunately for me, available for sale through the hotel. I can bring it back to LA and amaze my friends with my musical prowess at seeking and finding the latest cutting-edge tracks. There’s a stack of other CDs deemed by the management to define the musical sensibilities of the hotel’s typical guests: Modern. Hip. Eclectic.

     
 

I call down to the Concierge with a “problem” scenario to check personnel response. I request the hotel’s SMTP information to set the outgoing server option on my email. I can’t seem to “send out” and need their ISP info. The operator quickly jumps off the phone and connects me to their IT guy who, before I can tell him just to give me the info over the phone, tells me he’ll be right up. Within minutes, he’s at the door. Reponse time: 2:14 minutes. Hmmm. Not bad.

The Bathroom: B
Our bathroom is two tads shy of The Style Group’s luxury standards. It’s small, and though modern
and clean, the tub and shower are not separate. The tub isn’t quite large enough for soaking, and there’s a shower curtain (and you know how we feel about those). On the upside: The modern
industrial design is consistent with the rest of the hotel, the floor is handsomely tiled, and the bathroom fixtures are also fairly nice.
The towels and robe are cushy and definitely Style Group–worthy.

The view of the city is great from the upper floors, and the bed is
firm and comfortable with high thread-count luxury linens. A small desk is just right for my Powerbook, and Internet access is
available for a small charge. The chair for the desk is lower than standard height, and on two occasions I shock my senses when
I drop further than anticipated. One of those Aerons would go perfectly here.

In the design/style department, the Soho Grand is a wonderful amalgam of textures: hard and soft, rough and smooth, metal and glass. More Surface and Wallpaper than Architectural Digest.
   
   
 

Bare Edison-style bulbs illuminate many parts of the hotel, adding an artsy ‘downtown’ perception.
In fact, the whole Soho Grand design can be summed up as Industrial Chic meets Modern Sophistication. Enough about the room: at a hotel like this, the point is to be out with the peeps, taking in the city. Let’s go.

The Restaurant: A-
I pop downstairs for dinner at 9 (didn’t call for a reservation), and the lobby is swarming with people. Buzzzzing! At night, this place is really electric. I can’t even get a seat in the comfy Grand Lounge, though I’m told I can wait in the bar until something opens up. The bar is practically filled too. After about 15 minutes I finally opt for the quieter confines of the dining room, where fewer folk—mostly families—hang, and there’s no waiting for a seat. Other than the great Finkelstein photos, the vibe
in this room is rather stark and it feels ‘away from the action’ like we’re on the wrong side of the
velvet ropes. When you come here for dinner, I suggest you wait for a seat in the Grand Lounge.
Though not a fine-dining experience, the food at the Soho Grand is really, really tasty. For starters,
I have a delicious opener, the Terrine of Foie Gras, raisin-walnut toast & huckleberry-port jam (excellent and a good-sized portion!), and for my entrée, the grilled Alaskan King Salmon (moist,
firm and cooked to perfection!). At around 10 a DJ starts spinning in the Living Room and I realize why the place is filled. The Soho Grand’s musical proficiency makes it one of the more fashionable nightspots in New York.

 
  And finally…
The Soho Grand Hotel makes it into our Top 10 list for many reasons, not least of which is its cool, sophisticated vibe. The
place oozes hip and trendy. My advice is to go for the lofts. You’ll feel right a home in the Grand Lounge and enjoy the tasty treats offered there (especially breakfast!). The extremely friendly and gorgeous and gracious staff will make you feel at home. Come
back again and they’ll remember (or at least their databases will) your likes and dislikes and structure your accommodations accordingly. To our inquisitive cab driver: yes, this is one of
The Style Group’s Top Ten Luxury Hotels in New York.
 


Stephen Kamifuji
Style Director