Life Hotel

Life Hotel's story begins in the late 1800s, when the publisher John Ames Mitchell decided to build a prestigious new office building for his magazine, the original "Life" (the humor publication that preceded the photography weekly). He wanted the headquarters to be an inspiration for the writers, illustrators, and graphic designers who created the magazine, and hired the esteemed architecture firm Carrere & Hastings to design the building. (Three years later, the architecture duo was commissioned to design the New York Public Library.) When the magazine moved in in 1895, the building not only had office space and studios for Life's writers, editors, and designers, but also upper-level "bachelor apartments" for some of its staff members. The building housed Life until 1931, and famous staffers-slash-residents over the years include Norman Rockwell and Henri Cartier-Bresson.

With its double-height limestone arches on the street level, pedimented windows, and decorative cartouches displaying a "double L" logo, the red-brick building is a beautiful example of Beaux-Arts architecture. An ornate sculpture above the front door by French-born sculptor Philip Martiny depicts a gold cherub named "Winged Life" -- the magazine's symbol -- writing on a pad and framed by an elaborate gold carving inscribed with the words "humor" and "wit." Over the decades, the building lost its prestige, and was eventually occupied by the lower-middle-range Herald Square Hotel, a budget spot that retained the original spiral marble staircase and flowery handmade ironwork, but downgraded the Gilded-Age-era grandeur with low ceilings, tile floors, and wall-to-wall low-pile carpeting. The current Life Hotel restored the property throughout 2016 and 2017, before fully opening in early January 2018. Interiors (by restaurateur and designer Tara Oxley) successfully evoke the building's original turn-of-the-last-century style, while still feeling patently modern.

A small foyer leads up to wood-and-glass doors, where gold-leaf lettering spell out “Life Hotel” and “Henry at Life Hotel” (the name of the in-house restaurant). The lobby is a cozy and charming combination of marble herringbone floors, paneled wood walls, low coffered ceilings, and oxblood leather seating. A low dividing wall separates the lobby from Henry, Life Hotel's casual bistro restaurant with wood floors, antiqued mirrors, and an open kitchen. The homey lobby bar features carved wooden bar with a marble top and half a dozen beers on tap, as well as communal workspace and a bronze bar looking out on 31st Street. Despite the predominance of wood, bronze, and leather, the lobby feels more inviting than intimidatingly highbrow. Dream pop pipes through speakers and young professionals peck away at laptops by the bar.

There is only one elevator for guest use, but an inoperative birdcage elevator (one of only two in the city) runs up the center of the hotel, wrapped by a marble staircase. The front desk is tucked into the lobby's back corner. The discreet placement was intentional; the hotel wants the space to feel foremost like a neighborhood place to eat, drink, work, and hang out. 

Life Hotel's immediate surroundings aren't the most exciting or picturesque; it's on a rather lackluster block that always seems to be choked with scaffolding, traffic cones, and idling UPS trucks. Neighboring buildings hold mostly liquor stores, vape shops, jewelry and cellphone accessory wholesalers, and empty storefronts. The high-rise Hyatt Herald Square New York is across the street, and opposite Life Hotel's front door is a very uninspiring backside of a parking garage. However, the hotel is central to plenty of great areas. Herald Square (home to Macy's flagship store) and Empire State Building are short walks away, and the jewel-like Madison Square Park is five blocks south (with Eataly located on its southwest corner). Union Square is another six blocks south. Koreatown is one block north of the hotel (West 32nd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues) and loaded with fun restaurants and karaoke venues. Taxis are easy to find outside the front door, and eight train lines (B, D, F, M, N, Q, R, W) can be picked up at 34 Street-Herald Square Station, a three-minute walk away. Using public transportation, guests can easily reach sights farther afield like Central Park (16 minutes), SoHo (19 minutes), the 9/11 Memorial (23 minutes), or The Metropolitan Museum of Art (35 minutes). John F. Kennedy International Airport is a little over an hour's ride on public transportation or a 45-minute drive (depending on traffic).

Life Hotel's 98 rooms come in all shapes and sizes. For example, one (the former site of the magazine's printing machinery) has exceptionally high ceilings, while in others the ceilings are sloped. But all are designed in a way that pays tribute to their literary and late-19th-century origins. Common elements include white walls with restored picture moldings, windows fitted with white shutters, and wood-plank or concrete floors, some of which are original to the building. Copper grates cover the closet doors (which also have glass doorknobs) and above the wrought-iron beds hang original art pieces (unique in each room) quoting Ralph Waldo Emerson, Jack Kerouac, Philip Larkin, and other artists, musicians, poets, and writers.

For all of their period decor, rooms are incredibly modern on the amenities front. Every room has a massive Samsung flat-screen TV (60-inch, in most rooms) with Google Chromecast, which allows guests to access their content on apps like Netflix and Hulu. There is a Wi-Fi hot spot in each room providing free, strong Wi-Fi; and guests can use a dedicated text line to communicate with the hotel before and during their stay. All rooms have dimmer lights, blackout blinds, hairdryers, bathrobes, slippers, and safes. Air-conditioning and heat are controlled through individual units, and mini-fridges and coffeemakers are available upon request. 

Beds are dressed in eco-friendly linens and contain posh Simmons BeautyRest Black Napa mattresses, which are only found at three hotels in the city (this one, and the much-pricier InterContinental New York Barclay and Four Seasons New York). Every room has a wood desk -- appropriate for the one-time work spaces and living quarters of "Life" editors -- and many have extra furnishings like blue velvet benches and sleeper sofas. Most north-facing rooms have views of the Empire State Building.

Bathrooms are snug (as to be expected from an 1894 building) and beautifully done in either black-and-white tiles or marble. Nearly all of the rooms have shower/tub combos with rainfall showerheads; two rooms have walk-in rainfall showers. A generous array of Lather toiletries -- facial soap, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, bar soap, and shower caps -- are provided, along with mending kits and makeup-removing wipes. 

Decor and amenities are the same in all rooms, but there are differences in size and layouts. Classic Queen and Classic King are the entry-level categories, each with around 185 square feet of space. Next up is Premium King (about 225 square feet) -- most rooms fall into this category. There are two 240-square-foot rooms with private terraces, one with one king bed and one with two queen beds. For families or parties looking for more space, a suite of two or three rooms can be booked together. 

Life Hotel's on-site features are slight, which is typical for a boutique hotel in a historic building. Its cozy-casual Henry at Life Hotel bistro takes up most of the lobby. Henry is helmed by Chef Michael Vignola, who regularly switches up the menu, but keeps bistro staples like oysters, pastas, and roasted fish in rotation. (Breakfast generally costs extra unless it's included with your booking.) Across from the restaurant is Life's lobby bar, which serves draft beer, wine, and cocktails, and acts as a work space during the day. The rooftop Chef’s Garden off the second floor can be booked for cocktail events or private dinners for up to 16 people. When the garden isn't being used for a special event, guests have access to this outdoor space.

Accessed by a secret staircase behind the elevator, Gibson + Luce is Henry's subterranean cocktail bar. The wood-paneled space was allegedly where the staffers would drink during Prohibition. Gibson + Luce serves custom cocktails ("The Front Page" is a potent combo of cognac, bitter Bruto Americano, walnut liqueur, lemon, and chocolate fig) and Chef Vignola’s accompanying bar menu.

The hotel's mini fitness center has one of everything: one treadmill, elliptical, bike, weight bench, and multi-use workout station. There are also free weights, medicine balls, and yoga mats.

Wi-Fi is free throughout, and there's a public computer and printer available. Other services include laundry, dry cleaning, and luggage storage. Pets are welcome for a fee.