Upon turning the corner onto W. 30th Street from Broadway, Virgin Hotels New York makes for a dramatic arrival experience. Amidst NoMad’s tightly crammed hustle and bustle, the sidewalk expands and a wide red carpet appears with Virgin’s signature red neon signage above marking the entrance to a 39-story modern glass tower with a double height lobby.
While I find Virgin’s neon red logo and branding a little cringey for hospitality, antithetical to true luxury, I got past that quickly to discover there’s plenty of pleasure to wring out of a stay at this rare new build hotel set amidst landmark architecture. The grand scale alone is enough to elicit luxury with playful touches, thoughtfully designed interiors and buzzy energy.
Why stay at Virgin Hotels New York?
Part of Sir Richard Branson’s foray into hospitality, Virgin Hotels debuted in Chicago in 2015 with a cheeky ethos featuring ‘chamber’ room designs (which feel more residential) with flexible space for sleeping and living, plus minibars with street value pricing. There’s also an emphasis on social spaces for gathering and interior design that reflects each location.
The hotel group now includes nine properties across the US and UK with Virgin Hotels New York debuting in 2023. Here, Big Apple style is filtered through a sprawling social space on the third and fourth floors with a stylish indoor-outdoor cocktail bar, restaurant and pool club. It’s also home to an outpost of Exhale Spa with signature treatments, barre and yoga classes and a spacious fitness center.
What are the rooms like?
The hotel is home to 460 suites and chambers. The ‘chamber’ room is a signature of Virgin Hotels, designed to have a residential feel and flexible components, like sliding doors, which separate the sleeping and living area, as well as lounge beds with moveable headboards. The ‘living area’ is essentially a walk-in closet, boudoir-like space with modern built-in wardrobes and the bathroom. Chambers are available in one king and two double bed layouts, and for a truly residential feel, multi-bedroom suites with separate living areas complete with sofas are also available.
The design is modern with a Scandi appeal in a neutral color palette featuring blonde wood, tufted upholstered head boards, soft throw blankets and black veined marble side tables, plus bathrooms in creamy porcelain. Pops of Virgin’s signature red is appropriately subtle, found in art work and understated elements of accent furniture. Floor-to-ceiling window views get more dramatic the higher the floor.
What are the bars and restaurants like at Virgin Hotels New York?
On the third floor, Everdene is the epicenter of Virgin Hotels New York’s social scene. It encompasses a sit-down restaurant with a plush dining room and a buzzy bar with signature cocktails that spills out onto an open-air terrace with lounges framing idyllic views of the Empire State Building and Manhattan’s architectural pastiche.
It’s not unusual for a live DJ to be spinning near the bar and a crowd of both locals and hotel guests congregating, and it’s open continuously for breakfast, lunch and dinner with a New American menu ideal for mixing and matching with cocktails, featuring dishes like wagyu beef empanadas, oysters, calamari and a salumi and cheese board. Entrees range from a smash burger to branzino and steak frites alongside appealing vegan and vegetarian options. Everdene also services the small yet stylish pool with chic striped lounge chairs on the fourth floor.
What is the service like at Virgin Hotels New York?
Service is friendly, professional and capable. The staff at Everdene were especially hospitable during my stay, always quick to find a table, lounge or seat at the bar for my party, without anything seeming like too much trouble.
How are the amenities at Virgin Hotels New York?
The subterranean Exhale Spa offers a variety of leading edge facial, massage and body treatments, as well as amenities, like a sauna, hammam, snow room and halo-therapy salt room. The fitness component of Exhale is found on the fifth floor and includes a full schedule of yoga, barre and cardio classes, as well as a spacious 24-hour fitness center with state-of-the-art Technogym equipment and panoramic city views through floor-to-ceiling windows; an inspiring place to workout. There’s also a small but smart-looking pool on the fourth floor. I love making a full spa day out of the amenities with a morning yoga class, followed by a massage and then an afternoon of drinks and snacks at the Everdene’s outdoor lounge or pool, gazing at the Empire State Building. It feels outrageously luxurious to do all that under such celebrated views.
What’s the area like around Virgin Hotels New York?
Virgin Hotels New York is smack dab in the heart of NoMad, a compact downtown neighborhood spanning a section of the East 20s from 6th Avenue to Lexington. Home to other nearby luxury hotels, it’s a popular neighborhood for upscale restaurants and nightlife. Named for its location north of Madison Square Park, it’s in close proximity to other trendy downtown spots like the Flatiron District and Gramercy Park to the south and Chelsea to the west. The rest of the city is easily accessible through the network of subways with most major lines only a few blocks away from the hotel, but personally, the hotel’s location makes exploring downtown Manhattan on foot a breeze.
Why you should book a stay at Virgin Hotels New York
A sleek, full-service, newly built hotel with a touch of luxury and playfulness in a trendy downtown neighborhood, Virgin Hotels New York offers plush digs for the modern traveler. Guest rooms and suites are spacious and stylish. The third floor social space is attractive—and draws an attractive crowd—with a lively bar to mix and mingle and plenty of nooks for quieter moments both indoors and out. Add to that a spacious 24-hour fitness center, full-service spa and rooftop swimming pool, it makes for a truly great New York City stay at a reasonable value.
DETAILS
Address: 1227 Broadway, New York, NY 10001
Price per night: from about $500 per night
Closest transport: Subway: 34th Street – Penn Station 1,2,3; 28th Street N,Q,R,W
Book now: via Booking.com
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