Review as published in Louis Vuitton New York City Guide 2016
The Greenwich Hotel
377 Greenwich Street, Tribeca
Subway Franklin Street
Tel 1 212 941 8900
89 rooms and suites, $525 to $6,500
Craftsmanship and authenticity are trademarks at De Niro’s Tuscany-by-way-of-Tribeca hotel, which has earned it a very loyal clientele. “Bob” – as his staff refers to him – was one of the first hoteliers to prioritize artisanal details and salvage finds. The lobby is much cosier and less open, complete with knick-knacks. Furnished as though it were a private residence, there are no production-line pieces in sight anywhere. Fetishists of flooring will genuinely squeal at the beauty of the Moroccan stained cement and Mexican mosaic tiling in the ensuites. Even the Japanese-inspired Shibui Spa housing a dimly lit swimming pool reflects the hand-fitted ethos: a 250-year-old Japanese farmhouse was carefully reconstructed in the space, using only wooden pegs. Locanda Verde is the hotel’s legend-in-its-own-right trattoria. The casual decor makes a show of wine bottles, cookbooks, glasses and spices. And this is a hotel that avoids unexpected add-ons. In the rooms, minibars overflow with on-the-house treats and that basket of imaginative sweet and savoury retro snacks is refreshed daily. And those paintings in the lobby keep with the family-run mood: they’re by none other than Robert De Niro Senior.