CHECKING-IN TO | CABANA TRAVEL | CABANA MAGAZINE
“The New Kid on the Block who isn’t afraid to stand out”: Sophie Goodwin checks-in to Tribeca’s most colorful new hotel, and Firmdale’s latest output, Warren Street NY.
BY SOPHIE GOODWIN | CABANA TRAVEL | 31 MAY 2024
Warren Street Hotel, Tribeca @ Quentin Bacon
The cerulean blue exterior with a bright yellow top has immediate effect in Manhattan's downtown Tribeca. The imposingly eye-catching Warren Street Hotel - Firmdale’s latest outpost, and their third in New York City - is part of a popular revival of the neighborhood, reinvigorating the area between West Broadway and Greenwich.
Designed by architects Stonehill Taylor with meticulous interiors by Kit Kemp and daughters, Minnie and Willow – who describes the hotel as, “the colorful new kid on the block who isn’t afraid to stand out” – Warren Street’s 69 individually decked out rooms are dispersed over 11 floors, each with floor-to-ceiling windows. Suites have private gardens and spectacular skyscraper views of iconic NYC sights, including One World Trade Center and the Hudson River.
As you arrive, you are met with sculptures by major talents, including Wendell Castle, Tony Cragg and Chris Kurtz, which sit alongside a magnificent beaded artwork by Sanaa Gateja, oversized wonky pots with bold yellow backdrops and a glittering Aubusson tapestry. Elsewhere, the light and airy Orangery displays custom-made ceramic works by British designer, Martha Freud. Adding further impact to the interiors, are more than 800 artworks collected by Kit Kemp over the years, sitting in conversation with pieces from her studio’s collaborations with leading designers and brands.
An undoubted highlight is the breakfast spread, served from 7am and including an enormous array of exotic fruit, homemade muffins, Bircher muesli, a cereal medley to rival Whole Foods next door, and eggs to order with all-American classics like crispy bacon and maple syrup, hash browns and thick pancakes.
If you're dogged by jet lag from 5am, the Warren Street honesty bar is available 24 hours a day with coffee and snacks, and the hotel have partnered with Nexus club NYC for access to their five star gym facilities only one block away.
Bathrooms are a real jewel in the crown here too: vast bath tubs, abundant marble, and bespoke products: Rik Rak by Kit Kemp, which you can buy to take home in Wheatgrass Bay, Lavender Eucalyptus, or Gardenia Sandalwood.
The Bar, Warren Street Hotel @ Simon Brown
Although the hotel group has a huge presence in the UK – Firmdale’s playful, color-saturated interiors, unpretentious atmosphere and drop-in cocktail bars have enticed Londoners for years – the group’s zany aesthetic and service-first philosophy finds a real home in America.
The much-lauded and well-attended opening of Warren Street shows the Kemps won’t rest on their laurels, remaining at the forefront of the hospitality zeitgeist. Giving their talented and vivacious children real authority – Minnie and Willow Kemp have both been newly named as design directors at the Warren Street Hotel – reflects their knack for being one step ahead of the game at all times.
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