Where to Stay in New York City During Fashion Week

Yahoo

05-02-2025

As a native New Yorker who'd mostly frequented the Meatpacking District's cobblestoned streets for trendy restaurants, nightclubs, shops and salons, I wasn't sure if staying in the heart of the bustling epicenter would be a bit overwhelming. But if you're coming to Manhattan for New York Fashion Week — the Fall/Winter edition of which runs from Feb. 6 to 11 — there's no more ideal home base than the iconic Gansevoort Meatpacking hotel (gansevoorthotelgroup.com). The landmark property that opened in 2004 recently received a four-year, $40 million renovation in honor of its 20th anniversary — and I had the opportunity to check it out during September 2024's fashion week. The stylish, fully-refreshed property now boasts a redesigned rooftop, the recently opened Le Coin French bistro and the private member's club Seven24 Collective. But best of all — whether I was heading to the Alice + Olivia fashion show at Highline Stages or the Christian Siriano after-party at Hearsay lounge — I could walk. Everywhere.
Right on Ninth Avenue at 13th Street, the grand edifice welcomes guests with rich wood, lush greenery and patrons lounging over coffee, cocktails and meals at its buzzy ground-floor restaurants. Inside, the hotel offers 186 rooms that were refreshed in 2021 as the first phase of the renovation and feature sweeping views, LCD flat screen TVs, exercise mirror technology from Lululemon Studio and bath products by Grown Alchemist. Charismatic artwork livened my room — from a Hogs & Heifers Saloon poster to a Banksy book — and also filled the hotel courtesy of a new art program that introduced works from Banksy, Richard Hambleton and Hassan Hajjaj in the lobby; Mathieu Bitton and Dominique Crenn photography in Le Coin; and Mick Rock and Frank Stella in the hotel's new presidential suite. The sprawling 1,700-square-foot Poliform Penthouse designed by international designers also includes shoppable elements.
No matter what you're in the mood for, Coffee + Cocktails offers a variety of beverages and an all-day menu by the hotel's executive chef Sebastien Chaoui (Paris' two Michelin-starred Maitre Corbeau) in the blue-accented European-style lobby café. While it wasn't yet open when I visited, the new indoor-outdoor bistro Le Coin serves cuisine from chef Chaoui inspired by Paris and coastal France — from onion soup to a signature burger — in a peppy pink-and-green-striped dining room adorned with pink flowers and artwork curated by Paris Chong, gallery director of Leica Gallery LA.Upstairs, the omakase experience is the way to go at golden-lit rooftop restaurant Saishin — where chef Isaac Kek (New York's three-Michelin-starred Masa) prepares a 14- or 19-course progression of sushi and sashimi tastings for guests to enjoy either from the chef's counter or indoor-outdoor seating. I sipped a Saketini alongside delicious creations made from fresh ingredients like red snapper, bluefin tuna and Japanese mackerel — and views of the Hudson River and skyline.
Also upstairs, the Gansevoort Rooftop's scenic loft takes inspiration from the trips to coastal Italy taken by the hotel group's founder and president, Michael Achenbaum, and partner Sean Largotta. The transporting space brings the outside in through a retractable glass roof, sliding walls and a courtyard-like indoor space with a wraparound terrace — plus an Italian fresco, plant wall and rose velvet banquettes. Guests can also dine at adjacent ground-floor restaurant Meduza Mediterrania — a boisterous East Coast entrant from the Noble 33 group (L.A.'s Toca Madera), with large-format cocktails, live music and Mediterranean favorites.
In a city where pools are not so pervasive, the Gansevoort's revamped 45-foot heated outdoor pool is a showstopper — particularly since it boasts 360-degree views of the skyline, and often hosts events, like movie nights. But most exciting is the new Seven24 Collective private club (seven24 collective.com) — which offers members access to a variety of exclusive social and coworking spaces. Get some work done or take a meeting in the library-like Study, have a bite in The Café, then come evening, enjoy cocktails and dancing at DIMES. The '70s-inspired speakeasy is decorated in playful retro décor, with vibrant patterns, neon lights, Daniel Mazzone art commissions, a disco ball, a fish tank and even two bowling lanes and a karaoke room. Members can also enjoy private areas of the hotel, such as the updated rooftop and the new 3,000-square-foot blue-lit fitness center with high-tech equipment and a sauna, as well as health programming led by medical director Dr. Jane K. Kim.
The Meatpacking District has transformed in recent years into a luxury shopping hub, with retailers like Brunello Cuccinelli, Gucci, Rolex, Hermes and RH in walking distance. The hotel is also steps away from the Hudson River, the Chelsea Market food hall, the newly relocated Whitney Museum of American Art and the High Line, an elevated park built on a historic freight rail line.
GETTING THERENonstop flights (from around five to six hours) run from Los Angeles to New York airports JFK and LaGuardia, or Newark in New Jersey.