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The Dream Hotel Downtown, situated conveniently in the middle of the revivified Meatpacking District, is an oasis of all that is stylish, fashionable and convenient. In a city full of luxury accommodation, the Dream Downtown, one of the latest hotels in the Vikram Chatwal Hotel portfolio, is going through a much-deserved “it” moment, with an endless round of celebrity sightings and events from the fashionable and über-stylish set.
Fashion Week in New York was, therefore, the perfect opportunity to experience the Dream Downtown at full capacity. Indeed, NY Fashion Week encapsulates the glamour and glitz for which the city is famous but it is also one of the busiest times of year. It is downright impossible to catch a cab after the fashion shows, particularly in the waning hours of the afternoon when the drivers are between shifts and the weather during the Spring/Summer 2014 shows was uncomfortably hot and muggy and almost unbearable for those kitted out in designer garb and five-inch heels. Therefore staying in a stylish but comfortable hotel among all of this chaos is, in this way, a necessary minimum.
Housed behind inconspicuous wooden doors on a side street off the main part of the Meatpacking District, the Dream Downtown identifies itself as the place to be before one even enters. On arriving, we spotted Olivia Palermo looking cool outside and checked in amid chatter of a Rihanna party the night before at the hotel’s well-stocked rooftop bar. Staff were extremely helpful and informative, not even batting an eyelash at the rogue Fashion Week attendee who dared to travel with a two-year-old.
The lobby is as sumptuous as it is inviting, only in a fashionably disinterested kind of way. There are cosy couches and little half chaises, many equipped with plugs, making it a perfect location for an intimate conversation or for frantically writing up show critiques at the end of a long day. The lobby also houses Marble Lane, one of the hotel’s several restaurants, which provides a casual breakfast, lunch and dinner in a very smart spot with retro-cool bubble chandeliers overhead.
Our room was a King Bed Silver Room with a chic, minimal décor complete with porthole windows, hidden wardrobe and minibar, a surprisingly large bathroom and a variety of other super modern amenities, including touch-screen light switches and telephone, which proved very popular with the two-year-old. Aside from too-thin walls, the room was luxurious and comfortable, particularly the bed with its divinely soft 350-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets.
As we gathered from the Rihanna reference at check in, the Dream Downtown feeds a stylish lifestyle with a variety of restaurants and lounges. The poolside bar Beach is the ideal place for a mojito or G&T in the warmer months while taking in the sun and other fellow stylish diners. The pool also, unusually, has a glass bottom and is fully visible from the lobby directly beneath it, adding to the sensation of ‘see and be seen’ everywhere you go. For dinnertime, there is Cherry, a Japanese style restaurant with a French twist that features sushi and sake from renowned restaurateur Jonathon Morr.
In addition to its fabulous amenities, the Dream Downtown is also close to many New York attractions including The Highline, Chelsea art galleries, Union Square, Milk Studio and, of course, unparalleled shopping in the Meatpacking District and Chelsea with Alexander McQueen, Calypso, Catherine Malandrino, Christian Louboutin, Diane von Furstenberg, Theory, Helmut Lang and many others all nearby.
In all, the Dream Downtown is a hip, convenient and undeniably sophisticated place to stay. Set against the frenetic pace of New York, the Dream lived up to its name, as a divine way to escape the hustle and bustle that often can accompany travel, whether for Fashion Week or even just as a tourist.
by Jessica Quillin
In season room rates begin at $395 per night. Rates are subject to variation depending on season and availability
http://www.dreamhotels.com/downtown/default-en.html
Dream Downtown 355 West 16th St near 9th Ave, New York, NY 10011
Reservations: (1) 212 229 2559