Prelude - Hip Hotels
Falling short
New York City’s Hotel Giraff e aims high but trips up on its own hype.
Managing guests’ expectations is always a fine art. On one hand, hotels have to aggressively market themselves in an increasingly competitive market, and on the other, not blow their own trumpet to such a degree that the reality is a let down. Hotel Giraffe, located in the fashionable Madison Park area of New York City, bills itself as “bringing the style of the ’20s and ’30s to Park Avenue South.” Architect Stephen Jacobs and his wife, interior designer Andi Pepper, claim to have produced a “haven of minimal elegance… a sophisticated world inspired by the subtle colors and lavish textures of the European Moderne period.” One almost imagines a scene from a golden age: a grand reception with adjacent bar where dashing young men sip Kir Royale with beautifully turned out women. The reality couldn’t be further from the truth. For a start, blink and you’ll miss the reception. While staff are efficient and friendly, the space in which they work is more like a closet. And there isn’t exactly a dedicated bar either, but a multi-purpose counter where guests collect their own complimentary continental breakfast in the morning, get teas and coffee in the afternoon and free glasses of wine by night. Oh, and they serve cheese cubes on cocktail sticks with the wine—is that meant to be fashionably retro? To be fair, after a hard day pounding city streets, the lobby vibe is welcoming with flickering candles, a live pianist on a baby grand, board games and soft leather couches.
With just 73 bedrooms and a staff that remembers guests by name, Hotel Giraffe definitely has an intimate feel. Bedrooms have 12-foot-high ceilings, original black-and-white photography and floor to ceiling windows. Although the interior design attempts to recreate a deco feel with antique rose and merlot hues, brushed steel fittings and granite countertops, the overall feel is dark and oppressive. The furniture, while comfortable, is neither antique nor has the “wow” factor. The in-room technology does, however, get the thumbs-up: 27” LCD flatscreen TV, DVD player, CD stereo system, high speed dataport and wireless access, dual-line speaker phones, cordless phone and best of all, electronic black-out shutters.
The 700-square-foot, 12th-floor roof terrace, which was closed on our visit, usually provides a pretty and unexpected outdoor space for summer drinks. OK, so it’s not exactly the Hotel Gansevoort or the Soho House roof terrace, but in a city where outside space is at a premium, one should be thankful for small mercies.
Room rates begin at $325. 365 Park Avenue South at 26th St, NYC. 212-685-7700, www.hotelgiraffe.com
Words by Michael Keating