For more information and to book please visit www.mrandmrssmith.com or let us arrange your whole trip, by calling +44 (0)20 8987 4312 or from the USA dial 1 866 610 3867.
The Bowery
- Style
- Retro glamour
- Setting
- Post-punk East Village
A byword for downtown hipster chic since the moment it opened, this boutique hotel on the Bowery is a slice of classic New York style with a gorgeous, quirky lobby.
Need to know
- Rooms
- 135, including 25 suites.
- Rates
- US$525–US$1,200; excludes 14.75 per cent tax plus US$3.50 a night. Breakfast is chosen from an à la carte menu.
- Check-out
- Midday; later-check out is subject to availability. Check-in, 3pm.
- Facilities
- Gym, DVD library, valet parking, laundry, free WiFi. In rooms: HD plasma TV, DVD/CD player, iPod dock and stereo system, CO Bigelow toiletries.
- Children
- Welcome: high chairs and baby cots are available, and extra beds can be added to larger rooms for $40 a night.
The Bowery works with a nanny service to provide babysitting, from $25 an hour.
- Also
- Non-smoking – except in the bar's patio area. As a concession to the Chihuahua-toting crowd, lightweight pets (30lbs or less) are warmly welcomed.
In the know
- Our favourite rooms
- The north-facing rooms offer glimpses of the Empire State Building from the comfort of your bed. Number 705, a One-Bedroom Terrace Suite, has a marble-tubbed bathroom that opens directly onto a surprisingly spacious private terrace. Wherever you end up bedding down, you can expect classic NYC-style, with hardwood floors lined with intricate Oushak rugs, marble bath tubs, and oversized factory windows.
- Packing tips
- A CBGB T-shirt in honour of the Bowery’s punk-rock glory days.
- Also
- No smoking (apart from on the fifth floor). Your shoes can be shined and your back can be rubbed – just ask.
Food & drink
- Hotel restaurant
- With thatch-covered wine bottles swinging from beamed ceiling, distressed wood tables and a
copper-topped bar, Gemma is a picture of Tuscan rusticity. The food, however, is more polished than peasanty, and
the Nutella calzone is a particular treat.
- Dress code
- Edwardian dandy, backstage with the Ramones.
- Top table
- Gemma only takes reservations for hotel guests, so sweet-talk your way to a window table for people-watching, or to one of the leather-banquette booths – it’s possible to lose hours in them.
- Last orders
- Gemma’s pizza oven is switched off at midnight (1am weekends). The bar’s open until 2am (4am weekends).
- Room service
- A full menu based on Gemma’s à la carte offerings is available 24 hours a day.
- Hotel bar
- Since its opening, the Lobby Bar has shot to the top of the New York hot list, becoming a favourite destination for A-listers in search of a glam-drenched venue.
Smith card offer A bottle of wine
If you're a member of Mr & Mrs Smith, you can get special privileges at every Smith hotel you book through us. Just show your Smith card at check-in to claim the offer featured on every hotel page (like the one above).
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Smith concierge
If you'd prefer to talk to someone, or don't want to book online, call our travel team on 1 866 610 3867. We guarantee you’ll get the best available rates, and we don’t charge a booking fee.
Local restaurants
Make your brunch reservations at Public (+1 212 343 7011), a vast, loft-like space on Elizabeth Street with a cosmopolitan marvel of a menu. Azul Bistro (646 602 2004) on Stanton Street will sate your appetite for Argentine steak, Prince Street’s Café Habana (+1 212 625 2001) does the same for Cuban cravings – try the semi-divine grilled corn.
Local bars
The wine bar next door to Public, The Monday Room (www.themondayroom.com) lets you sample a vast variety of vintages with the benefit of a personal wine steward.
Local cafes
For scrumptious sweet stuff, hit Doughnut Plant (+1 212 505 3700) on Grand Street and order a ‘Tres Leches’ – life may never be the same.
Worth getting out of bed for
The Bowery is a few blocks from the landmark Nuyorican Poets Cafe (+1 212 505 8183) in Alphabet City, the birthplace of the Nuyorican (a blend of New York and Puerta Rican) poetic movement and a great place to catch energetic slam poetry, theatre and alternative film nights.
