The impetus of New York feels miles away. It is felt when you finally book a plane ticket to return to the metropolis after confinement, it is felt at the precise moment when you close your eyes during landing, and you know that the supreme joy of being in one of the most fascinating cities in the world it revives you—like a breath of fresh air that restores your spirit. And it especially feels like staying at ModernHaus Soho.
More than hotel , this space located at 27 Grand Street, in the soho neighborhood , constitutes a sophisticated refuge, ideal for embracing the epitome of new york chic from the moment you cross its portals, and you are enveloped in the majestic Harland Miller artwork.
This proposal represents the debut of the first hotel brand in Thor Equities Group , specialist in the development, leasing and management of urban real estate in the United States, and European countries such as France, Spain, Italy and Great Britain.
Modern Haus SoHo.
“I work for the family business. My father is the founder and I have been there for about 8 years. Historically we have sold many commercial buildings around the Soho, Madison Avenue, Fifth Avenue. For a long time we have been traveling, we also acquired commercial buildings outside of New York, and then we operate businesses in Europe. Through our travels, and through personal travels as well, we got to the point where we felt like we really we knew what we wanted to do if we built our own hotel ”, he expresses Jack Sitt , director of Thor Equities Group, in an interview with Condé Nast Traveler.
The opportunity to purchase the hotel materialized in 2017, and after two years of conceiving a renovation plan that pays homage to both the neighborhood of New York , as well as the sense of community that membership clubs bring, construction began in January 2020.
Even so, and as has happened with a wide range of Hotels , restaurants, bars and museums, the pandemic caused by the Covid-19 delayed the original timeline, but this also represented a more than suggestive opportunity for creativity to become exceptional within the walls of ModernHaus SoHo.
Works by Harland Miller at ModernHaus SoHo.
Thus, the hotel's aesthetic statement bears the plausible stamp of Melissa Bowers , who did not stop working with Jack Sitt in the small and big decisions that would become the imprint with an incisive look at modern and contemporary art of Thor Equities Group.
Known for having begun her career as a stylist and set designer for visionaries such as Helmut Newton and clients such as Tom Ford and Alan Faena, over the years Melissa has turned her passion to conceptualizing spaces for brands, until in 2015 she founded M.A. Bowers, Inc. ., a creative and interior design studio specializing in residential and hospitality design.
After capturing the essence of it in American Bar, Kyle Hotchkiss Carone and David Rabin introduced it to the new owners of ModernHaus Soho , which, in fact, is the old James Hotel.
Penthouse at ModernHaus SoHo.
“The main point for me was to work with this concrete jungle, reimagine it and soften it; much of my inspiration comes from Europe and especially from Austria and Berlin. Viennese Secession and Bauhaus design fit naturally with the existing brutalist building : layers of soft textiles and fringes. Contemporary art and the city's version of the glass house”, adds Melissa Bowers . “We have a beautiful art collection . From a design point of view, we orchestrate the hotel around the art and architecture of the building”, complements Jack Sitt.
The personality of the Big Apple and the artistic side of the soho , championed by paintings by Alexander Calder, Hans Hartung, George Condo and Harland Miller, is reflected in every detail of the hotel, in every nook and cranny, without forgetting, of course, that concepts such as serenity, privacy and intimacy are three of the aspects that put in check a hotel reservation in any part of the world, and that in ModernHaus Soho find the apex of balance.
“You go to a restaurant, to a hotel, and sometimes it feels really transactional. Here you feel that you are at home . I wanted a lot of the services and the different partnerships that we have at the hotel to feel like a resort, from jumpin jacks until the rooftop Jimmy passing through outer space and the verandah restaurant . We really started to feel like we were in a resort, as there are so many things to do in the building”, emphasizes Jack Sitt.
The Jimmy Skyscraper at ModernHaus SoHo.
And I give proof of it, since once you settle in ModernHaus Soho , it becomes a challenge to cross its doors to immerse yourself in the city: its culinary delights, its personal treatment and the sublime views that are obtained by waking up in one of the 114 hotel rooms , or, from the jimmy skyscraper , without a doubt deepen the desire to experience the virtues of each space at all times.
There is no doubt that in Moderhaus SoHo warmth has been crystallized, creativity at its best, distinction and a sophisticated minimalist aesthetic, as well as practical, with vintage pieces and a halo of sensuality that vehemently permeates the rooms, where comfortable beds are bathed in extraordinary natural light, and in turn are decorated with works of art.
Of all the rooms where you can stay in the hotel , there are 10 different categories, including 5 suites. The jewel of the place? Gallery Penthouse , which thanks to its views of the 16th floor, separate living room and dining room for 12 people, is an ideal alternative for meetings or different celebrations.
Veranda has the seal of chef George Mendes.
David Rabin has collaborated with renowned chef george mendes -whose Portuguese restaurant, Aldea, in the Flatiron district, has obtained a Michelin star-, to create Veranda , a proposal with an American menu of globally inspired dishes that include Home-baked sourdough breads, curried Mediterranean prawns, chicken rice with chorizo and peas, as well as grilled chicken with piri piri marinade.
"There they converge quality ingredients , since the chef goes to the farmers market and buys his own produce. He is there every day, not that he pays a visit from time to time. Restaurants add the personal touch and add feeling to the hotel ”, mentions Jack Sitt.
getting inspired in Philip Johnson's Glass House and in the cafes of Europe, Veranda offers diners a glass enclosure with a retractable roof, dotted with walnut tables and walnut and travertine tables contrasted with rosemary plants to create an environment that is both outside and inside.
The restaurant It also stands out for two separate bars for pre-dinner drinks or cocktails, one with a spacious terrace and the other with its own entrance on Sixth Avenue, better known as The Back Bar.
On the other hand, best pancakes in new york waiting on the second floor ModernHaus Soho , more precisely in jumpin jacks, a breakfast bar with a view which at night becomes an intimate destination to relax with a drink.
“This space is the essence of the hotel, and it has everything you want, along with privacy. You're in Soho, but you don't need the action of being on the ground floor and seeing traffic everywhere. This is one of the busiest neighborhoods in New York , I wanted a place that rises up and away from that front of the street, so that I can have a private conversation, ”says Jack Sitt.
“The areas are so different, each with its own style, that you can be on the second floor, in a large room, and then enter the bar below, where you have a more intimate cocktail; Jimmy on the rooftop makes you feel like you have the key to the best views , and the loft of a dear friend; They all have a common thread, but they are very different experiences, depending on your mood, ”concludes Melissa Bowers.
The interior of the Jimmy skyscraper.
¿ModernHaus SoHo in other cities in the United States or Europe? In the future, perhaps Miami, Washington, Los Angeles or places like London will succumb to the heyday of hospital sophistication.
You may book at ModernHaus SoHo here.