1. A historic building reimagined
Originally a high-end hat factory and tea salon built in 1912, Refinery Hotel’s design draws on the building’s past, combining raw elegance with whimsical details. It’s a much-needed destination in the still-scrappy Garment District, providing a bustling spot for cocktails on the roof and a spacious place to call home for a night or two.
2. Modern design, milliners’ inspiration
Local architecture firm Stonehill Taylor is responsible for extracting the essence of the building’s origins and infusing the design with hints of its past. Hallway signage looks like it’s written in chalk, a nod to the millinery trade and tools, while custom furniture in each room includes desks constructed to look like Singer sewing stations. Other details are subtler, like the pins adorned with needle-and-thread charms that the staff wear.
3. Spacious rooms for parties of all sizes
The hotel’s 197 rooms come in five categories, with even the entry-level studio queen offering plenty of space and natural light and the Atelier room acting more like a suite with a king-sized bed, couch and living area. The hotel’s R monogram features prominently in all rooms, displayed across bedspreads and in bathroom floor tiling. Keeping with the building’s industrial roots, floors are distressed wood, pipes remain exposed and the ceilings are a glorious twelve feet high. Each room also has oversized abstract paintings, Le Labo toiletries and Frette robes and sheets.
4. Surprising and delightful details
There are many small delights to discover throughout the property. Each room contains box sets of custom cocktails by the company BTL SVC. Simply call the front desk and they’ll deliver a shaker, so you can indulge in style. Or visit the ground-level lounge Winnie’s between 5pm and 6pm, when wine is complimentary for guests, or after 8pm, when the live jazz starts up. And as befitting any hip New York property, walking into the Refinery Hotel is immediately a sensory experience, with the hotel’s signature candle imbuing the space in a rich, spicy scent.
5. A hot spot for gathering
In addition to Winnie’s and the hotel’s restaurant Parker & Quinn – which has a speakeasy vibe and classic American menu – the real jewel is the Refinery Rooftop. A retractable glass roof means it can dazzle with its spitting-distance Empire State Building views all year long. In addition to classic and bespoke cocktails, the bar leans into the rosé revolution, offering spritzes, sangrias and frosé, and the lunch and dinner menus are filled with fun fare: think lamb sliders, octopus skewers and sausage and burrata flatbread.
Singapore Airlines flies to New York twice daily, including direct to Newark Liberty International Airport. To book a flight, visit singaporeair.com
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