Wythe Hotel

I'm likely to stay in Manhattan when I go to New York, but if I have appointments in Brooklyn, a lack of early morning meetings in Manhattan, or no train rides out of Grand Central or Penn Station, it means it’s an opportunity to stay at the Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg. 

The hotel opened in the summer of 2012; the first time I stayed there was on the night of September 11, 2013. I remember it clearly because friends came by and we joined others at the hotel's roof bar (The Ides) to view the Tribute of Light across the water in Manhattan.

I've stayed in a number of hotels since then — around the world — that feel like they were designed by someone who once stayed at Wythe, or who has an idea of what a hotel in a former factory in Brooklyn must be like, based on what they understand about the borough from a fashion magazine. No, this is not the Brooklyn of my grandparents, Spike Lee, or even friends in their first impoverished years out of college. This is, undoubtedly, the Brooklyn of the cool kids who work at the Vice building a five minute walk away. But having seen so many other hotels that try — and inevitably fail — to achieve this same "Brooklyn" aesthetic, Wythe is the first — and the best.

There are hotels — like Wythe, At the Chapel, the Beekman hotel in New York, the NoMad in LA — that are particularly beautiful and well-designed because it's clear that the designers recognized, revered — and likely studied — the material with which they had to work. They didn't destroy what came before them, they lured it out gently and brought it into a new era. Living in a city (Seattle) besieged by the destruction of older buildings to make way for giant, overpriced apartment buildings that look like dorms for spoiled rich kids, I've built up a keener appreciation for this approach.

One of the first things I look for when I enter a hotel room is a Bluetooth speaker that will allow me to listen to my own music and podcasts via my phone; it's a small touch that I appreciate because it makes feel more at home. While the technology is now outdated, it was Wythe that first let me know this was even an option. In each room, a red cord — a brilliant contrast to the hotel's gorgeous custom wallpaper — comes out of the wall and, when you plug in your device, the audio comes — not from a tiny transmitter on your bedside table — but from speakers in the ceilings. Hotel room dance party commences.

(Be kind to your neighbors next door and keep the volume at a reasonable level. Your neighbors downstairs will be fine; the concrete floors protect them.)

The staff are friendly, the Reynard can be counted on for a good meal, the mini-bar is fun, and I am a huge fan of the hotel's Turkish bath towels. The views from the Manhattan View King rooms are great — as is the patio included with (I think just one of) the Historic Corner King rooms. I have also stayed in the Baby Queen room, which did not disappoint.

In doubt about staying in Brooklyn? It's less than a 10 minute walk to the Bedford Avenue subway station, which is just one stop away from Manhattan. You'll be fine.

My Stays: September 11, 2013; September 17, 2015; November 10-11, 2015; April 1-4, 2019; September 21-24, 2021; October 4-8, 2022