One-Minute Hotel / 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, NYC
A real oasis - and we don’t go to the ‘o’ word very often - of greenery and sustainability with views across the city that never sleeps... and never stops going on about how it never sleeps. Insomnia, much?
So, where are we?
Brooklyn, so ‘just over the Bridge’ that the Bridge - that would be the Brooklyn Bridge - is right there filling the windows of your hotel room (if you get the right side, of course). And so right on the waterfront that you can get the ferry to and from Manhattan - it’s just over there! - instead of the Subway or a cab. Which is a boon.
And where we’re staying...?
1 Hotel, one of the most exciting additions to the New York hotel scene since... well, since Brooklyn became an acceptable place to stay. With green credentials coming out of its Birkenstocks, the whole place has been built using local and often ‘found’ materials but it never seems laboured or that you’re getting lower quality than you would if it was just burning up the world. The spaces are huge while the rooftop bar and pool have the best views in town, right across the East River and the downtown sky-scraper-scape.
What’s the style?
Very millennial, but in a good way. Because by millennial, we don’t mean dusty pink granny-style with raffia furniture but the opposite: big, bold and very green with plants everywhere. In fact, there’s quite an unfussy masculine feel to the place with serious wood, soaring ceilings, mid-century-esque industrial touches, lavish concrete and an incredible gym called The Field, where, as a guest, you can join group classes or take on a Personal Trainer. Except we’re on holiday so we won’t be doing that.
And the rooms?
If you’re going to have the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline right there, you’re obviously going to have floor-to-ceiling windows and spaces to sit and enjoy the view. The palette is wood, white and concrete with actual plants and green spots (we had a sort of moss table thing). The masculine feel is still here, with functional showers, plain organic bedding and, in some rooms, a hammock in the window for more drinking in of that view. Oh and to save on plastic, a drinking fountain and carafe in your room!
Is there a story?
According to Chairman Barry Sternlicht, he ‘wanted to capture the beauty of nature in a hotel and commit to safeguarding it’. Job done. And it’s proof that just because you take sustainability seriously, that’s no reason not to have a gob-smackingly gorgeous hotel because this, and others in the group, leave absolutely nothing to be desired.
And to eat?
In Osprey, the main ground-floor restaurant, the New American cuisine is, as you would expect, a farm-to-table affair. From ground-breaking cocktails, through small plates and mains that veer from vegan carrot curries through black bass to stand-out burgers, the menu reflects the fact that we’re in New York City, where variety is the spice of life. And don’t forget Harriet’s Rooftop & Lounge for healthy snacks and drink.
So, to sum up...
If you can do it this brilliantly sustainably, why wouldn’t you? No, it’s a serious question. The future of hotels... with a view.
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