No city is more renowned for cramming unwary travellers into the tightest of shoe-box hotel rooms and then charging the earth for it than New York. But at The Jane a tiny room is a virtue – because it comes at a tiny price.
Originally a hotel for sailors, the majority of the rooms are cabin-sized: meaning a single bed, or single bunks, and just enough room to shiver your timbers alongside. If you’re thinking you left hostel-style cramped quarters behind years ago, thanks, think again. Apart from the square footage, everything about The Jane booms ‘boutique’, from the 300 thread-count sheets, to the iPod docks and free WiFi (that actually works).
The bathrooms may be communal, but they’re also decked out in cool black and white tile, with Deco-style silver fittings. They’ve made the most of the space, with luxe touches to the furnishings, all in a convincing early 20th-century style.
Back downstairs the lavish hotel ballroom now houses a cocktail bar furnished with a wonderful excess of sofas to sink into; judging from the queues late at night, it also hosts some very popular parties. An outpost of the West Village’s trendy Café Gitane serves as the hotel restaurant: order room service or an aperitif at the bar, where you’ll be front row for people-watching in one of New York’s coolest districts.
What’s hot?
- The laid-back atmosphere (staff and guests share one lift, leading to lots of cheery chats and unscheduled trips to the stores in the basement)
- The price, of course
- The details – from the nautical theme to the apothecary bathroom products
- Nothing beats sinking a swift cocktail in the cosy-slash-cool bar before heading out into the city
What’s not?
- If you’re in one of the smaller rooms don’t bring your cat: there genuinely isn’t room to swing it
- Though the hotel really doesn’t feel ‘budget’ in any way, if you’re really fussy you might miss one or two touches – no minibar, for example
Need to Know: The Jane
Number of rooms: 208
Check-in/check-out times: 3pm and 12noon
Room service: Yes
Swimming pool: Yes
Spa: No
Dogs welcome: No
Eating and drinking: Café Gitane for all-day (good) food and room service and the Ballroom bar for great cocktails. Although, after 9pm the bar is often reserved for private functions, so don’t count on a nightcap.
Near to? The Jane couldn’t be better placed: you’re right on the edge of the West Village and the Meatpacking district – in fact, chances are you’ll be overlooking the Hudson River – so you’re within walking distance of practically everything downtown, while being able to see a bit of the ‘real’ NYC – residential streets and quirky cafés – while en route. It’s also just a short direct walk from Bleecker Street (which should be renamed Marc Jacobs mile – there seems to be a shop of his on every corner) into the heart of the West Village.
Getting there: A short walk to the 14th Street subway; a taxi from JFK takes around an hour and fifteen minutes, depending on traffic; but you’re on the right side of Manhattan for Newark – and the journey can be done in 45 minutes.
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