Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC

Back in 2004, the opening of the 14-floor Gansevoort signaled an important moment in the Meatpacking District's transformation from a prostitute-cruising locale to a style-conscious enclave full of bottle-service clubs, Sex and the City-filmed-here bistros, and the Alexander McQueen boutique.

The key to Gansevoort's success: backing up the hype with substantive amenities. Beneath the hotel's flashy light-changing exterior, guests find sizable, luxurious rooms with free Wi-Fi and HBO, 24-hour room service, and the much-talked-about rooftop pool, which is as thrilling for families as for fashion-conscious 25-year-olds. By night, the disco-lit lobby is filled with the clicking heels of young, short-skirted women accompanying their black-blazered boyfriends to the rooftop pool. An occasional celebrity might still wander by, hide out in the duplex penthouse, or get carded at the restaurant. But the next morning, it's the 10-and-under set splashing around in the rooftop pool while lifeguards round up the floaties.

That's not to say Gansevoort's lost any of its carefully cultivated sex appeal -- the hotel's own acid-jazzy CD compilations, extravagant 400-thread-count sheets, and sexy bathroom lighting attest to that. A 2012 design makeover for the guestrooms replaced the neutral tones with pops of color, and old images of the Meatpacking district with modern photography by Deborah Anderson, the art director of the hotel.

The Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC is located in Manhattan's cobblestone-paved Meatpacking District, a subsection made up of the far northern and western blocks of the West Village and bordered by Chelsea to the north. Once home to hundreds of slaughterhouses and meatpacking plants and, more recently, a disproportionate amount of the city's illicit sexual activity, the area has in the past decade been transformed into a trend-conscious enclave full of bottle-service clubs, Sex and the City-filmed-here bistros, and designer boutiques like Alexander McQueen, La Perla, and Christian Louboutin.

The location is ideal for exploring the neighborhood clubs -- say, checking out the DJs at Cielo or celebrity-spying at Tenjune.

Because of the heavy nightlife traffic, the area is a safe place to roam -- but expect weekend nights in particular to be packed with boisterous and sometimes inebriated partyers, many of them daytripping from New Jersey and Long Island. During the day the neighborhood is much mellower, perfect for window-shopping and people-watching from the new High Line park or one of the many bistros and cafes with sidewalk seating.

With renovations in 2012, ultra hip, modern photography has been added to guestrooms, and the color scheme has shifted from neutral to pops of color, more reminiscent of its sister hotel on Park Avenue.

All rooms and suites feature the following amenities:

• Featherbeds and 400-thread-count Egyptian cotton and hypoallergenic duvets
• Standard rooms start at 250-square-feet, with one king-size bed or two queen-size beds
• Suites start at 435-sqaure feet and offer balconies with city views or Hudson River views
• The Deluxe Penthouse comes in at 1,700-square-feet and has three bedrooms, a working fireplace, separate shower area and Jacuzzi bath, dining area, office space, and balcony.
• Wall-mounted LCD flat-screen TVs with DVD players and premium cable
• iPod docking stations
• Full-stocked minibars
• In-room safes large enough for a laptop
• Free Wi-Fi in rooms and common areas
• Free delivery of Nintendo Wii, PlayStation, or PSP video game counsels
• The lights in the bathroom have a setting that -- I kid you not -- throws a spotlight on the bathtub.

No question, the Gansevoort's guests-only, 45-foot-long rooftop pool remains its most distinctive asset. It's just around 4 feet deep, but it's heated, open 365 days a year, and has an underwater sound system. And the novelty of swimming among the rooftops of Manhattan never seems to wear thin. The 2012 renovations haven't changed much, just made seating sleeker. One of the hotel's main draws is its bonus features:

• Access to Plunge rooftop pool and lounge and Provacatuer, an exclusive nightlife lounge with a skybox for private parties.
• 24-hour business center, which offers free Internet surfing and printing.
• Exhale Spa, which offers a full menu of treatments and on-the-go services and infinity-edge whirlpools, lounge, and a 1,500-square-foot fitness studio for daily yoga, Pilates, and conditioning classes.
• Free access to the 24-hour, guest-only fitness center, which is small and windowless, but adequately equipped with elliptical machines, treadmills, bikes, strength-training machines, and a gigantic flat-screen TV.
• Video game counsels available for rooms, including Wiis, Playstation, and PSP.

The Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC will let guests bring pets of any size or type for a per-stay fee. Pets are not allowed at the rooftop pool or lounge or in the restaurant or bar. The hotel website mentions "complimentary pet amenities" like a collar tag and Barking Zoo treats and toys -- but they don't seem so free if you're paying a fee.

Though it doesn't market itself as such, the Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC is one of the most family-friendly hotels in New York -- everything from diapers and bottle warmers to larger items like infant bathtubs and strollers (as well as more common cribs) are available free of charge. Rollaways are not offered, but adjoining rooms are. And families do book here. With kids, a rooftop pool sells itself.

Pay-per-view offerings include programs from Disney Channel and PBS Kids on Demand, and the 40-odd free channels include Nickelodeon and Toon Disney Channel. PlayStations, Wiis, and PSPs can also be borrowed free of charge, as well as house bicycles and helmets.

The children's menu features kid-friendly standards like chicken fingers, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, grilled cheese, and cookies and milk, all at reasonable prices.

At about 250 square feet, even the smallest rooms can accommodate a crib. And several other room classes come with sofa beds.

• The Chester is an indoor/outdoor restaurant with leather sofas, chandeliers, and checker tiling in the bi-level interior dining space. There's also a private dining room overlooking the main dining space.
• Plunge, the sleek rooftop bar and lounge, serves bar fare and cocktails, and boasts gorgeous city views.
• The hotel offers 24-hour room service.