We were excited to stay at the iconic Gansevoort Meatpacking recently for a serious slice of chic in the ultra-trendy Meatpacking District in Manhattan, New York. With several places to get a cocktail, a stunning recent renovation with an emphasis on contemporary art, and a gorgeous rooftop pool, there was definitely a lot to look forward to!
Location
The Meatpacking District has an established reputation as one of New York’s most hip and stylish areas. Located on the far west of Manhattan, the district runs from West 14th Street south to Gansevoort Street. But it’s not just street cred in abundance here. The Gansevoort Meatpacking is located on 9th Avenue and 13th Street in the very heart of the district. It’s a charming area with cobblestone paving and little lanes, reminiscent of a quirky European city. It’s as popular with locals as tourists, which means a great choice of boutiques, cafes, and bars, many of which spill onto those cobblestone streets.
The hotel is in the perfect location to explore all New York offers. In the immediate vicinity, the Whitney Museum of American Art is a 4-minute walk away. You can walk through the stunning art-filled gardens of the High Line and admire the views of the city. This lies just 3 minutes away from the hotel, as does the buzzing food hall Chelsea Market, plus plenty of designer boutiques to fulfill your every shopping whim. The nearest subway station is just a 5-minute walk away, too, for when you want to explore the rest of New York. You are also around 5-10 minutes on foot to West Village and Greenwich Village, so you won’t be short of lots of beautiful city to explore.
To reach the hotel, both LaGuardia and Newark airports are only 30 minutes away, while JFK airport is around 40 minutes.
Style & Character
The Gansevoort Meatpacking was entirely renovated in 2021 and is now as stylish and beautiful as the district that surrounds it. Think of a chic sea of blue-grey with lots of cherry wood and concrete, designer lighting, and a stunning collection of contemporary art. Luxury but very trendy, very Instagram-able luxury! We loved the double-height lobby and the open-plan bar that greeted you as soon as you entered the hotel. The two zones are divided by double-height, beautifully lit shelving that houses some of the hotel’s most statement art pieces. So, you can admire one side while you check in and the other when having coffee, then again later for cocktails!
The rooftop swimming pool is also a style masterpiece with a huge neon-lit mural on the side of the building overlooking the pool, fabulous by day or night. The actual pool itself even clocks up style points with a curvy striped turquoise floor under the water, it really adds appeal close up, and you must check it out on Google Maps for the drone view too!
The hotel benefits from being located at the end of the block. This means the main entrance to the actual hotel is on one side, the entrance to one restaurant is on the end, and the opposite side has entrances to the other restaurant and a bar. This makes it super easy to navigate and also is really useful for locals who don’t have to traipse through the lobby to head to dinner, another reason why it’s so popular here with New Yorkers, I’m sure.
Rooms
You’ll find 186 guest rooms at the Gansevoort Meatpacking Hotel, including 20 glam suites. All feature the usual flat-screen TV, a fully-stocked minibar, and ensuite bathrooms that further stack up those mounting style points with all-white tiling and black bathroom fixtures and accents.
Be sure to request a room with a Juliet balcony. We loved being able to step out and overlook the city and river. The corner rooms have the most fabulous of the city views, or opt for a Terrace room to benefit from your own private outdoor space, an absolute must in the summer months. Our room was surprisingly spacious for a central New York hotel, with room for all four of us to spread out in comfort. The dark wood flooring was reflected in the furnishings creating a luxurious and contemporary vibe.
It would be remiss not to mention the rather exceptional Penthouse, designed in collaboration with the cult design brand. The Poliform Penthouse boasts the most impressive view imaginable, and the artwork would feel just as home in MoMA.
Service & Facilities
The hotel’s piece de la resistance is most definitely the gorgeous year-round heated rooftop pool to which guests have exclusive access. You could be in Miami with chevron tiling, cherry wood surround, and the most turquoise water you can imagine. We were so excited to take a dip, and it didn’t disappoint. The water was perfectly heated, so you can swim but never be even slightly chilly. The 360-degree view doesn’t disappoint, either. We could see right to downtown New York and across to the High Line and Little Island. The pool is surrounded by comfortable sofas and loungers, the sun shone, and despite it being early April, the water was so warm and inviting; it’s just the best way to start the day.
The tech here is another level compared to most hotels. Each room boasts a Google Nest Hub, which acts as your digital concierge so you can access hotel services. Wireless chargers are offered in the bedside table for your devices, and you can link into a top notch sound-system. Impressively, there’s even an interactive Mirror for your home fitness classes!
If you’ve not done quite en
If you’ve not done quite enough walking, it seems unlikely in New York, but you never know, there’s a state-of-the-art gym, or perhaps you prefer to soothe those muscles, in which case you can opt for an in-room massage.
The service was efficient and welcoming throughout. The bellman are especially friendly and are very much the face of the hotel. They’ll happily find you a cab or answer any questions and are warm and approachable. Our cocktail-bar waiter also deserves a special mention. He took the time to find us a cocktail we would like, explaining them all in detail and sharing the joke when we settled on an old favorite! Charming service.
Food & Drink
The Gansevoort is well set up when it comes to bars, restaurants, and cafes. Most offer a sensational cocktail, too, my kind of hotel! The hotel is home to the gorgeous bistro-style restaurant The Chester, rooftop-based sushi restaurant Saishin by Kissaki, as well as lobby lounge Coffee + Cocktails. However, it’s the oasis that is the Gansevoort Rooftop space that I was perhaps most excited about. Inside, it’s all plants and huge windows to frame those views, and outside is really ALL views. With a growing reputation as one of New York’s top rooftop bars, it’s the place to be seen for cocktails as the sun sets over another day in Manhattan.
We dined at The Chester, too, and although not a rooftop bar, we adored the place; with a delicious French / American fusion twist to the menu, it has a wraparound patio area that puts you on one of the main streets in the Meatpacking District while you tuck in. The sun shone, and we people watched with the rest of New York; this is a very popular destination that the locals clearly adore just as much as hotel guests.
Coffee + Cocktails totally lives up to its name but also serves up a rather epic brunch and an all-day dining menu. The cocktail menu is seriously impressive, though, and shouldn’t be missed. Lounging on the navy velvet sofas in the art-packed café sipping our creations, we decided the Gansevoort had added another must-visit destination to their list!
Conclusion
The Gansevoort Meatpacking Hotel scores very highly on style points, which you do expect, but this is definitely not style without substance. There are excellent bars and restaurants abound, it’s a fantastic location. We’d really want to return to this area on future trips, and having that rooftop pool just really made our stay.
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