A triumph of style over substance - or 'so hip it hurts' (Hudson Hotel New York)

Member Name: koshkha

Product:	Hudson Hotel New York
Date:	14/12/08 (172 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well I can say I stayed there

Disadvantages: I won't be rushing back

** The Talk of the Town **

When the Hudson opened in 2000 it was the talk of the town and featured in just about every travel and lifestyle magazine as 'the place' to stay, to drink, to party or to just hang around looking unbelievably cool and bored. All the big name stars were being reported hanging out in the bar posing on uncomfortable seating and standing on the oddly lit disco-style floor admiring the over the top chandeliers. It was desperately aspirational.

I first learned of the Hudson when we had to arrange accommodation for some important customers who were visiting our business in New Jersey and wanted to spend a weekend in Manhattan. The New York head office said that this was a place so funky that our visitors couldn't fail to be impressed and sure enough, when they returned they were bubbling with excitement. A couple of years later, in 2003, I got the chance to spend a few days in the city and since the prices had dipped a little after the initial buzz had worn off, I managed to persuade the travel secretary to put me at the Hudson.

** Preconceptions **
I knew a few things before I got there. Firstly that the place looks like an industrial warehouse from the outside and is accessed through a bleak neon-lit escalator. I knew to hold on tight to my suitcase as the bellboys have made an art form out of passing your bag around between them to maximise the tips. I knew to expect some weird stuff in the bedrooms, but more of that later.

** First Impressions **

When I arrived, sure enough the hotel did look like an industrial unit and the escalator was lit with eerie neon. Arriving at the top of the escalator I found myself in a lobby with massive high ceilings covered in ivy, with giant chandeliers, dark wood floors and a massive wooden reception desk staffed by designed-staff who were so cold and unwelcoming that I felt like turning on my heel and running out the door.

The Hudson was one of designer Philippe Starck's first hotel projects and at the time it really was absolutely cutting edge - I wonder if it still looks that way a few years later?

** The Room **

I checked in and headed to my room. If I wanted to be polite I'd say it was compact. If I wanted to be more direct I'd say it was tiny. The bed took up most of the space and everything else was squeezed in around it. Perhaps Starck should have worked on caravan design because it had that sense of everything squeezed in and everything in its place.

The bed was comfortable with crisp white linens that contrasted with all the wood floors, walls etc. The bathroom was just as freaky as I'd been warned with a glass wall between the bedroom and the shower. This isn't quite so unusual now and I've been in several hotels that do this but I think the glass bathroom was a Starck idea and for my first experience of a glass bathroom, it was quite a shock. I was staying on my own which was a good thing in such a small room, but I think you need to know about the bathroom in case you book a room with a friend rather than a partner. There is a curtain you can pull across but it's still a bit freaky.

In the cupboards you can find all sorts of things you might need at inflated prices including something called an 'intimacy kit' (condoms etc.). I knew about this as the people I'd booked there had brought me back on as a gift because they thought it was so funny.

** Around the Hotel **

The public spaces in the Hudson are stunning. There are terraces with sun beds and funky weird furniture and hammocks and conservatories but staying there on my own, I just felt intensely uncomfortable and not at all 'at home'. I spent some time reading magazines in the wood-panelled library, but the bar and restaurant were so full of the 'beautiful people' trying really hard to see and be seen that they just made me feel sad and lonely.

One word you won't find used to describe the Hudson is 'cosy'. It has all the atmosphere of an industrial freezer crossed with an edition of Elle Deco magazine. Being there with friends or a large group (and a hefty expenses allowance) would probably be fun. If you like people watching or have the confidence to accost the odd celebrity in the bar, you'll love this place, but I disliked it intensely and ate out in local cafes or brought take out back to my room because I couldn't relax at the Hudson.

**The Surroundings **

The area around the hotel was fine. It's not far from Central Park and I didn't worry to wander around on my own even after dark. I walked 18 miles one day just wandering up and down Manhattan. But at the end of the day, the Hudson was totally not a 'me' kind of hotel. I'm happy to be able to say I stayed there and experienced cutting-edge Philippe Starck design, doubly happy that I did it on expenses but I was even happier to go home to my normal living environment and I didn't yearn for a glass shower or a giant chandelier one little bit.

Summary: If you know what to expect, you might enjoy it a lot.