New York City is home to more than its fair share of iconic hotels. However, the City That Never Sleeps also boasts a plethora of exquisite boutique properties. For those planning on attending this year's US Open, which begins August 25, there are a number of luxury boutique hotels on the Lower East Side to consider, such as The Bowery and the Ludlow.
With its romantic history of vagabonds, punks, artists, and rule breakers, the Bowery neighborhood is now home to a growing number of independent boutiques, restaurants, clubs, and the New Museum of Contemporary Art. Today, it’s registered with the New York State Register of Historic Places and exudes the exciting pulse of the city.
The Bowery Hotel sits in the epicenter of this transformation. Service, style and sophistication are hallmarks of this 135-room property which features sun-drenched rooms with hardwood floors, luxurious 400-thread count linens and rich velvet drapes. The Bowery Hotel is the quintessential New York City destination with floor-to-ceiling industrial-style windows that allow for remarkable city views and a residential loft design that embodies the city itself.
From a gracious welcome at the door to a roaring fire in the lobby, hand-picked antique furnishings, high-tech room accessories, absinthe at the bar and fresh-baked cookies at turndown, the property brings the opulent warmth of a classic European hotel to New York’s most intriguing neighborhood. Its 2007 opening coincided with a new chapter in the rejuvenation of its famous namesake.
With impeccable details personally overseen by proprietors Eric Goode and Sean MacPherson, The Bowery updates Old World hospitality with smart amenities and original touches. Handmade dark-wood panels adorn the interiors that are contrasted against colorful Moroccan tiles. Antique chairs, sofas, and tables are softly illuminated by chandelier-like iron fixtures while an artisan mural wraps around the room depicting 19th-century New York scenes. Guests enjoy cocktails, coffee, tea, or light snacks as they chat or peruse a newspaper from the antique wooden racks. The atmosphere is genial, unhurried, and casual, ideal for lingering.
In addition to The Bowery Hotel, MacPherson has teamed with New York hoteliers Ira Drukier, and Richard Born to introduce a new 184-room Lower East Side hotel that evokes the rich history of a neighborhood whose charm continues to grow. The Ludlow Hotel conjures up the area’s vivid history, from the Gangs of New York era to Jewish immigration to the wild art and music of the ‘80s. The Ludlow’s solid brick façade and factory casement windows make it fit seamlessly into its historic block.
Entering The Ludlow’s red-brick entryway, steel and glass doors open to oak paneled-walls and marble mosaic floors, and a grand distressed-limestone fireplace dominates the lobby lounge. Flooded with light, the ground floor is cleverly designed with windows and glass walls to offer clear views from the Ludlow Street entrance to its bluestone-paved back courtyard.
In the guestrooms, hardwood floors and handmade silk rugs complement artisan-crafted Moroccan pendant lamps and Indo-Portuguese style beds. The tree-trunk nightstands in petrified wood come from Brooklyn furniture temple Organic Modernism and a marble-topped bistro table looks like it may have been purchased at one of Manhattan’s antique flea markets. Accommodations include supremely comfortable amenities such as Bellino Fine Linens from Italy and new, exclusive bath products from Red Flower.
The Ludlow offers 184 guestrooms including 20 spectacular suites in nine configurations. Spaces range from full to king rooms, each with sweeping city views and many with a private terrace. The Ludlow Penthouse, with wraparound windows, a 1,100-foot terrace, and Skybox Loft with a designated seating area offers breathtaking vistas of New York’s bridges and landmarks.
The Ludlow’s eagerly awaited restaurant has been the talk of food circles for months. Dirty French will be the first French restaurant from Major Food Group, the company whose white-hot eateries include Torrisi, Parm, Carbone, and ZZ’s Clam Bar. Operating from breakfast until late, Dirty French will feature rebooted, provocative Gallic classics. It will embody the “distinctly New York style and swagger” extolled by The New York Times. Major Food Group partners Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi, and Jeff Zalaznick will personally oversee the restaurant.
If staying at either of these two options, you can easily catch the 7 train from Grand Central Terminal to Mets-Willets Point Station. Otherwise, take the RFK Bridge (formerly Triborough) to the Grand Central Parkway East, exit the Grand Central Parkway East at Exit 9E – I-678/RT-25A East/Northern Blvd. East and follow signs for US Open/Tennis Parking.
