A Quirky Willamsburg Hotel With Killer Views

We’ve got our eye on this North Williamsburg newcomer, an off-beat design hotel with a community-minded ethos that will appeal to tastemakers from Brooklyn and beyond.

The Hoxton — quirky, chic, stay-a-week-past-check-out cool — has belonged to intrepid trendsetters across the pond for the last decade, and frankly we here in North America have waited long enough for a Hoxton of our very own. In the boho neighborhoods of London, Paris, and Amsterdam, the hotel puts on comedy nights and ping pong tournaments and claims the most sought-after rooms in town. Now Brooklynites (and visitors alike) can get in on the action at The Hoxton Williamsburg.

When the original Hoxton Shoreditch first opened its doors in 2006, it aimed to create a space in which guests and community members alike could meet up, get inspired, and connect on a local level, surrounded by impeccable design that nurtures creativity. It’s the kind of place you’d visit for months before realizing it was a hotel, but then once you spent the night nothing short of the jaws of life could pry you out from underneath bespoke linens and mohair headboards.

In Williamsburg, where raw, untamed creative spirit still galvanizes musicians to muralists, The Hoxton’s ethos has found a natural place to take root. From the “Best in Brooklyn” collection, a retail line spotlighting local artists who’ve created products inspired by and to be sold exclusively at the hotel, to the reading selection in every guest room curated by a different community member, the commitment to an exchange of ideas and passions is at the heart of each space, right down to the perfectly-placed Edison bulb.

Book It

Rates changes seasonally and typically start at $189 per night. Click here for reservations, or get in touch with the Fathom Travel Concierge, and we can plan your trip for you.

Checking In

Location
The Hoxton chose North Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York, as the site of their first North American property, a neighborhood buzzing with counter-culture charm, all things artisanal — there’s a gourmet hot sauce shop down the block — and people who dress a lot cooler than you do. The hotel itself was built on the lot of the former Rosenwach Water Tower factory, maker of the rooftop water towers that dot the city skyline.

Hotel Style
Retro-industrial with a feminine twist. In the downstairs common area, Edison bulbs and exposed brick compliment pastel, velvet lounge seating, floral upholstery, and an array of decorative vases, while vintage electronics and polished gold accents adorn guest rooms.

This Place Is Perfect For
Tastemakers from Brooklyn and beyond: The hotel’s reception desk is tucked away down a corridor that adjoins an open, integrated common space, with a bar, exposed kitchen, cafe, outdoor amphitheater, and lounge area, beckoning guests, and neighborhood residents alike to work, eat, and play.

What’s on Site
The Apartment, a multi-room event space with a communal kitchen that plays host to a jam-packed calendar of classes, workshops, and panels that can also be rented for private parties.

Food + Drink
There are three eateries on site, all of which are run in collaboration with a group of Brooklyn restaurateurs with their finger on the pulse of the local food and beverage scene. Daily breakfast is served in classic Hoxton fashion, via free breakfast bags placed outside of every guest room door. The main restaurant is Klein’s, the ground floor bar, all-day restaurant, and cafe — anchored by the exposed kitchen and a recreation of the original brick carriage house inside the Rosenwach factory — that serves downhome American fare. Backyard, a casual, playful outdoor space fitted with loungers and ping pong tables, dishes no-utensils-necessary plates paired with local brews and cocktail pitchers. Up on the roof, the panoramic Summerly restaurant and bar is blessed with a view of the Manhattan skyline that will leave even the most hardened New Yorkers breathless.

Number of Rooms
There’s a total of 175 rooms divided across three categories — cozy, cozy with a view (odd-numbered rooms on the higher floors directly face the the Manhattan skyline), and roomy. Brass accents from the light fixtures to the mirrors to the free-standing garment rack, black-and-white tiled bathrooms and concrete walls lend each space a raw, industrial edge, while mohair headboards, local ceramics, and bespoke linens atop every king-sized bed show off The Hoxton brand’s signature flare.

In-Room Amenities
There’s retro tech — Roberts radios and old-school phones — a mini-fridge stocked with milk and water in addition to the Cru Coffee coffee bags and Bushwick Tea bags, Bl_nk bathroom amenities, one free hour of international calling, and an adorable Hoxton Survival Guide outlining tips for navigating the area. Hox Friends, a collection of 175 local artists and small business owners, each curated the 10-book reading selection in every guest room.

Drawbacks
There’s no spa, gym (you can purchase daily, all access passes to a nearby gym for $15), or pool on site, and while Williamsburg may be an ideal home base for some, it’s not the most convenient location from which to explore or take meetings in Manhattan.

Standout Detail
The Hoxton’s first full retail collection, “Best in Brooklyn,” showcases local movers and shakers who’ve designed everything from apparel to leather goods to housewares, all inspired by The Hoxton and to be sold exclusively at the hotel.

Good to Know
The subway artery that connects Williamsburg and Manhattan, the L train, was damaged by Hurricane Sandy and is currently undergoing repairs. As of fall 2018, Manhattan-bound weekend service is suspended, which will be followed by a fifteen-month shutdown beginning in spring 2019. However, a shuttle from Williamsburg to the next-closest subway line and increased bus service to Manhattan will alleviate transportation woes.

Checking Out

What to Do Nearby
The hipsters may have cleared out of Williamsburg long ago to pave the way for a combination Whole Foods-Equinox, but the restaurant, bar, shopping, and arts scenes rival anything you’d find across the bridge. Satisfy any and all craving at Smorgasburg, the largest open-air weekly food festival, the newly-opened North 3rd Street Market, or at your choice of North Williamsburg institutions, from legendary pizza to jump-out-of-bed brunch and the hottest Italian restaurant in the city, Lilia. Pass a rainy day in Nitehawk Cinema, a movie theater with gourmet food and beverage service, or at two bowling alleys — one flashy and one dive-y. Hotel Delmano is the perfect spot for an intimate night cap before dancing the night away at Music Hall of Williamsburg and National Sawdust.

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