Gild Hall — Hotel Review Rating: 4.0 Pearls

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Oyster Hotel Review

Reporter: Kate M.
Updated: December 18, 2009

 Scene

Yes, its name is in part derived from its location on Gold Street, but it also opened just before the financial bubble burst when Wall Street financiers were still riding high on record bonuses and reckless gambles. So during my visit in March 2009, the mood at Gild Hall felt a little bit subdued, just as it did everywhere in the Financial District (think of brokers walking around in a Madoff - and mortgage-backed securities-induced daze). The hotel was at a rare 95 percent occupancy the night of my stay, but as businesses have faltered and travel has declined, the hotel generally hovers around 65 percent. This means there are lots of great deals to be had.

Gild Hall is located in a tall brick building formerly occupied by a Holiday Inn, but you'd never know it entering the small, two-story lobby that features an antler chandelier, an animal skin rug, comfy brown leather furniture, and dark wooden walls lined with antique portraits and lots and lots of books. The Thompson brand is known for being extremely hip and stylish, and though Gild Hall is a bit more toned down than its sister hotels like celeb magnet 60 Thompson or the hipster-leaning Thompson LES, it's light years more stylish than Financial District mainstays like Embassy Suites, the Millennium Hilton or the Ritz-Carlton Battery Park.

During the day, the hotel is filled mainly with business travelers, but at night locals came to drink at both The Libertine and the Library Bar on the 2nd floor, both of which draw a more mature, scotch- and microbrew-sipping crowd. Most of the lobby and 2nd floor is lined with secondhand books, and I loved curling up on a deep red leather couch under the watchful eye of a James Joyce portrait. But it’s not so starchy -- the hallway walls are painted a rich tomato red and feature large photos by the 20th century society photographer Slim Aarons. Some of the pictures even feature current celebrities, like Scarlett Johansen or Siena Miller, made up to look like ‘60s starlets.

The hotel also gets occasional leisure travelers (about 35% of guests overall), as its less-than-central location allows it to offer larger rooms and luxurious amenities at much lower rates than places in Midtown or Soho.

 Service

When I arrived at the hotel there was no doorman outside, but the concierge came outside to hold the door open. He guided me to the front desk, where the clerk informed me that I’d been upgraded from a Superior to a Deluxe King room (and they had no idea I was reviewing the hotel).

I tested the hotel staff’s knowledge of the neighborhood, and they all passed. The front desk clerk was able to expertly guide me to the closest Dunkin' Donuts, and the concierge was able to recommend a great mani-pedi salon just around the corner.

Late at night, I called housekeeping to ask for an extra blanket. In less than five minutes someone arrived to deliver it. Even better, I called the next morning to ask for some extra Kiehl's bath products, and in literally less than one minute a housekeeping manager was at my door. That’s a New York service record!

My only minor gripe is that there isn't a separate service elevator. When the elevator stops at every floor, it can take a while to get to your room. Plus, on one occasion the elevator stopped at the room service kitchen so a cart could come aboard. The kitchen smell was slightly unpleasant.

 Location

The hotel is located within a few blocks of the 2, 3, A, C, J, Z, and M subway lines, although downtown's labyrinth layout can make it extremely difficult to navigate even a few blocks (I got lost walking from the subway to the hotel, and I live in New York!). Cabs also have a tough time finding the hotel (as noted by multiple reviewers on TripAdvisor), and I had to wait about 10 minutes before a cab could pick me up when I left.

The Financial District shuts down almost completely at night, though a number of luxury high-rise apartment buildings (including 2 Gold, right across the street from the hotel) have sprung up in recent years. To that end, there are a number of useful amenities -- including a drugstore, two grocery stores, multiple ATMs, a Dunkin' Donuts, and a Subway sandwich shop -- all within a block of the hotel. It's not exactly fashionable, though, and it's easy to get lost.

 Airport Transportation

New York City has three nearby airports: JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark (in New Jersey). Flying into JFK or LaGuardia is typically easiest and the least time-consuming. From JFK, it's a (one-hour) $45 flat-rate taxi ride to anywhere in Manhattan. From LaGuardia, it's about a (30-minute) $40 metered cab ride to Midtown Manhattan. Rides from Newark cost at least $40 (plus tolls), and can take more than 90 minutes. Don't forget to tip your driver 15 to 25 percent.

To save some cash, try the group shuttles that are available at all three airports for about $14 per person. For more information on the shuttles, go to Super Shuttle or New York Airport Service. You can also take public transit from any of the airports for as little as $7 per person, but travel can take up to two hours and involve a lot of lugging bags up and down stairs. For mass-transit directions right to the hotel, check out HopStop.com.

 Rooms

Standard “Superior Rooms” run from 230 to 260 square feet, but feel slightly sparse -- perhaps because of their black carpet and bare white walls (save for the black trim and strip of wainscoting). The hotel's décor aims to evoke the feeling of an old boys' club or a hunting lodge, and with a leather headboard, a plaid throw blanket, and a gold wallpapered accent wall, that does come across. But the overall effect is pretty dark.

