Refinery Hotel - New York

Refinery Hotel is based in the original garment district in Midtown Manhattan, where more than a hundred high rise factories and showrooms were once erected a century ago – the hotel’s neo-Gothic Colony Arcade building among them. Once housing a prohibition-era tearoom for ladies and a restaurant for men, a furrier and a milliner, this storied history is acknowledged by the hotel within its interior design with little touches such as working Edison telephones in the hotel’s corridors and dark green leather studded banquettes in their retro-inspired signature restaurant, Parker & Quinn. Today, the property boasts 197 high ceilinged, loft-style rooms styled in a contemporary fashion with industrial heritage touches, distressed hardwood floors and luxuries such as Frette linens, Le Labo bathroom amenities and a minibar stocked with gourmet goodies and local Hudson whiskey. Rooms range from the entry level Studio Queen offering a cosy 23 square metres of space and the slightly larger Studio King and its companion room, the Studio King, with a much-prized Empire State Building view at 37 square metres of living space. The largest of the rooms is the Atelier, with 39 – 42 square metres of open plan living space. 

Aside from the all day dining American restaurant, Parker & Quinn the Instagram-friendly Refinery Rooftop Bar with its views of the Empire State Building is the place to go to. Strung with fairy lights and a hit with tourists and locals alike, there is indoor and outdoor seating, a retractable glass roof and an all-day menu with bar style snacks like sliders and truffle fries. Be sure to try the Cocktail Caddies – four servings of cocktails, meant for sharing. The more intimate Winnie’s Jazz Bar, (named for Winifred T McDonald who once rented the ground floor space for her tearoom and restaurant back in the day), offers live jazz performances accompanied by a range of prohibition-era cocktails, beers and wines. For keeping fit on the go, there is also a small Fitness Centre with state-of-the-art cardio and strength equipment and free weights.