Understated Sanctuary Found At New York’s Crosby Street Hotel

Manhattan certainly didn’t need another hotel back in March 2009, and with the prevailing economic winds, the average bear would have waited out the recession before investing in building a new 86 room boutique hotel in the heart of SoHo. But not the Kemps, the passionate husband and wife partnership of the intimate London-based Firmdale Hotels. Some might say it was a bold move, but as a fan, I’d say it was a move based on studying the gaping hole in the market.

New York was in need of their special breed of hospitality and old-school attention to detail.”Hotels should be living things not stuffy institutions” champion Tim and Kit Kemp, and The Crosby Street delivers something refreshingly different to the pretension of the boutique hotel scene and the impersonal sterility of New York’s finest. The Crosby Street blends in its namesake cobbled street in the heart of New York’s vibrant SoHo neighborhood. As soon as you pass through the glass doors, you enter into what feels like the entrance to a spectacular home.

Every part of the hotel, including each of its 86 bedrooms and suites, have been designed with a fresh, stay-in-the-room, contemporary style. Kit Kemp designed the interior of their hotel in her unique and inviting personal style—a fresh modern English style, mixed with a little irony and wit carefully peppered in. I’m a huge fan of the Drawing Room (it really feels like home away from home) and its trusting honor bar that’s open 24 hours, as well as the total professionalism of their car service with suit & tie and intelligent conversation if you want it. Everything from the custom scents in the toiletries to the sincerity of the manager’s hand-written “Welcome Backs” make the Crosby Street an experience in humility and sophisticated sexy. www.firmdalehotels.com

Uncommon Sense Observations:

Look beyond the obvious.

Gaps exist if you look at them from a variety of perspectives.

Ignore the trends and economic conditions if you’ve got the courage, and do what you love.

Excellence can be found in the smallest of details.