What Manhattan needs is a Yobot, a robotic arm for storing luggage, and that is what Yotel, a 669-room hotel at the base of MIMA, the 63-story, mixed-use skyscraper at 450 West 42nd Street, will offer when it opens in June, according to reports today in The New York Daily News, USA Today and ny.curbed.com.
"Build a hotel with a Catch Me If You Can meets Blade Runner motif on 42nd Street, and we're going to take notice. Stick that hotel in MiMA, the massive Related Companies-developed tower that seeks to redefine Hell's Kitchen as "Middle of Manhattan" and includes theaters designed by Frank Gehry and a Dog City, and it commands full Curbed attention," declared Joey Arak in an article at ny.curbed.com.
"The airport-lounge-style inn claims to have the largest outdoor terrace in New York, and it features two bars, pagodas, and warming fire pits for crisp autumn air. There are other eating and drinking destinations inside, including Dohyo, a restaurant name that comes from the Japanese word for a Sumo wrestling platform," Mr. Arak observed.
An article by Joaquim Andrade and Samuel Goldsmith today in the New York Daily News noted that "a European hotel chain known for its itty-bitty rooms hopes to make a big splash this summer when it opens its first U.S. location west of Times Square," adding that, "called Yotel, the futuristic 669-room hotel on 10th Ave. and 42nd St. offers 'everything you might find in a luxury hotel in under 200 square feet,' executives say.
"I wanted Yotel to use innovative radical design to create a mixture of luxury, fun, comfort and excitement at an affordable price," Yotel CEO Gerard Greene said in a statement Thursday.
"Rooms - which the chain calls 'cabins' - start at $149 a night for two adults. At 167 square feet, the low-end "Premium Cabin" offers a retractable queen-sized bed, cramped walk-in shower and mini-workstation. Premium Cabins with a bunk bed over the queen will cost $179. That's a pint-sized price, considering most hotel rooms in the tourist-heavy area go for more than $200. Yotel's three locations in London and Amsterdam feature even smaller rooms, which can be booked for as little as four hours at a time. All three are attached to major airports. At London Heathrow Airport, $145 buys 24 hours in a 75-square foot cabin with a single bunk bed and small shower," the article said.
The compact hotel quarters, the article continued, "fill 27 floors of a new building on 42nd St. between Ninth and 10th Aves. called Middle of Manhattan - MiMA for short." The building, which has been designed by Arquitectonica, includes 500 apartments, 151 condos and several theaters.
An article by Barbara De Lollis of Hotel Check-In at USA TODAY said that Yotel CEO Gerard Greene said "We all know New York has small hotel rooms. The Hudsons, Paramounts of New York and even the Sheraton near Times Square - some of those rooms are only 100 or 200 square feet. Ours are 170 square feet. The way they've been designed with lots of mirrors and glass, windows, clever storage and mechanical beds that fold away makes them feel larger than they are."
Mr. Greene told Ms. De Lollis that his inspiration was that "the way we've approached it is really from an ergonomic, first-class, cabin yacht design instead of an old hotel refurbishment. It started from the drawing board with an aircraft designer."
"Our bathrooms are quite big," he said, adding that "We put the bathroom across the whole back of the room, so you don't walk into a corridor with a bathroom on the right or left. You walk in and say wow. With the bathroom in the back, there's light coming through (from windows), and you say Gosh, this is more spacious than I thought."
"People think Yotel is a high-tech brand, but actually there is no real technology in the rooms other than great lighting, great Wi-Fi and a great heating system. There's also a simple alarm clock, hot and cold water, and soundproofing," he said.
"Build a hotel with a Catch Me If You Can meets Blade Runner motif on 42nd Street, and we're going to take notice. Stick that hotel in MiMA, the massive Related Companies-developed tower that seeks to redefine Hell's Kitchen as "Middle of Manhattan" and includes theaters designed by Frank Gehry and a Dog City, and it commands full Curbed attention," declared Joey Arak in an article at ny.curbed.com.
"The airport-lounge-style inn claims to have the largest outdoor terrace in New York, and it features two bars, pagodas, and warming fire pits for crisp autumn air. There are other eating and drinking destinations inside, including Dohyo, a restaurant name that comes from the Japanese word for a Sumo wrestling platform," Mr. Arak observed.
An article by Joaquim Andrade and Samuel Goldsmith today in the New York Daily News noted that "a European hotel chain known for its itty-bitty rooms hopes to make a big splash this summer when it opens its first U.S. location west of Times Square," adding that, "called Yotel, the futuristic 669-room hotel on 10th Ave. and 42nd St. offers 'everything you might find in a luxury hotel in under 200 square feet,' executives say.
"I wanted Yotel to use innovative radical design to create a mixture of luxury, fun, comfort and excitement at an affordable price," Yotel CEO Gerard Greene said in a statement Thursday.
"Rooms - which the chain calls 'cabins' - start at $149 a night for two adults. At 167 square feet, the low-end "Premium Cabin" offers a retractable queen-sized bed, cramped walk-in shower and mini-workstation. Premium Cabins with a bunk bed over the queen will cost $179. That's a pint-sized price, considering most hotel rooms in the tourist-heavy area go for more than $200. Yotel's three locations in London and Amsterdam feature even smaller rooms, which can be booked for as little as four hours at a time. All three are attached to major airports. At London Heathrow Airport, $145 buys 24 hours in a 75-square foot cabin with a single bunk bed and small shower," the article said.
The compact hotel quarters, the article continued, "fill 27 floors of a new building on 42nd St. between Ninth and 10th Aves. called Middle of Manhattan - MiMA for short." The building, which has been designed by Arquitectonica, includes 500 apartments, 151 condos and several theaters.
An article by Barbara De Lollis of Hotel Check-In at USA TODAY said that Yotel CEO Gerard Greene said "We all know New York has small hotel rooms. The Hudsons, Paramounts of New York and even the Sheraton near Times Square - some of those rooms are only 100 or 200 square feet. Ours are 170 square feet. The way they've been designed with lots of mirrors and glass, windows, clever storage and mechanical beds that fold away makes them feel larger than they are."
Mr. Greene told Ms. De Lollis that his inspiration was that "the way we've approached it is really from an ergonomic, first-class, cabin yacht design instead of an old hotel refurbishment. It started from the drawing board with an aircraft designer."
"Our bathrooms are quite big," he said, adding that "We put the bathroom across the whole back of the room, so you don't walk into a corridor with a bathroom on the right or left. You walk in and say wow. With the bathroom in the back, there's light coming through (from windows), and you say Gosh, this is more spacious than I thought."
"People think Yotel is a high-tech brand, but actually there is no real technology in the rooms other than great lighting, great Wi-Fi and a great heating system. There's also a simple alarm clock, hot and cold water, and soundproofing," he said.
Architecture Critic
Carter Horsley
Since 1997, Carter B. Horsley has been the editorial director of CityRealty. He began his journalistic career at The New York Times in 1961 where he spent 26 years as a reporter specializing in real estate & architectural news. In 1987, he became the architecture critic and real estate editor of The New York Post.
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