A bevy of new boutique hotels either just opened or are on the horizon in Brooklyn, New York. We've rounded up what you need to know.
Hilton Brooklyn New York
In November, the Hilton Brooklyn New York opened its doors with a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the hotel’s owners, Mick Walsdorf and Ken Copeland of Flank Architecture + Development, Don Urgo Sr., president of Urgo Hotels & Resorts, and general manager Joe Rosanio in attendance.
Hilton Brooklyn New York is the first full-service hotel of its caliber in the Boerum Hill neighborhood, according to the company. The 196-room hotel occupies the first six floors of a 19-story commercial, retail, and condominium development. Within the hotel is Black Walnut, a restaurant and bar run by Brooklyn chef Rob Newton, flexible function space for meetings and events, and 24-hour services and facilities, including a fitness center, concierge service, grab-and-go pantry and business center.
The building stands on the former, and historic, site of a 1,200-foot, two-block-long rope factory owned by Peter Schermerhorn in the 19th century. The factory, also known as a ropewalk, was the largest in the United States and produced rope for New York’s shipbuilding industry until it succumbed to a major fire in 1841.
References to the site’s history can be seen throughout the hotel’s design, from images of the ropewalk in the custom guestroom wallpaper to rope-patterned carpeting in the corridors.
The hotel is a six-minute drive from lower Manhattan and surrounded by 12 subway lines, making the city highly accessible for any event.
Visit www.brooklynnewyork.hilton.com
The William Vale
The long-anticipated New York City hotel, The William Vale, opened its doors in September as hub for dining, cultural events, and shopping in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Amenities include the longest hotel pool in New York City, spanning 60 feet; valet parking; an elevated, 15,000 square foot green space; twice-daily housekeeping services; complimentary Wi-Fi; a fitness center; Vale Park; business work stations; Frette linens; L’Occitane en Provence products; smart TV systems; and Brooklyn Roasting Company coffee available throughout the property.
Award-winning chef Andrew Carmellini of Noho Hospitality Group will oversee The William Vale’s dining destinations and 24-hour in-room dining services: Leuca, a Southern Italian restaurant specializing in wood-fired cuisine; Westlight, a rooftop bar on the 22 floor; and Mister Dips, a burger and ice-cream location set in a retrofitted Airstream trailer are the main dining options.
The hotel is within walking distance of a variety of top Williamsburg destinations, including the Brooklyn Brewery, Bedford Avenue, the Brooklyn Bowl, the Smorgasboard food festival, and Indie Nitehawk Cinema. In terms of travel, the hotel is easily accessible by the L and G subway lines and MTA bus service.
The wide range of spaces allow The William Vale to plan cultural programs for both guests and locals, which might include local musicians, book launches for Brooklyn authors, rooftop yoga, opera performances, indie movie screenings, painting classes with local artists, group meditation, and more.
Visit www.thewilliamvale.com
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| Pod Brooklyn |
Pod Brooklyn
Brooklyn’s first-ever modular hotel opens spring 2017 in Williamsburg. Pod Brooklyn in Williamsburg will be developed by BD Hotels and CB Developers.
Following the opening of Manhattan’s Pod 51 and Pod 39, Pod Brooklyn, designed by Garrison Architects in collaboration with Pod Hotel design director Vanessa Guilford, weaves pod rooms with numerous courtyards, rooftops, and private event space, for guests seeking a wallet-friendly experience.
Public areas include a glass-ceilinged, open-air lobby which allows guests to opt for a traditional front desk experience or self-check-in through iPads, and a wraparound staircase that leads to a second floor mezzanine, which provides a flexible work and lounge space.
The 249 modular rooms, each about 100 square feet, will include queen and bunk bed configurations, built-in storage, high-tech amenities, oversized windows, and blackout and noise-blocking shades.
Pod Brooklyn will include April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman’s Salvation Taco, as well as a sidewalk café on Metropolitan Ave and a rooftop eatery; private and public rooftops; and three courtyards, all connected by glass walkways with living walls; private meeting and event space available for weddings, corporate events, and more; connecting rooftops and courtyards; and 16,000 square feet of retail space will line the ground floor of the property.
Located off the corner of Driggs and Metropolitan, Pod Brooklyn will be steps away from lively Bedford Avenue, the Bedford L subway, and East River ferry.
Hoteliers Richard Born and Ira Drukier developed BD Hotels’ micro-hotel concept to accommodate the needs of today’s savvy, “young-minded” traveler, offering guests efficient, clean accommodations, vibrant communal spaces, and high-tech amenities.
Visit www.thepodhotel.com
1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge
Opening February 2017 is 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, located at Pier 1, just south of the Brooklyn Bridge. The 10-story sustainable development will have 194 guest rooms with sliding floor-to-ceiling windows, including 29 two- to six-bedroom suites, a nine-treatment room Bamford Spa, a Field House fitness center, a yoga and barre studio operated by POE Yoga, and a 50-seat screening room (84”x140” screen with full HD-digital projection).
The hotel’s main restaurant, led by Seamus Mullen, will have an open kitchen design and a wood-burning grill, and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Mullen will also oversee the menus for the hotel’s healthy 24-hour in-room dining.
On the rooftop is a bar, lounge crafted from reclaimed railroad ties, and an invisible-edge plunge pool. The 3,475-square-foot rooftop can hold 450 people and has views of New York City and the Statue of Liberty. Directly below the roof – on the 10th floor – will be a lounge serving local craft cocktails and small bites.
The hotel will have more than 20,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space with audio/visual equipment and sliding floor to ceiling windows.
Brooklyn artists Uhuru, Bien Hecho, Harrison Green, Danielle Trofe, and others have created pieces for the hotel. The design of the hotel includes numerous uses of reclaimed materials, including original heart pine beams from the former Domino Sugar Factory, walnut from the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, and pine flooring from the Old Crow Distillery in Kentucky.
Built under LEED guidelines, the 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge will have a LEED Dynamic Plaque that measures and displays the building's eco-conscious practices in real time. Additionally, the hotel will operate its own rain-water reclamation system.
Guests can easily access 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge by the East River Ferry, a two-minute drive over the Brooklyn Bridge, and three different subway lines. The property also has also 300 parking spaces located under the hotel and universal charging stations for electric and hybrid vehicles.