When we first visited many years ago, the Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC hotel was (and this is exactly how we wrote it up) ‘one seriously funky place to pop your New York cherry’. After a glorious day out, we’d collapsed into our bed at the hotel, waking up some time mid-afternoon to dust off the cobwebs from the night before poolside. Since then, we’ve grown up – at least a bit – and so has this very special property.
From the outside, Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC hotel is exactly as we remembered it. On the inside, however, the property has been given an extensive makeover. Using the time over the pandemic for long-anticipated and deep-wallet renovations, the hotel has reopened with a new vision and a keen eye on art, design and technology. From an interior design perspective, the property is unrecognisable: gone are the lurid pink, funky neon lighting and provocateur club-kid vibe. In their place is a rather more mature colour palette of royal blue and contemporary wood panelling.
Critical to the new incarnation’s identity is a highly curated contemporary art collection in the hotel’s lobby by artists that define this generation. An original Banksy, Flying Copper, stands proud in the space. Looking further, we spotted works by a diverse group of artists, such as one by Richard Hambleton of what looks like the shadow of a leather clone – perhaps in homage to the area’s queer Cruising past. The colours of Marques 2013, a mixed-media, multi-dimensional work by Hassan Hajjaj (dubbed ‘the Andy Warhol of Marrakech’) drew us in hypnotically, while along the corridors Olivier Weppe’s photographs of the area around the hotel shot 20 years apart bring the journey and storytelling fully to life. In rooms, artworks by Stephanie Klein and Adi Oren create a mood of vibrancy and exuberance and are juxtaposed by more of Weppe’s colourful photographic narrative.
Our Gansevoort Suite in a quiet corner of the building’s 12th floor showed off more of the hotel’s coming of age, where the homage to Mid-century Modern and Italian Modernism is executed to contemporary taste, without leaning too heavily on the retro. We liked the black and blue ombré wallpaper, the backlit walnut headboard and stylish furniture throughout, all set against a neutral backdrop of urban-industrial hues in a space flooded with natural light. Soft touches punctuated the room, as did colourful cushions, pottery and a handsome drinks trolley with stylish Krosno decanters and glassware that tempted us to pour out everything from our well-stocked minibar. A chilled, tasteful (and tasty) bottle of wine, selected by the management, had been put on ice; some delicately baked pastries completed the welcome.
In our bathroom, honeycomb floor tiles with matte black hardware rounded off the feel of a modern, quintessentially New York loft apartment. Amenities included a CBD facemask, which helped infinitely with our jetlag. The bathing goods were from L’Occitane en Provence, which, if we were to nitpick, jarred with the rest of the suite’s modern theming. Yes, the Gansevoort’s guests may have matured, but they’ve certainly not morphed into a French grandmother. Considering New York City has so much to offer in the way of cutting-edge beauty and wellness products, a brand with a greater sense of place would have been preferable.
This Basecamp review is an extract from a longer feature article, first published in print. To read the full article, click here.
| Perfect for | Fly into | Right on time |
| The Culturalist | JFK / EWR | GMT -5 |
| While you’re Out There |
| The Whitney Museum of American Art is virtually around the corner from the hotel and it’d be a crime not to visit. Little Island, which has quickly risen to fame after opening in 2021, is just as easy and convenient to get to – its architecture and quirkiness alone make it worth visiting, but Little Island is also home to a rather special amphitheatre with views over the Hudson River. |
State-of-the-art technology featured throughout the suite: ‘first-in-the-industry’ smart-mirror interactive workouts, for instance, are available in all accommodation types, in addition to the hotel’s well-stocked gym (talk about feeding our narcissism). As part of the property’s tech overhaul, a Marshall Bluetooth speaker, bedside tablet assistant and Google Nest also come as standard.
For those who want to experience the very best accommodation the Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC has to offer, an upgrade to the Poliform Penthouse is a must. A 157-square metre duplex bathed in light from striking floor-to-ceiling windows that also offer unbelievable views, it’s the result of a collaboration with the renowned furniture maker. The furnishings and fittings are exemplary, as are a fully loaded tech arsenal and even more beautiful artwork, intermixed with exclusive pop-culture photography.
Up on the roof – where we spent so much of our first visit – we found that the space has been embellished, making even more of the uninterrupted 360° views across the Manhattan skyline. A refresh around the pool deck makes it feel more adult. In fact, the entire Gansevoort Rooftop also feels more grown up. The inside-out and outside-in space now sports a neutral, Scandinavian-inspired look and feel, which is brought to life (and elegance) by sophisticated lighting at night. On our previous visit, the mood was somewhat rowdy. The vibe now is much more chilled, with well-dressed Manhattanites sipping cocktails. But we have no doubt that, at a flick of a switch and a change of DJ, this would transform back into the booming fashion-week-esque party we vaguely remember.
Tucked away in a chic corner of the rooftop space, we found Saishin, the hotel’s omakase-sushi speakeasy restaurant, glowing in a golden hue. What started as a pop-up proved so popular that it is now a permanent feature of the hotel, with head chef Frankie serving up a perfectly presented modern interpretation of Kaiseki traditional dishes that took us on a culinary journey to Japan via his New York and southern Chinese upbringing. His food is rooted in inventive and sustainable ingredient sourcing and can only be described as gastro-artistry. Bellies full, we opted for a night in with champagne, popcorn and a movie in our suite rather than seeking out nightlife. How things have changed.
It is clear that the Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC has matured significantly in its outlook since our first visit, but that’s no accident, because its clientele has too, ourselves included. To our delight, it’s done it in a timeless way; the old hotel was unquestionably fashionable, but the new one comes across as a lot more stylish and refined. And while this stay at the Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC may have marked new beginnings all around, it still reminded us of the very best of times and captured their joyous spirit.
Photography courtesy of the Gansevoort Hotel Group
