The Old Rules Have Changed at the New Bowery Hotel

By Nicholas Kontis

On a cold, blustery New York winter’s day, I arrived tired and jet-lagged at a true East Village classic — the Bowery Hotel. It was my home for the next three nights.

A nondescript brick building, The Bowery Hotel is the polar opposite of chain hotels, like those you might find in Times Square. Its 17 stories perfectly fit its historically notorious Bowery confines.

I have always been captivated by the location where SoHo, Chinatown, Little Italy, and the Bowery intertwine in the Bohemian East Village. It wasn’t so long ago that this quarter was a “skid row,” a home to vagabonds, punk rockers, iconoclastic beatniks, painters, poets, and rule-breakers as far back as the ’60s.

Today it is favored by artists and musicians, foodies, and hipsters alike. The vibrant Bowery neighborhood is home to hip new restaurants and bars, boutique clothing shops, and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

The hotel’s opening in 2007 coincided with this new chapter in the life of its namesake neighborhood.

The Modern Bowery

Spiffy doormen offer the first of many classic, Old World touches. They are dressed to the nines in the hotel’s stately red-and-black suits and bowler hats, like something from the Roaring ’20s. Upon check-in, new arrivals are given heavy metal room keys linked to lavish, oversized red tassels, in keeping with the hotel’s stylish theme and Moorish motif.

The hospitality dream team of Eric Goode and Sean MacPherson have created a hip and soothing Aladdin-like vibe in the Bowery Hotel. It seems a magic-carpet ride away from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan’s busy streets. Moorish arches and elaborate, textured Venetian ceilings highlight the massive and eclectically adorned lounge.

Some walls feature tapestries or colorful Moroccan tiles or big-game antlers on dark-wood paneling. A wraparound mural depicts life in 19th Century New York.

Cozy upholstered chairs, posh sofas, and potted palms create a warm atmosphere, and in the evening, a fireplace illuminates the humongous space. Guests may enjoy cocktails, coffee, tea, or light snacks as they chat or peruse a newspaper from the antique wooden racks.

Home Suite Home

My spacious suite is only slightly smaller than a friend’s Manhattan apartment. Added touches that make it feel more like a homestay than a hotel. A well-stocked minibar is like a corner market with its selection of healthy snacks. And I’m delighted to find a roommate waiting atop my bed: the hotel’s mascot teddy bear.

Goode and Macpherson are transforming how guests think of a hotel stay. As travelers themselves, they considered what guests would want in a room … and as a result, they’ve hit it out of the park with style and comfort.

This place is straight out of Architectural Digest. The plantation-like shuttered windows open from the marble bathroom into the expansive living room, which continues to a terrace deck big enough to host a small party. Luscious, oversized beds are covered by luxuriant 400-thread-count custom sheets, further accented by giant velvet headboards.

Loft-like, floor-to-ceiling factory windows open to majestic Manhattan views. Bathrooms are dressed in white, complete with railroad tiles, updated with rain showerheads and signature Bowery bathrobes. Turkish Oushak rugs on hardwood floors convey a sense of familiarity.

Lace adorns the mohair-upholstered chairs. Each room comes with an extensive library of DVDs; iPod stereos are at your disposal to play your favorite tunes; and high-definition televisions complete the home-like mood.

The overall result is sophisticated and stylish, where small touches matter. That’s reflected even in the three cookies left bedside when I return to my room after turndown. Indeed, Goode and Macpherson have created a labor of love, complete with works of noted international photographers.

Time for Dinner

Adjoining the Bowery’s ground floor is the Gemma restaurant, an Italian trattoria. In the words of New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni, “Gemma has an unlabored panache that makes an evening go down very easy.”

Executive chef Andrea Taormina pairs rustic seasonal cuisine with an extensive wine list. The vintage décor includes wood-beamed ceilings above candle-lit rooms, jam-packed with New York allure.

The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, along with a weekend brunch. It caters to a discerning, lively crowd in a casual setting filled with character features — such as glazed tiles rescued from an old Con Edison building, and classic oil paintings of various faces lining other walls.

The Bowery’s doormen lend bikes to guests to explore the periphery of its maverick confines. And the staff listen attentively. No sooner had I tweeted that I had forgotten my toothbrush than I received a knock at the door: “Mr. Kontis, your new toothbrush.”

Now, this is a lifestyle that I could get used to. The stylish Bowery Hotel can pamper me anytime.