NYC: Ian Schrager's New Gramercy Park Hotel

I traded proximity to Central Park, Museum Mile and Madison Avenue shopping for keys to Gramercy Park yesterday. NC, my rebounder instructor, had tipped me off to a really bad review of Ian Schrager's new Gramercy Park Hotel in The New York Sun by James Gardner. So before I checked in, it seemed that word on the street was that Gramercy was a major disappointment.

I have previously stayed in three of Schrager's properties -- Hudson, St Martin's Lane and The Clift. My favourite has been, and still remains, St Martin's Lane. Unlike the other two hotels, St Martin's Lane has a proper bathroom that doesn't get treated like the poor hillbilly cousin. For me, Schrager's hallmark is his ability to turn the lobby, restaurants and bars into one of the city's most happening scenes, while the rooms are actually secondary. If you check into a Schrager hotel, you are not so much paying for a room to sleep in, but entrance to a club to party in. Hence, the oftentimes annoying habit of requesting that hotel guests produce their room keys before allowing them entry into the hotel.

Thus, it came as no surprise when I walked into my "Loft" category room (The introductory rate until 4 September is US$340++. The rack rate is expected to more than double after that to US$805++, with special rates at US$645++) and found nothing more than what normal hotels would simply call a Deluxe room. There was no loft bed and the ceiling height is by no means lofty. However, relative to usual Schrager rooms, the "Loft" room was quite spacious. There was a seating area with sofa and leather desk (with a medieval-looking upolstered chair that was a tad too high such that you have to hunch over the keyboard of your laptop) as well as a red armchair with ottoman. There was a king bed with two nightstands and ample room to maneouver. A nice touch was a small vase of fresh flowers by the bedside.


This time Schrager did not use Philippe Starck to do the interior design for his hotel. The painter Julian Schnabel (of broken plates fame) has had a hand in the public spaces, while the bulk of the interiors is by Michael Overington and Anda Andrei. To me, it's a Jacques Garcia wannabe. It's a tarted up version of the Costes Brothers' Hotel du Bourg Tibourg in Paris' Marais (the wood-panelled bathroom really reminds me of HdBT). It's got that Adams Family feel, with a lushness, or perhaps louchness, that comes from an abundant use of richly coloured crushed velvet (robes in royal blue, sofas in olive green, armchairs in scarlet red, curtains in lobster rose, side table in goldust).


There is a very well-stocked in-room bar complete with red, cut-crystal goblets and all manner of gourmet snacks (at super gourmet prices, of course). All this is a mahogany and mirrored bar a la Las Vegas party limo. In addition to the flat screen TV and DVD/CD player, my favourite in-room accessory is the JBL iPod speaker dock (even though the sound is not so great, it's fun. Note to self: remember to unplug from dock when leaving!!).


The one-bedroom suite (Introductory rate is US$400++; rack rate will be US$875++, with special rates from US$655-705++) does not feel as spacious as a suite should. The bedroom is typically Schrager small.


In the bathroom, there is only one sink, no bathtub. The shower and toilet are separated by a door from the sink, which is exposed to the bedroom.


The sitting room is separated from the bedroom by a door. I actually prefer the layout of the Loft to the one-bedroom suite.


All in all, it's a fun hotel and its location on Gramercy Park (with guests getting keys to the private park) a plus. But there were signs everywhere that the hotel opened in haste. For example, poorly fitted door handles:


The restaurant and rooftop club are not yet open. So a simple breakfast is served in one of the meeting rooms facing the park. Main complaints include a lack of electrical outlets for guests who now need to charge phones, laptops, cameras etc. In my room, there was only one available outlet in the lamp, with the other free outlet in the bathroom (definitely not charging my laptop in there!). The windows are neither double-glazed nor sound-proofed. At night, you can hear the ruckus from the street (and there will be lots of ruckus as the bars become the next IT spot post Labour Day). In the morning, I was rudely awoken by construction racket at 8am.

At the current rates, GPH is a fun hotel (it's convenient to Union Square, Chelsea galleries, Meatpacking scene etc.). But as two ladies chatting on the treadmills in the gym commented, they would never pay the increased rates. It's just not worth it; there are too many better accommodation choices in this city. Unless, of course, you want to party on the rooftop with the IT crowd.

Here's a tip: Skip the hotel breakfast. Instead, headd to 71 Irving Place cafe (T: +1 888 710-3844) on the other side of the park. Grab your paper and a park key on your way out, get your breakfast and have it in the park.