Americano Hotel

New York – Chelsea

Gigantic and hyperactive, rectangular and vertical, New York is the ultimate symbol of the American « melting pot » where all of the world’s cultures come together. Manhattan, the economic, cultural and financial center of the city, is also the most visited by tourists.

Famous for its huge skyscrapersand its bustling activity, Manhattan contains a great many very different quarters, designated by their present day or their original ethnic reality, like Chinatown or Little Italy.

The southern part of the island, familiarly known as Downtown, includes the famous financial district called Wall Street, as well as Chinatown and Soho, the latter signifying “South of Houston Street,” Tribeca (“Triangle below Canal Street”) and Chelsea.

Chelsea owes its name to a retired British officer who settled here in 1750. He named it after the Chelsea Royal Hospital in London. The land quickly became the site of wealthy country homes, until the late 19^th century, when department stores and warehouses opened here, giving the quarter is residential atmosphere.

Chelsea today is filled with prestigious art galleries, and the former warehouses have become trendy venues. The quarter lives to the rhythm of the latest trends, and in addition to being peaceful and residential with its red brick houses, it is also chic and Bohemiann with some of the Big Apple’s most popular night spots.

Arty, minimalist and trendy

The Hotel Americano, the first American establishment created by the Habita hotel group, is located in the artistic quarter of Chelsea, in the heart of Manhattan. This former parking lot was transformed by Enrique Norten, a New York resident and architect, with a glass façade covered with a perforated metal cladding that leaves one guessing about its structure as well as allowing the light to enter. This pure and industrial style is in perfect harmony with the atmosphere of the neighborhood.

The relatively narrow nature of the building influenced the choice of French interior architect, Arnaud Montigny, creator of, among others, the Colette “concept store” in Paris, to redefine the space. To do so he imagined a simple and pure décor, black, white or dark gray minimalist walls and concrete floors, in total accord with the industrial hardness of the building.

In the rooms, the furniture with its precise lines is the work of the most well known creators from Paris to Milan. The wood encased platform bed in Japanese ryokan style occupies all the space. Some rooms have an ultra contemporary suspended fireplace. The décor consists of an urban blend of metal, concrete, wood, leather and glass. Alpaca bedspreads and some vivid and colorful touches scattered around complete this minimalist and design decoration.

In the Carrare marble bathrooms, sheet metal with tiny perforations inserted into the shower screens, filter the light in the same way as the metal cladding of the hotel’s façade.

We find the same ambiance in the common areas with an additional Latin touch. Unusual second hand objects like contact prints of Barak Obama are scattered around designer furniture and raw materials like cement, light colored wood and a lava wall as background.

The restaurant is bathed in natural light captured by a smoked glass mirror, and lamps which are veritable hanging sculptures. This new and popular spot, directed by Chef Joseph Buenconsejo, proposes a French cuisine with Latin influences and touches of South America, Spain and Italy.

After visiting Chelsea’s numerous art galleries, guests can relax in the narrow rooftop swimming pool or relax in one of the Paola Lenti chaises longues before heading for the Americanobar, a very lively spot frequented by tourists as well as native New Yorkers. It’s the ideal place to end the evening while admiring the High Line, with a cocktail in hand.