Let me just say this right up front: Faena New York is not for everybody.
The newest property from the hotelier Alan Faena is, like his projects in Buenos Aires and Miami Beach, the paragon of exclusivity and “who do you know?” The Accor-affiliated hotel is decorated with phenomenal artwork—including a magnificent Keith Haring painting, “Montreux Jazz Festival.” Its ceilings are gilded in 24-karat gold and the doormen wear white top hats. It’s filled with security guards and velvet ropes.
But like, actually.
Nikolas Koenig/Faena New York
During my recent overnight stay, I kept finding myself on the wrong side of a velvet rope, struggling to get into the handful of public spaces on property in spite of holding a room key. At cocktail hour, I had to check in with a receptionist, negotiate with a doorman, and walk myself to a bar seat—before convincing a bartender that I was indeed a guest worth indulging.
Once I had my $30 martini in hand, I looked around the room, which was filled with blood-red roses, vivid leopard prints, an astonishing mural rich in New York imagery, and plenty of stylish people deep in conversation. If this was a visionary example of contemporary hospitality, executed at the highest level, why did it feel so painfully uncomfortable?
Nikolas Koenig/Faena New York
“Infused with Faena’s singular storytelling, where imagination meets intention and the everyday becomes extraordinary, this new chapter is a love letter to the timeless creators who make this city so magical, and we hope it adds a small note of beauty to their extraordinary symphony,” said Alan Faena, in an email to T+L.
Was I just not getting it? After all, to enter a Faena property is to submit to the impresario’s vision, and to embrace the occasionally outré feel of what he’s assembled. Not for nothing: Faena Hotel Buenos Aires, which I visited a couple years after its 2004 debut, was for a time called the Faena Hotel+Universe, a not-so-subtle nod at its conceptual ambition. The Faena Hotel Miami Beach is a massive resort complex that plays host to world-class events and is known for its high-end entertainment as well as Mammoth Garden.
Nikolas Koenig/Faena New York
A similar effort seems to be underway in New York, where the latest Faena hotel occupies a torqued skyscraper designed by Bjarke Ingles Group, situated near Chelsea’s High Line. Its entryway is marked by a gilded spiral staircase and a “monumental mural,” as it’s described by the hotel, called “Ascension, A Sephirotic Journey,” by the Argentine artist Diego Gravinese. The 120 rooms and suites are filled with rich textiles, phenomenal bedding, marble baths, high-end Toto fixtures, and views of the Hudson River or the neighborhood’s remarkable architecture.
Nikolas Koenig/Faena New York
Nikolas Koenig/Faena New York
Indeed, my room was something of an oasis from the people watching in the Living Room, a small sitting area on the second floor, and at La Boca restaurant, the only two public spaces that were open to me during my brief stay. I loved that I could see boats sailing up and down the Hudson River from my bed, and the terrific shower was a treat—as was the bounty of bath amenities available without needing to call downstairs. An in-room espresso maker, a Smeg hot water kettle, and a minibar with the necessities were additional niceties that I appreciated—particularly since some high-end hotels seem to think these items aren’t worth stocking.
Elsewhere, though, it felt like I’d arrived a touch too early. Plans call for a massive spa to open in 2026, a staffer told me, and a cabaret theater is also in the works. (A temporary fitness center, on the third floor, was smaller than is typical for hotels these days but fully stocked with excellent equipment.) Other semi-public spaces, including El Secreto and La Cava, were either not ready for guests or so top secret as to elude me. I felt myself longing for a true lobby, a place to hang and enjoy a cup of coffee, since the Living Room is currently only open in the evenings.
Perhaps that’s why Alan Faena himself was sitting outside, in his trademark wide-brim hat, at a table on the property’s courtyard along 10th Avenue. I noticed him there, right after checking in, and wondered what he might be cooking up next.
Rooms at Faena New York start at $1,195.
