NEW YORK CITY – They’re everywhere these days; hotels that go out of their way and go way too far to try to prove they’re hip and millennial friendly.
You know the ones I mean; the places with all the flashing lights, lobbies without any place to sit and goofy signs on the door of your room that say things like “Hey, dummy, the toilet is over THERE.”
My wife and I recently got to spend two nights at the Kixby hotel in the lower part of midtown Manhattan (45 West 35th St.), where the attitude is a little more refined and a bit more adult. But not overly luxurious and not at all expensive.
The lobby is small but actually (gasp) has places for folks to sit while they wait for Aunt Gladys to come down from her room for their shopping trip, or to just sit and watch people come and go. Staff is super-friendly and very helpful.
Kixby hotel exterior. JIM BYERS PHOTO
We had one of the larger rooms, which I was told was about 270 square feet. Having just come from a place with not even a tiny closet and barely enough room to store my suitcase, it was a thrill.
Rooms at the Kixby are done up in warm shades of grey/blue with minimal art on the wall, which I think makes them seem a little bigger. There were a number of Art Deco/Beaux Art touches, as well.
The hotel isn’t tiny, but at 195 rooms it’s still got a personal touch.
We had a large closet, a coffee maker, a comfortable chair and a great bed. There was also a very good-sized desk with plenty of space to work and lots of electrical outlets that were easy to get to.
We had a great shower and a small but efficient bathroom with fine Malin + Goetz toiletries. The beds feature Serta Plush Platinum Suite mattresses and Matouk linens.
It’s an historical building that was designed as a hotel. It was originally The Metro. They gave it a top-to-bottom renovation job and it re-opened late last year.
There’s a large, main-floor cocktail bar called Lot 15 (I was told it was the original lot number on the city of New York’s official plan for the area), which features brilliant, colourful murals by contemporary muralist Fumero. We tried the Sazerac and an Old-Fashioned, both of them excellent.
The idea is to take classics and give them a bit of an original – but not too crazy – twist, one of the workers told me. I was happy to hear her say she was a “bartender,” and not a “mixologist.”
It’s not hard to see why the rooftop bar at the Kixby hotel is called the “Lookup.” JIM BYERS PHOTO
It wasn’t open for service when we were in January, but the “Lookup” bar on the 12th floor rooftop looks sensational, with colourful cushions and a black-and-white floor design that pulls your gaze upward. The name comes from the fact that you’re only a few meters from the Empire State Building, and you’ll definitely be craning your neck for photos of one of the world’s most famous buildings, not to mention other architectural gems in the area.
If the rooftop isn’t open you can still snuggle into one of the comfy chairs and sofas on the indoor area of the top floor, which is almost like a secret lounge or hidden lobby that’s super for reading a book or a quiet conversation.
The Kixby also has an on-site Black Tap burger and shake place, which takes Shake Shack and stands it on its head. The burgers are very tasty and come in a variety of styles, including The Mexico City (a fairly solid $19.50, with prime burger meat, pepper jack cheese, pickled jalapenos, a crispy onion ring and chipotle mayo). The Californian features a turkey burger, avocado (naturally), Swiss cheese and truffle mayo.
We sampled a great Mexico City burger, along with tasty Brussels Sprouts and very good onion rings. If there’s any place to improve, I’d say it’s the French fries, which were fine but not memorable.
This Black Tap may be in the same city that brought us the Soup Nazi, but this is a place that doesn’t mind – and, in fact, openly encourages substitutions. So, feel free to customize your burger the way you like it.
A “Crazy Shake” at Black Tap Burgers. JIM BYERS PHOTO
The so-called Crazy Shakes are insane; masses of ice cream, whipped cream, softball-sized cookies and piles of rainbow sprinkles, sometimes topped with cotton candy or served glasses coated on the outside with smashed-up, sugary cereal; Instagram photos waiting to be posted. but I wasn’t letting much of our Churro Choco Taco Shake (which had Cinnamon Toast crunch cereal coated on the glass and two cinnamon churros peeking out the top of the whipped cream) go to waste.
If that’s a bit much for your appetite, or your waistline, they also have a number of craft beers on offer.
The restaurant itself is a bright splash of modern design, with a gigantic neon boombox and an art piece designed out of something like 4,000 cassette tapes.
There are Black Tap outlets in New York City (one in midtown and the other in SoHo), plus one in Las Vegas and at Downtown Disney in California. The rest are overseas: Dubai, Singapore, Geneva, Bahrain and other exotic locations.
The location of the hotel also is tough to beat. You’re a block from the Empire State Building and only a few strides from Herald Square and Macy’s. The nearest subway entrance is maybe 150 steps outside the front door.
I checked room rates in March and found them available for as little $180 USD if you book direct. That’s a remarkable deal for New York City.
All in all, a very stylish, super-=convenient, tasty and quite affordable option in The Big Apple,
