The new 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge has officially opened its doors on Pier 1, just south of the Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn Bridge Park.
The new hotel, the third property for the 1 Hotels brand and its first ground-up development, has sweeping waterfront views of the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty and a design by New York-based architecture studio Incorporated.
The property has 194 guest rooms, including 29 two- to six-bedroom suites and The Riverhouse, its Presidential Suite, with most rooms offering panoramic views of the East River, the Brooklyn Bridge and the New York City skyline. The project also includes the adjoining new condominium, Pierhouse, which consists of 106 townhome-style residences spread across two waterfront buildings and by Marvel Architects.
The lobby of 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge opens to a 25-foot green wall, with steel grating covered in hand-placed plants and creeping vines that will evolve over time, created by landscape architecture firm Harrison Green. A two-story industrial spiral staircase is punctuated by a sculpture of obsidian rock boulders wrapped in hand-dyed rope by Rachel Weiss. The dwellings are complemented by a 4,000 square foot rooftop, nine treatment room Bamford Haybarn Spa (opening in June), a fitness center, a yoga and barre studio operated by POE Yoga, two restaurants, a 10th floor lounge, a 50-seat screening room, and lobby cocktail service.
The 10-story hotel occupies Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park, an 85-acre beautification project that stretches 1.3 miles along the East River waterfront. The hotel project originally began in late 2011, however when Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast in 2012, 1 Hotel’s architectural drawings for the Brooklyn Bridge property had just been completed. Due to the damage and destruction, the team was informed the waterfront zoning had changed, requiring 1 Hotels to raise the building by three feet along with other code changes such as relocating mechanical equipment to the roof. Meanwhile, they could not raise the overall height of the building, which triggered a massive redesign effort. In response, the 1 Hotels team tapped Olivié Ponce, an artist and creator in Bushwick, Brooklyn, to paint a watermark in remembrance of Hurricane Sandy along the walls of the corner suites.
Amenities
For sustainability, 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge was built under LEED guidelines. The design of the hotel incorporates a 54 percent ratio of regional and 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. The hotel will eventually add a LEED Dynamic Plaque, which will measure and display the building's eco-conscious practices in real time. The hotel also operates a rain-water reclamation system that will reduce storm water runoff into neighboring water streams by more than 50 percent prior to the site development. The water collected will irrigate the park during summer months. (Roughly 5,000 cubic feet of water is projected to come from the hotel.) Additionally, the property uses 100 percent wind power energy, as well as low-energy light bulbs, a Triple Clear water purification system, in-room recycling bins, and fresh dining offerings. 1 Hotels has committed to donating a percentage of sales from in-room dining and goodthings (the hotel's mini bar) to Action Against Hunger, a global humanitarian organization that takes decisive action against the causes and effects of hunger. The hotel also has a nature-driven art collection, including a textured rubber sculpture, “All OVEREACHOTHER,” created by Jarrod Beck from massive rubber pieces of roofing that were stripped from a big box retailer’s roof during a tornado that touched down unexpectedly in Utica (Upstate New York) in the summer of 2014.
The interiors of the 194 guest rooms and suites were designed to honor the historical significance of one of world’s busiest waterways—the East River. A floor-to-ceiling sliding window offers skyline views of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. Furnishings include a porous stone-looking table of composite wood, leather chairs and pendant leather lampshades. Many of the design details in the rooms are by local artisans, from the “crate” inspired, open-slatted wood closets, corrugated leather headboards, to the Fresnel glass light fixtures.
Other room amenities include:
- Custom hemp-blend mattress by Keetsa wrapped in 100 percent organic cotton sheets
- On-demand meditation content by Biet Simkin, Meditation Leader for 1 Hotels
- Marble rain showers with a five-minute, hour-glass timer to remind guests to conserve water
- A green moment - living plants and trees by leading landscape team, Harrison Green
- LCD 55-inch smart television
- Riverview hammocks (Skyline Suites and Riverhouse only)
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
- In-room yoga mats
- Cozy socks to take home
- Goodthings & (not so) goodthings which consists of curated refreshments and local experiences
- Family-friendly amenities available through the Seedlings program
In addition, the hotel amenities include a fresh farm stand in the lobby, botanically driven cocktail program by Arley Marks, complimentary rides in Tesla premium electric vehicles, and valet parking for bicycles. Guests also have 24-hour access to the Field House fitness center. 1 Hotels properties are pet friendly with special amenities and no fees for visiting pets.
Dining and Event Spaces
Located on the ground level is Neighbors, a picnic-fare café offering seasonal, fresh items from local Brooklyn purveyors. The menu includes fresh fruit smoothies and super food salads. The café is open from 6am to 10pm each day, and during the warmer seasons, the space opens to Brooklyn Bridge Park with outdoor seating. In the lobby, from 4pm to 11pm daily, guests and residents of Brooklyn can sip on cocktails and freshly brewed coffee. The hotel’s main restaurant will be opening later this spring. Details to be disclosed soon.
Debuting in May 2017, the rooftop will welcome hotel guests and locals to a 4,000 square foot urban retreat with views of the East River, Brooklyn Bridge Park, and the Manhattan skyline. The hotspot will have a 3-foot lounge pool, full-service bar, fire pits and seating spaces made from reclaimed railroad ties where up to 350 guests can relax and sip craft cocktails. The rooftop will be available for private events and small weddings.
One floor below the rooftop is the 10th floor lounge, a dark, ashy wood 2,800-square-foot space surrounded in floor-to-ceiling windows with a functioning fireplace and black silica furniture created by Brooklyn artist Fernando Mastrangelo. The space can seat 60 for private events, and it will open in May.
On the cellar level is a 50-seat screening room on the cellar level of the hotel. The 1,250-square-foot space features an 84”x140” screen with full HD-digital projection. Available for private film or television viewing events, the screening room is the ideal venue for a private gathering.
For meetings and events, the hotel has more than 20,000 square feet of space with audio/visual equipment, sliding floor-to-ceiling windows and tree-line or skyline views. The Meadow Rue event space, located on the ground floor, opens onto the park, designed with a full wall of collapsible doors and windows to accommodate up to 1,000 guests. All spaces are named after native plants, grasses, trees and shrubbery found in the park.
The hotel also offers wellness amenities, culling from leaders in healing, mediation, nutrition, astrology and more. Guests can opt for experiences, including POE Yoga, a yoga and barre studio with infrared heat; Biet Simkin, offering mediation and wedding officiant services; and Dark Sky ceremonies/Full Moon parties that honor the cycle of our night sky and include reflective workshops, tarot card readings and Brooklyn-based DJ performances.
Guests can access 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge by the East River Ferry, a two-minute drive over the Brooklyn Bridge or the MTA (three different subway lines). The property also offers 300 valet parking spaces located under the hotel and universal charging stations for electric and hybrid vehicles. The property is 10 miles from LaGuardia Airport and 25 miles from John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Opening Offer
Available until April 16, 2017, guests who book the opening offer, “Hello Brooklyn,” will receive a complimentary upgrade to the next available room type, a $25 credit towards food & drinks, and a $10 Lyft credit or two ferry passes. Rates from $350. To reserve, visit 1hotels.com/brooklyn-bridge/offers or call 877.803.1111.