NEW YORK—As the tourism industry and New York City come back to life after the COVID-19 pandemic, Gansevoort Meatpacking is assisting in the neighborhood’s renaissance with a multimillion-dollar rebrand and renovation. Working with food and beverage partners picked for their specific offerings as well as a robust art collection, the luxury hotel will serve as a hub for the neighborhood and bring the Meatpacking district back post-pandemic.
“We’re doubling down on the Meatpacking district,” said Michael Achenbaum, president and founder, Gansevoort Hotel Group. “With its wide streets, culinary offerings, and cultural and experiential venues such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, the High Line, and the recently unveiled ‘Little Island’ from Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg, we know that this neighborhood will bounce back first. Over the years, our audience has grown and matured, and so has our hotel. This is Gansevoort Meatpacking, all grown up.”
With New York City recently announcing a $30 million tourism campaign to help boost hotels and restaurants, as well as the City fully reopening on July 1, 2021, the Meatpacking district is poised to make a comeback amid the COVID-19 pandemic. New luxury brands to the neighborhood include Restoration Hardware, Rolex, Bally, Brunello Cucinelli, Loro Piana, and Lucid Motors, among others.
Gansevoort guests will see the renovation of the property as soon as they step into the vestibule and 1,700 square foot lobby and common area that has art and design elements throughout. Designed by Achenbaum and the hotel’s creative director and designer Olivier Weppe—in collaboration with Gidich + Sepúlveda Architecture—the space features warm wood finishes and brass paired with a porcelain tiled floor in a concrete tone that mimics the neighborhood’s cobblestone streets. A bookcase in the lobby houses Banksy’s 2003 “Flying Copper” piece flagged by blue leather banquettes. The check-in area has a black African stone and accented by backlit frosted glass walls. In the lobby also stands the “Standing Shadow—Blue” by Richard Hambleton, the street artist that became known as the Shadowman for the silhouettes he painted at night on the walls of lower Manhattan. In the adjacent elevator bank, there is a contemporary mixed-media and multi-dimensional Hassan Hajjaj piece, titled “Marque 2013.”
The lobby continues with Gansevoort Meatpacking’s food and beverage venue, Coffee & Cocktails (C+C), an open-air café that has elements of the streets of Paris or Italy, serving sandwiches and light bites with cocktails at night inspired by destinations around the globe. C+C offers both indoor and year-round al fresco seating.
Gansevoort Meatpacking’s 186 guestrooms have also been renovated, bringing elements of the Meatpacking District into the design. Designed by Achenbaum, Weppe, and Duncan Miller Design, the neutral color palette in the guestrooms has a sense of comfort and ease. Drawing on the colors of the neighborhood, a blue and grey ombré wallpaper reflects the waterways of the Hudson River, and a backlit walnut headboard, inspired by the High Line, serves as a focal piece of each room. As a tribute to the hotel’s history, artwork includes photography from the Meatpacking district taken almost two decades ago against modern imagery snapped in the same neighborhood. Each room balances design with technology, including built-in wireless end table chargers; The MIRROR, the interactive home gym; and Google Nest Hub with Google Assistant for hospitality.
The Penthouse at Gansevoort Meatpacking has an entirely new look, completed in partnership with Italian contemporary furniture designer, Poliform. The Poliform Penthouse at Gansevoort Meatpacking is the brand’s first fully designed hotel suite in the United States. The space is a 1,700 square foot duplex, designed for a comfortable stay and built to entertain. Poliform tapped into their network of international designers to collaborate on the products, and each element is shoppable. The Penthouse has floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Hudson River, a floor-to-ceiling fireplace flanked by bookcases, a full kitchen and wet bar, three full bathrooms, and a private sleeping area.
Art is a critical piece of the brand’s identity and experience. Gansevoort Meatpacking features art from Achenbaum’s personal collection. Each piece of artwork displayed throughout the property shows a different aspect of the hotel’s personality with mixed media and bright color schemes. In addition to the Bansky, Richard Hambleton, and Hassan Hajjaj pieces displayed in the lobby, and then and now photography from Stephanie Klein and Olivier Weppe of the neighborhood, the Poliform Penthouse plays gallery for works from renowned artists Frank Stella, Daniel Mazzone, Mick Rock, and Fabio Mesa.
Gansevoort Meatpacking and LDV Hospitality conceptualized the hotel’s signature dining venue that will open in spring 2022. LDV Hospitality will also additionally collaborate with the hotel team to bring C+C to life.
“As a hospitality group with firm roots in New York, we’re so thrilled to be partnering with one of the city’s most iconic Hotels. From the beginning, the Gansevoort has been an anchor for the Meatpacking District. We’re honored to play a part in continuing this tradition by creating an excellent food and beverage experience that will keep guests coming back time and time again,” said John Meadow, founder and president, LDV Hospitality.
Gansevoort Rooftop, with 360-degree views of Manhattan, has been refreshed and is divisible for private events, big or small. The menu will feature versions of classic cocktails and dishes. In addition to cocktails, a full menu inspired by the Union Square Green Market will bring poolside fare. Gansevoort Meatpacking will introduce a sushi bar pop-up in partnership with the rapidly expanding Kissaki, Michelin-rated sushi restaurant. Saishin at the Gansevoort Rooftop by Kissaki Hospitality Group will be an 850 square foot space with seating for up to 50 including a 16 seat omakase bar.
Come fall 2022, the hotel will welcome a basement karaoke and bowling bar featuring a game room, karaoke, and two bowling lanes.
