Wythe Hotel

Time Out says

Thu Sep 13 2012

The Wythe may not be the first boutique hotel in Williamsburg, but it’s the first to capture the neighborhood’s elusive hip factor. Since the launch team includes Andrew Tarlow, the restaurateur behind popular local eateries Diner and Marlow & Sons, it’s not surprising that the sprawling ground-floor restaurant, Reynards, was an instant hit. Like Tarlow’s restaurants, the hotel has a subtle vintage feel without going down the full-blown retro route. A 1901 cooperage near the waterfront has been topped with a three-story glass-and-aluminum addition; on its facade, a 50-foot-tall "HOTEL" sign, created from salvaged tin signage by artist Tom Fruin (of Watertower fame), becomes a neon-lit beacon at night. In many of the guest rooms, floor-to-ceiling windows offer a panorama of the Manhattan skyline or face a cool Steve Powers graffiti mural that re-creates vintage Brooklyn advertising. Heated concrete floors, exposed brick, reclaimed-timber beds and witty custom wallpaper (including the Wythe Toile, inspired by local street scenes) create a rustic-industrial vibe, offset by fully plugged-in technology: A cable by the bed turns your iPhone into a surround-sound music system. The utilitarian subway-tiled bathrooms are stocked with luxurious Turkish towels and eco-conscious Goldies products created by a former Diner staffer. Deejayed parties on the sixth-floor bar aside, the Wythe literally rocks: The hotel accommodates the ’Burg’s many touring bands in special quarters that sleep four to six. For other noncouple traveling companions, compact bunk rooms are equipped with individual TVs—some even have cute terraces. Rooms: 72.