Wallpaper* checks into Gansevoort Meatpacking, an art-filled hotel that mirrors the district’s glow-up

Gansevoort Meatpacking was the first luxury hotel to open in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. In 2004, many of the meatpackers had already moved out – abattoirs replaced by Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney and Diane von Fürstenberg boutiques.

Around the millennium, Samantha Jones moved to ‘the hot and trendy Meatpacking District’ in Sex and the City. Soon after, a Soho House opened (the inhabitants of whose rooftop pool you can spy on – sorry, people-watch – from the upper floors of Gansevoort Meatpacking), followed by an Apple Store and the High Line, and the rest was history. For better or for worse, the last of the meatpackers have gone, banished to boroughs like Brooklyn and the Bronx.

Who is behind the design?

Like the neighbourhood, Gansevoort Meatpacking has evolved dramatically since 2004. It received a considerable injection of swagger in 2021 with a $40 million renovation, which included contributions from Gidich + Sepúlveda Architecture and Duncan & Miller Design.

Surroundings are gritty and streamlined, with washed concrete punctuated by art, which lies at the heart of Gansevoort Meatpacking’s identity. Banksy and Richard Hambleton originals hang in the lobby; in the public spaces and guest rooms, find works by Richard Avedon, Mick Rock, Domingo Zapata and more.

The room to book

The hotel’s artistic ethos reaches its zenith in the Poliform Penthouse, which feels like a high-end contemporary gallery. Poliform’s first US collaboration reflects the Italian furniture brand’s modern, minimal luxury – a space of clean lines, subtle forms and lacquered finishes. The palette is restrained save for the vibrant primary colours of art by Frank Stella, Adi Oren and Daniel Mazzone.

Entering the penthouse (through the lower level of two entrances), you’re immediately struck by a 20ft cityscape of the Hudson River and Jersey City beyond, which fills the entire west-facing wall. You’re then drawn to a huge glass fireplace that ignites with the touch of a button (which, trust me, never gets old); in front of it is a Mondrian sofa and a coffee table crafted from rare African St Laurent marble.

Climb the monolithic staircase to the mezzanine for a bird’s-eye view of the space, and to discover a workout area with weights and a studio mirror. This leads onto the plush, low-fi bedroom, complete with an additional seating area and two bathrooms (just the three for two people, then).

Beyond the penthouse, the 186 rooms at Gansevoort Meatpacking, including 20 suites, are all comfortable and stylish, with either bay windows or Juliet balconies, tiled bathrooms and leather-topped desks.

What's on your doorstep?

Sitting on the Hudson’s east bank, between Chelsea and the swoon-worthy brownstones of the West Village, Gansevoort Meatpacking is moments away from the Whitney Museum of American Art (designed by Renzo Piano in 2015), the architecturally fascinating Little Island park (by Heatherwick Studio in 2021), Chelsea Market and, below this, in a century-old former boiler room, Artechouse, an immersive, technology-driven gallery space. Local buzzspots for food and drink include RH Rooftop, Kevin McNally’s Pastis and The Standard. But Gansevoort Meatpacking is an attraction in itself: upon arrival – jet-lagged, bedraggled – I watched impeccably-dressed punters filing into the hotel for Saturday evening drinks.

Staying for drinks and dinner?

There are four dining venues at Gansevoort Meatpacking. Coffee + Cocktails serves breakfast, lunch and dinner in a café-inspired space or al fresco. Le Coin is a Parisian-inspired restaurant where we enjoyed a pre-jazz club steak tartare (in the Meatpacking District, you’re just minutes from the Village’s quaint jazz and comedy institutions) surrounded by, again, unique art, this time curated by the director of Leica Gallery LA, Paris Chong.

At rooftop sushi restaurant Saishin, chef Isaac Kek crafts 14- or 19-course omakase tasting menus at an interactive chef’s counter. Finally, the Gansevoort Rooftop, with its blush-pink bar and olive-tree centrepiece, offers upscale European cuisine and golden hour cocktails.

Where to switch off

Take said cocktails out to the rooftop pool, with its Instagrammable views.

In January of 2024, Gansevoort Meatpacking launched a private members’ club, granting access to the pool, as well as spaces including a café, a workspace, a fitness centre, and Dimes, a 1970s speakeasy-inspired bar with a dynamic cocktail programme, live music and DJs, bowling lanes and a karaoke room.

The verdict

Gentrification transformed the Meatpacking District from gritty to gleaming; cobbled sidewalks once slicked with fat are long since pristine. Gansevoort Meatpacking struck at the opportune moment, topping up its allure in 2021 and now perfectly poised to claim its place among New York’s most stylish hotels.

Gansevoort Meatpacking is at 18 Ninth Avenue (at 13th Street) New York, NY 10014, gansevoorthotelgroup.com