The Bowery Hotel – Hotel Review

With atmospheric decor, a stellar on-site Italian restaurant and a central location in New York’s East Village, Manhattan’s The Bowery Hotel serves up some serious old-world sophistication in the hip Lower East Side. Read on for the full review.

Any corner of this boutique hotel makes for a cosy nook to pass some time. The rooms are elegant, stately and altogether cool, the common spaces are richly furnished with velvet, leather and kilim-style rugs under foot. And the delightful Gemma, the on-site trattoria, is warm as toast with its woodfired oven and strung up copper pans. No matter where you sit, you’ll feel right at home in this delightful bolthole. 

Where is The Bowery Hotel? 

At 335 Bowery, near the corner of East 3rd Street in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Two blocks south is the 2nd Avenue subway station, with links along the F-line. Flying in from JFK Airport? It’ll take you a little under an hour to reach the hotel in traffic; from LaGuardia, it’ll take about 30 minutes.

What’s near The Bowery Hotel?

Of course, New York is a city to discover on foot. With Noho, Nolita and Soho as your closest neighbours, there’s a lot to stroll past. Pop into the boutiques of the Lower East Side, slide into a booth seat at a deli in Noho or gaze into the windows of designer stores in Soho. Keen to tick some boxes? A wander to Broadway-LaFayette station (six minutes) and a direct F-train trip of 15 minutes drops you in Midtown, within strolling distance of Times Square, Rockefeller Center and the Empire State Building.

Room types 

Brass tapware, cosy vermilion blankets and floor-to-ceiling glimpses of the city give rooms a genteel charm. Rooms range from the compact 24 square-metre Bowery Queen to the palatial Penthouse Terrace Suite, with its devastating views of the skyline from a private brick-lain balcony. The Deluxe Queen (two levels up from the entry) is a fair upgrade for the inclusion of a marble soaking tub — some with their own views of the city through a generous window.

Restaurants and bars 

The on-site Gemma is a beloved eatery in its own right, serving an Italian-influence menu from breakfast through to late-night bites. For the former, you could sample the parmigiano-flecked frittata, or for the latter, a cacio e pepe slathered chitarra pasta. Anything wood-roasted is also a winner: the kitchen’s open oven seems to tirelessly burn. The Bowery Lobby bar certainly sets a mood, with its roaring fireplace. 

Travel for work

Expect shoe shine, same-day dry-cleaning, and laptop and iPad borrowing services from The Bowery, as well as free wi-fi throughout. If you need to meet with clients face-to-face while in town, there’s a range of meeting rooms on-site.

Gym

The on-site fitness centre is atypical in its design (yes, that is a Persian rug in the centre of the room!) but all the necessities are there: free weights, cardio equipment and yoga mats for stretching. 

What you need to know

Brave enough to tackle New York by bike? You can rent one from reception, free of charge.

SEE ALSO: The Hot List: The Best Hotels in Manhattan