Trump SoHo Hotel

Now there’s a name you probably weren’t expecting to see. Truth be told, we’re nearly as surprised as you are. But the bottom line is this: while there are plenty of perfectly valid ways to take issue with the concept of a Trump SoHo, in fact it’s pretty hard to find fault with the Trump as it actually exists.

Restraint is probably the key word. Sure, it’s a bit polished compared to some other downtown favorites, but you’d be hard pressed to find anything that you could reasonably call gaudy. The furnishings, custom designed by Fendi Casa, are contemporary, a bit sleek and a bit classic at the same time. If anything, the personality that shines through is that of David Rockwell, the architect whose firm is ultimately responsible for the Trump’s look and feel. He’s no stranger to the New York hospitality scene, nor to downtown in particular, and his work here, it’s fair to say, represents more or less the current state of the art.

It is big, that much you’d expect. With around four hundred rooms the Trump is no boutique operation, and it’s irrevocably altered the downtown skyline — there’s nothing nearly as high for quite some distance, which makes for some extraordinary views (if perhaps a little bit of chagrin on the part of the neighbors). This is pretty far west for SoHo, which means not just easy access to Tribeca and the West Village but, if you’re on the west side of the hotel, a view straight out over the Hudson as well.

Meanwhile the public spaces are, relatively speaking, a study in tranquility. The Library, with its collection of art and architecture books, is not exactly a riot. Bar d’Eau is a surprisingly mellow indoor-outdoor lounge, featuring not just a pool deck with private cabanas but a bocce court as well. The Spot, however, is the cocktail lounge with bottle service, where you may expect nightly revelry. If you’re looking for the mythical anarchic downtown of the Sixties and Seventies, then this, needless to say, is not where you’ll find it. But if 21st-century Manhattan is more your bag, you’ll find little to be bothered by here.

• 391 Rooms
• Style: Modern Design
• Atmosphere: Lively
• 12 Guest Reviews

Tweet