Soho House

Hotel description

No, it’s not in Soho, it’s in the Meatpacking District, the west-side warehouse neighborhood that’s suddenly found itself enjoying a second career as something of a dining and nightlife mecca. The Soho House name, rather, refers to its status as the New York chapter of the legendary London members club — the fact that it’s north of Houston is but a footnote.

So it’s a hotel, yes, but it’s a private club first. The waiting list for memberships, we’re assured, is miles long, but this being America, it is possible to buy your way in; hotel guests are members for the duration of their stay, with access to spaces that most locals can only daydream about.

The membership policy means Soho House doesn’t have to rely on challenging design to put off would-be trespassers. Here the interiors pointedly refer to New York loft apartments, with hardwood floors, brick walls and exposed ceiling beams, and the interior design is noticeably British in character, mixing as it does modern elements like stark egg-shaped tubs with updated versions of country-house antiques, like the occasional chandelier or an ornate headboard topping an otherwise perfectly Zen platform bed.

And here membership, however temporary, has its privileges, including 24-hour butler service, the Cowshed spa, and a rooftop pool with views over the Hudson and the West Village. You’re assured an in at the restaurant and bar, normally among New York’s hottest tickets, and a drawing room and games room round out the not-so-public public spaces, perfect for retiring from the always-on Meatpacking District scene.