Bryant Park Hotel

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Among the doormen dressed in black, who wear earphones, padded red leather walls and red-lacquered counters, it is clear from the outset that the is destined to be a fashionable place. The hotel's proximity to the Garment District makes it a popular choice for the international fashion industry - but not families. It's sexy, intimate feel inside an art decorated building makes the one of the most distinctive hotels in New York.



Rooms have white walls, black trim, eggplant carpeting and leather headboards and provide a decent amount of space (300 square feet, compared to most rooms near Times Square that I'm lucky to be 200!). There are two top-of-the-line, 700-square-foot Raymond Hood suites, which face north and south with terraces and have fantastic views of Bryant Park and the Empire State Building, respectively.

The rooms are very clean and modern and have completely bare walls, except for the 32-inch high-definition LG flat-screen TVs. Other electronics include a Bose wave radio and an iHome docking station with fantastic sound. Wi-Fi is available for free in every room.



In the South-facing rooms on the lower floors, there isn't much of a vision, just a design studio across the street and a brick wall. With my window open, I heard the constant hum of an HVAC in an apartment below. In summer, this would definitely be a break for those who want fresh air.

Each room has an elegant platform bed, supported by a padded leather headboard and surmounted by an eggplant-coloured decorative roll cushion. The sheets and thin, quilted high quality felt duvet, and everything was extremely clean.



The bathroom has a combination of white and brown marble, with a rectangular sink, a large bathtub and a beautiful rain shower. The hotel has toiletries from the English luxury brand Molton Brown, bathrobes and slippers.

There is a small fitness centre with modern machines, but no spa. The fitness centre is located on the fifth floor of the hotel. It's a little on the small side, but it's functional, with treadmills, exercise bikes, ellipticals, and lots of free weights. There is no on-site spa, though the concierge will be happy to arrange for treatments available to guests.



The hotel is very small, but there is a projection room in the basement that has been rented for special events. For example, Allure magazine screened a film by Julia Roberts to celebrate her appearance on one of their covers.

Families

Families are not the demographic target, with a hip scene. The hotel rarely gets kids, and actually doesn't go out of its way to satisfy them (for example, cots are not available in the rooms). Given the hip scene of both Koi and Cellar Bar and red leather furniture, the hotel certainly isn't ideal for families.



To Eat

The hotel has only one restaurant, Koi, and a bar, Cellar Bar, but both are very popular in their own right. High-end sushi restaurant Koi, which opened in 2005, is the New York outpost of the original LA Celebrity Magnet. While some critics find it to be a little too publicised, what is undeniable is that the restaurant, just outside the hotel's small lobby, is incredibly designed and thanks to the popularity, loud at night.

Drinking

The hotel was running a fantastic special happy hour during my stay (and will continue to run for the foreseeable future): Guests drink free 5-6 hours on weekdays. Of course, I ventured down to investigate the bar, which is also a very popular hangout after working for the fashion and media types working in the area.



I arrived at 5:45 pm and couldn't find a place to sit. Lighting was very poor, house music pulsed from a bunch of DJs in the centre of the room, and female waitresses and bartenders were dressed in tight black leather bustiers and short black skirts.

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