Gansevoort Meatpacking ★★★★

In a city as chic and synonymous with style as New York, glamorised in the images we see every day on the TV and in the movies, perhaps ‘Gansevoort Meatpacking’ is not the most exotic and alluring name around, almost sounding more like a butcher than a luxury hotel. But don’t be fooled! The Meatpacking District may not have always been such a desirable neighbourhood, taking its name from the slaughterhouses and packing plants that dominated its streets. However, about twenty years ago, it rose like a phoenix from the ashes of its derelict industrial streets, in New York’s best rags to riches story since Annie. It suddenly housed fashionable boutiques and became a playground for New York’s affluent, stylish youth, eventually being named as the New York Times’s most trendy neighbourhood in NYC. The Gansevoort Meatpacking Hotel, therefore, is in fact a name synonymous with the ‘edgy chic’ of modern New York City, a destination for the most stylish and savvy New Yorkers. The hotel claims to offer ‘downtown drama infused with uptown luxury’, an assertion that it certainly backs up with its lively vibe and stunningly designed comfort.

If you think, like I did, that the television and movies have prepared you for the New York experience, then think again. The big screen cannot convey the sense of awe you feel as you crane your neck to stare up at Manhattan’s iconic skyscrapers, or the excitement in the air as hordes of people busily bustle their way through the bright lights of Times Square, or the scale and seclusion of Central Park, the world’s finest urban oasis. Even those of you who are seasoned veterans, with numerous visits to the Big Apple under your belt, will not have seen anything quite like the Gansevoort Meatpacking Hotel.

It is fourteen storeys of design perfection, created by the prestigious Stephen B. Jacobs and Andi Pepper. I arrived in the evening and found the entrance way subtly and invitingly illuminated in an elegant shade of magenta, a colour screaming out sophistication, style and glamour. This splash of colour is a recurring theme – from the headboard of my bed to the candle holders in the bar, from the cushions to the lighting in the club and café, this little touch makes the design flow smoothly and seamlessly as you make your way through the entrance and the gorgeous lobby, up to your luxurious room, and even on towards the bars and entertainment of the upper floors. Aside from the colour scheme, which also utilises simple shades and contrasts of black and white, the atmosphere of glamour is also enhanced by the warm lighting, plush furnishings, high ceilings, spacious rooms, abundance of glass and large, fashion-shoot-style photographs.

All of this is what makes the Gansevoort Meatpacking such a magnet for social activity among the high flyers and beautiful people. The upper floors play home to the Provocateur Nightclub & Café: the club is a chic, glitzy environment to dance to the sounds of world renowned DJs, or sip on a delicious cocktail in a seductive atmosphere; whereas the café is an exclusive, dollhouse-themed space to sip on a drink in prestigious company, in an urban garden underneath a glass roof. Come nightfall, both attract the best looking people from the City That Never Sleeps, lending the hotel a reputation as one of the places to be seen, even if (like me) you decide to forgo the nightlife to make the most of the bedrooms.

These rooms are as irresistible as the other spaces throughout the fourteen floors. My Grand Deluxe bedroom was decorated in the refined, fashionable manner that you would expect, with large prints on the walls, an elegantly simple combination of fuchsia and white, and a stunning view over the Hudson from my balcony. Along with a luxurious bathroom, high-quality complimentary toiletries, well-stocked minibar, bathrobe and slippers, climate control and huge TV, I was treated to an incredible sound system, perfect for blasting out a bit of Sinatra. This was a supremely comfortable space to get an early night, falling asleep to the words “I want to wake up in a city that doesn’t sleep, and find I’m king of the hill, top of the heap”…

This was exactly how I did wake up, the view from my room towering above the river making me feel on top of the world. After a sumptuous breakfast at The Chester restaurant (which also serves delicious dinners and lunches in an elegantly rustic room, illuminated by enormous windows and crystal chandeliers), and a relaxing visit to the superb spa, it was time to head to the top floor. You see, missing out on the nightlife the previous evening in no way meant I could not enjoy the hotel’s entertainment. To feel even more ‘on top of the heap’, the rooftop Plunge Bar & Lounge is sheer perfection. Food, cocktails, breath-taking views and the same cosmopolitan, classy atmosphere make it a lovely place to kick back during the days. The icing (or should I say the frosting) on the cake is the swimming pool. I felt like I was really living the high life as I cooled off in the pool and surveyed Manhattan extending out beneath me, thinking of all the things down there to see and do, if I could only find the motivation to step out of my glamorous urban paradise…