Between the Renaissance, the Times Square EDITION, Equinox and Moxy (times two), NYC has enough fancy new high-rise hotels to shelter a very posh and discerning army.
And while those properties all deliver what they promise — comfy beds, fancy restaurants, neat little clusters of mid-century modern furniture — they lack in another department: charm.
So today we’re looking at a different kind of hotel: the best spots in and around NYC with fewer than 30 rooms, where you’ll find that old-school personal touch typically associated with country inns and mom-and-pop b&bs. Whether you’re stowing visiting in-laws or looking for a lil’ weekend escape yourself, these six boutique stays will give you that intimate home-away-from-home vibe you crave.
The Broome
Soho
Number of rooms: 14
A chic hideaway tucked into a refurbished 19th-century brownstone in bustling Soho. Quiet and dutifully curated, each room offers a taste of city livin’ without the loft-lover prices at just around $250 per night. To boot, there’s more space than your standard micro-hotel up the block that runs for double the price. The Broome’s bed-and-breakfast-style stay includes all the amenities one would come to expect, from luxe robes to in-room tech to large showers and tubs with complimentary toiletries and a gourmet mini bar.
Franklin Guesthouse
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Number of rooms: 30
Homey lofts and suites that will give your parents a sense of what Brooklyn living is all about. Each room is spacious and appointed with artwork and vintage relics that celebrate the neighborhood’s industrial aesthetic. Steps away from excellent food and shopping, there is conveniently also a restaurant and bar on-site, along with a full fitness center with a sauna.
The Urban Cowboy
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Number of rooms: 5
The main house features four guest rooms of exposed brick, vaulted ceilings and countrified bric-a-brac, along with a communal great room bracketed by rolling garage doors on either end. Therein UC will host communal dinners and, natch, live tunes. But the piece-de-resistance is out back: a free-standing Adirondack-inspired cabin with a wood-burning stove and claw-foot tub that make it real easy to forget you’re within city limits. And down the street, they offer another, even smaller property called The Treehouse — that one’s only got two rooms.
The Dutchess
Hudson Valley
Number of rooms: 14
The epitome of an Upstate escape, The Dutchess is a cluster of Bob Ross-worthy farmhouses set next to a biodynamic farm. The site itself offers no information beyond an elusive “A secret experience. Contact us.” While you won’t find a TV on site, the locale is lined to the teeth with mindful activities, from yoga and meditation classes to chi gong and healing workshops. The spa is also top rate, with three treatment rooms and two Ayurvedic steam cabinets. Sunset cocktails (made with the farm’s produce, of course) are accompanied by the scents of palo santo, chamomile and lavender wafting through the air. Not an ideal stay for binging Netflix, but a superior hidden gem for gettin’ back to Ma’ Nature.
The 1770 House
East Hampton
Number of rooms: 8
A colonial hideaway and refreshing alternative to the Hamptons’ typical beach-heavy decor. The 1770 is as charming as it is convenient, with walls lined with bookshelves, in-room fireplaces and an excellent on-site restaurant serving all the local meat, produce and seafood Out East has to offer. While serene, the House is still equipped with all the modern conveniences, from wifi to flatscreens. Post-dinner, retire to the storied Tavern in the basement, a dimly lit watering hole with exposed brick and bench seating, or have drinks delivered to your room.
GrayBarns
Norwalk, Connecticut
Number of rooms: 6
Just an hour and change outside the city’s hustle and bustle, Graybarns was once a stagecoach stop and historic speakeasy. Now a quintessentially New England escape, the hotel is cozy but modern without feeling stuffy. Simple and picturesque, the on-site restaurant, Tavern, offers up farm-to-table fare next to a roaring fireplace and grand piano. Be advised, the Tavern is a hit with locals (always a good sign) and reservations are advised. And leave the little ones at home for this weekender, Graybarns is adults only.
This article was featured in the InsideHook NY newsletter. Sign up now for more from all five boroughs.
