Written by Tara Lange
Not the new kid on the block, but still one of our reigning favorites, Hôtel Americano, designed by award-winning Mexican architect Enrique Norten, stands out among its quaint Chelsea neighbors. Sitting alongside some of the world’s premier art galleries and New York’s famed High Line Park, Hôtel Americano is Grupo Habita’s first property in the US and part of an expanding collection that includes twelve celebrated hotels throughout Mexico.
The hotel opened up shop in September of 2011. The 10-story building, is a glass structure encased in a metal mesh façade that spotlights the industrial feel of the surrounding neighborhood. Along the exterior, a glass-enclosed elevator shuttles guests between the street-level restaurant and rooftop terrace.
Hôtel Americano aims to reflect the spirit of Latin culture while fusing a variety of international influences. The hotel’s 56 rooms were designed by French designer Arnaud Montigny who is renowned for his work at Parisian boutique Colette. Montigny’s design was inspired by an urban ryokan – a traditional Japanese Inn – with wooden platform beds, warm lighting and natural materials. Midcentury, minimal design and an emphasis on technology allow for complete serenity; the woes of big city life abate.
The glass structure encased in a metal mesh facade that captures the industrial feel of the surrounding neighborhood. Along the exterior, a glass-enclosed elevator shuttles guests between the street-level restaurant and rooftop terrace.
In a city full of toothsome offerings, one might not think hotel eats would suffice. Think again. The hotel’s restaurant, The Americano, (which temporarily migrated to the makeshift kitchen at the Hôtel Americano pop-up restaurant at the Armory Art Show), is helmed by Chef Andrés Grundy; a chef with a prowess for pastry. The restaurant menu offers tastes that draw on the hotel’s Latin heritage as well as classic French techniques. The rooftop cocktail lounge has sweeping city views and transforms with the seasons.
– a traditional Japanese Inn – with wooden platform beds, warm lighting and natural materials. Quality craftsmanship combined with midcentury design classics, custom amenities, and advanced technology provides guests a serene space in which to retreat from the bustle of city life outside. Left: The Americano kitchen at the Hôtel Americano pop-up restaurant at the Armory Art Show
