On its website, the Holiday Inn at 138 Lafayette Street is comically referred to as the Holiday Inn Soho. Little did the Holiday Inn brass know that when they slapped that name on the hotel in an attempt to attach it to a "cool" neighborhood it wasn't really a part of, the hotel would one day play a direct role in the creation of a "cool" neighborhood of its own. Steve Cuozzo reports that the 230-room Inn (right) will be converted by Highgate Holdings into a luxury boutique hotel, redesigned by restaurant gussy-uppers AvroKO, and featuring at least one trendy dining spot.
Folks, can't you see what's going on here? First we had 123 Baxter, and everyone laughed. Little Chitaly? Who wants to go down there? Then, just steps away, came the Grand Machinery Exchange, and suddenly we had to take this neighborhood seriously. Now, the Chit gets its very own THOR, and our heads are spinning. We're witnessing the birth of something truly special here. Add a bar or twelve and a clothing boutique and this is the new Lower East Side. And Cuozzo also mentions that another luxury hotel (operated by Mondrian Hotels) is coming just north of 138 Lafayette. Hold us.
· Glamming Up in Soho [NYPost]
· Reconsidering Jetsonville [Curbed]
[138 Lafayette photo courtesy of PropertyShark]