HOTEL REVIEW
the Meatpacking district, bringing it within close reach of the hotel. A construction boom has followed in the wake of zoning regulations, including new buildings by Shigeru Ban, Jean Nouvel and Frank Gehry. Grupo Habita have been Mexico’s hottest boutique hoteliers for over a decade. Their properties are unique. Every hotel has been approached as a one-off by Habita’s Creative Director and co-founder Carlos Couturier, working with different architects and designers for each project. Indeed the most surprising thing about the choice of architect for this project – Enrique Norten of Ten Arquitectos – is that they have worked with him before, on the launch of their very first, eponymous Hotel Habita in Mexico City back in 2004. Hôtel Americano may not have as strong a sense of place as properties such as Azucar, Basico or La Purificadora which are firmly
rooted in the history and culture of their surroundings. But it does acknowledge the Latin American background of its owners, while encompassing a variety of international influences appropriate to the melting pot of New York, not least the French heritage of Couturier himself (note the circumflex above the ‘o’ in Hôtel). Norten’s ten-storey edifice is a glass structure encased in a metal mesh façade that references the industrial spirit of the surrounding neighborhood. Along the exterior, a glass-enclosed elevator shuttles guests between the street-level restaurant and rooftop terrace. The rooms are designed by French designer Arnaud Montigny, best known for his work at Parisian boutique store Colette. Quality craftsmanship, raw materials and midcentury design classics are combined to create spaces which feel like a mix of urban ryokan – as evoked by
ABOVE: The Americano restaurant features black leather banquettes, Arflex BBPR dining chairs upholstered in yellow or khaki felt, beneath Foscarini Allegro and Allegreto lights. Tables are in carrara marble, with white lacquered glass walls OVERLEAF: The lobby cafe and ‘to-go’ bar
WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM MARCH / APRIL 2012 045
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164