Yotel New York

Time Out says

Mon Aug 22 2011

The British team behind this futuristic Midtown West hotel is known for luxury airport-based capsule accommodations that give long-haul travelers just enough space to get horizontal between flights. Yotel New York has ditched the 75-square-foot cubbies in favor of “premium cabins” more than twice the size. Adaptable furnishings, like motorized beds that fold up futon-style, maximize space, and the bathroom has streamlined luxuries such as a heated towel rail and monsoon shower. If you want to unload excess baggage, the 20-foot-tall robot (or Yobot, in the hotel’s playful lingo) will stash it for you in a lobby locker. In contrast with the compact quarters, the sprawling public spaces include a wraparound terrace so large it’s serviced by two bars. The hotel’s eatery, Dohyo (named after its central Sumo-style platform), serves international tapas devised by modern Mexican-fusion master Richard Sandoval. If the property recalls the retro jet-set world of Catch Me if You Can, there’s good reason: David Rockwell, who codesigned the hotel with the U.K.’s Softroom, also created the sets for the Broadway adaptation of the 2002 film. There are also ironic nods to swingin’ London in this transatlantic design collaboration, including groovy colored ceiling lights in the lounge and rotating round beds in the VIP suites. Some first-class “cabins” even have private terraces with hot tubs. Yeah, baby! Rooms: 669.