WHAT’S IT LIKE? This 391-room, 46-floor building is the second Trump property to open in the city (after the Trump International Hotel and Tower), and the first big luxury hotel to open in the trendy Soho district. It was unveiled last year and offers business travellers a classy, well-considered place to stay with all the facilities one could need, such as a 24-hour gym, outdoor pool, high-quality restaurant, meeting space with stunning views, top-quality staff, spacious bedrooms and stylish, contemporary interiors. The high-ceilinged lobby has cream marble, black steel, American walnut, matt stone and glossy leather armchairs, and smart doormen are always on hand to welcome you and help with hailing cabs.
WHERE IS IT? On Spring Street in the district of Soho. The area is great for shopping and the hotel is within walking distance of the famous Balthazar restaurant (balthazarny.com) – an excellent spot for brunch and located on the same stretch. Newark airport is 20-30 minutes’ drive away, while JFK is about 40 minutes by cab. The nearest subway station is Houston Street.
ROOM FACILITIES Bedrooms at the Trump are of a good size – starting from 39 sqm – and feature Fendi Casa furniture and modern masculine décor, with a palette of soft creams, browns, greys, dark purple and white. Located on levels nine to 46, all have floor-to-ceiling windows and panoramic views, which is a real plus in a city where you can so often be looking on to a brick wall or adjacent office block.
Standard amenities include minibars and wet bars, 42-inch flatscreen TVs, wired/wifi internet access (US$14.95), iPod docks, Nespresso coffee makers, microwaves, Egyptian cotton sheets and towels, bathrooms with grey and white striped marble, separate walk-in rainshowers and baths (half of which are positioned by a window), and Trump-branded spa products. My 80 sqm one-bedroom suite also had a large living room with a workdesk, sofa and coffee table, and a second WC. It was a pleasure to stay here and my only complaint would be that there weren’t any light switches by the bed so I had to get up to turn everything off, and during high winds the windows shook.
RESTAURANTS AND BARS In-room dining is available around the clock, but for those who want to be a bit more sociable, the ground-floor Quattro restaurant – specialising in northern Italian cusine – is popular with New Yorkers and guests alike, and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. It can seat 160 people, including 40 on its mezzanine level.
I ate here one evening and enjoyed an sumptuous parmigiana di melanzane in forma (baked aubergine layered with tomato sauce, melted mozzarella and basil) for US$14, followed by tagliatelle with Mediterranean shrimps and asparagus (US$20), with a very good bottle of Brunello di Montalcino. Although the starter came out before I had finished drinking my aperitif, the staff were very friendly and attentive, and the atmosphere on that Friday night was buzzing with the satisfied clink of cutlery on fine china and mellow conversation. I only wished the eatery had been on one of the higher floors so as I could have enjoyed a city panorama with my meal.
The dimly lit Kastel cocktail lounge located behind reception has nightly DJs and is open 5pm-2am Tuesday-Saturday (until 10pm Monday). Note that a guest list operates from 10pm. The first-floor mezzanine Library overlooks the lobby and has a good collection of Taschen books. Guests can relax here with a coffee or a glass of wine whenever it suits.
BUSINESS AND MEETING FACILITIES There is 1,115 sqm of event space including a dazzling venue called SoHi on the top-level with three walls of floor-to-ceiling windows offering views of Downtown and Brooklyn Bridge. It has a capacity of 150 delegates reception-style, while the third-floor Soho ballroom can host 400 people theatre-style. The Hudson ballroom is smaller, but also has an outdoor terrace that is good for cocktails in clement weather. There is a small business centre in the basement with a couple of PCs, an ATM, printers and copiers.
LEISURE FACILITIES The 1,000 sqm split-level spa occupies floors seven and eight, and is open from 10am to 9pm for a charge of US$50 per guest, per day. I thought this was a bit much so didn’t try it out. For those who want to, it features full-service hammams for men and women, an outdoor lap pool (open seasonally) and bar, and treatment rooms for massages and facials. A 24-hour fitness centre is equipped with Technogym machines and weights and is free to use. Personal trainers are available.
VERDICT An excellent high-end option for business travellers – the spacious bedrooms all offer great city vistas, and the hotel’s Soho location is close enough to the financial district to get there by cab in ten to 15 minutes. Service is very good as is the food in the on-site Quattro restaurant.
FACT FILE
HOW MANY ROOMS? There are 391 bedrooms starting from 39 sqm in size – very generous for New York. Categories include Superior, Deluxe and Suite, of which there are ten penthouses and 132 one-beds.
ROOM HIGHLIGHTS The impressive cityscape views, the amount of space, the big comfortable bed and Nespresso machine.
PRICE Internet rates for a midweek stay in May started from US$499 for a King Superior room.
CONTACT Trump Soho, 246 Spring Street, Soho; tel +1 212 8425 550; trumpsohohotel.com
Jenny Southan