The darkness was exacerbated because my Deluxe King room only looked into an office next door, and it received so little light that I didn’t actually know it was sunny until I left the building. This is definitely one of the flaws of staying at a smaller hotel in the Financial District, or anywhere in Manhattan, as these hotels are literally in the shadow of skyscrapers. Rooms on floors three through eight have 12-foot ceilings and chandeliers that help make them feel brighter and more airy. But these rooms are a bit closer to the street, which means more noise. Even from my room on the eleventh floor, I could hear the garbage picked up a little after midnight (daily).

Rooms feature dark wood furniture with brass touches; there’s even a brass horse buckle at each end of the leather headboard. In the corners, near the wall, are dark seat cushions and extra throw pillows. At 290 to 300 square feet, deluxe rooms like the one I was in are large and comfortable enough to host a small gathering (at least five of my closest friends).

Standard amenities include a 37-inch LG flat-screen TV with a number of high-def channels, an iHome iPod dock, Wi-Fi ($10 for 24 hours), and a great minibar with snacks from Dean and Deluca, as well as rare treats like Stacy's Pita Chips and Clif Bars. The minibar also includes luxury "pleasure" items (like lube and condoms) from the upscale French intimacy boutique Kiki de Montparnasse. Another Financial District perk: They hang a Wall Street Journal on your door every morning.

All rooms have either two double beds or a king-size bed with luxurious Sferra linens and, as is standard practice at Thompson Hotels, only a duvet (trimmed with gold satin piping, of course), but no top sheet. In keeping with the luxury theme, I also found a great Frette robe in the closet (though no matching slippers).

The bathroom’s door and walls are both constructed from handmade glass bricks that are designed to enhance the room's brightness, in contrast to the dark bedroom. Fortunately the glass was frosted enough to ensure privacy between the two rooms. The bathroom isn't particularly large, but the simple Grohe faucet fixtures and dark marble floors look good, and the area is efficiently spaced out. The bathroom has lotion, shampoo and conditioner from Kiehl's, a designer brand with a line that rivals the best hotel bath products anywhere.

My Deluxe King Room on the 11th floor was just outside the elevator bank, but I didn't hear any noise coming from this area.

 Features

Although Gild Hall opened in 2008, interior designer Jim Walrod wanted it to feel like an intimate club that could stand out among the Financial District's bland business hotels. Besides a checker and chessboard in the lobby that reminded me of the W's "living room" motif, Gild Hall also features a 2nd-floor library filled with a wide assortment of books. With red leather couches, oriental rugs and dark wood walls the room really did feel like the grandfather's study. There was even a bar in the corner so I could have a little scotch to complete the mood.

The hotel also has a small business center on the 4th floor that includes four PCs and a printer. Faxing is available from the front desk, and there are also a couple of small meeting rooms in the same space on other floors.

Due to limited space, there is not one central fitness center, but instead there are three small exercise rooms on the 6th, 7th and 18th floors. Each room is identical to the others, and includes one Cybex treadmill and one elliptical, each with a personal video screen. There are also a small weight-lifting bench and some free weights, and that's just about it.

Wi-Fi is available to guests for $10 per day, and Ethernet cables are also available for free from the front desk. I got a strong signal from my room.

 Families

In general, the Thompson Hotels don’t try to be child-friendly, what with the adult toys in the rooms and the heavy emphasis on the lobby bar scene. Gild Hall was designed for business travelers, as the Financial District pretty much shuts down at night. Management confirmed that the hotel rarely gets young guests.

Though there is a bit of a bar scene at night in the lobby, the guest rooms are on the large side, making them more kid-friendly than a lot of other boutique hotel rooms in New York. However there are also just 11 rooms with two double beds (though cribs are available). Rollaway cots are $30 each; due to space constraints and fire restrictions, they are not allowed in standard rooms.

The neighborhood does have some landmarks, like the The South Street Seaport (10 minutes from the hotel), Battery Park, the Statue of Liberty ferry, Wall Street, and Ground Zero.

 Cleanliness

Since the hotel has barely been open a year, I wasn’t surprised to find that everything was in great condition. I frequently ran into housekeepers in the elevator, and yet never saw a cart in the hallway or anywhere else.

 Food

At the Libertine, I enjoyed the somewhat heavy, but reasonably priced, gastro-pub fare. In April 2009, after my stay, the restaurant hired a new chef who plans to add lighter, more "lady-friendly" salads and sandwiches to the menu.

When I ate at the Libertine it had great menu staples like Fish 'n' Chips, Chicken Pot Pie, and Mac and Cheese, but I was also a big fan of the lobster sliders and pear salad.

The room service menu is superb, and I’m still drooling a little over the hot popcorn with sea salt and truffle butter (delivered to my room in 10 minutes). Even the overnight dining menu is pretty solid, with everything from fried eggs to milk and cookies.

There is a 24-hour grocery store half a block from the hotel, but there isn't much else in the immediate vicinity. Nearby there are plenty of steak houses -- this is the Financial District, after all -- and there are some popular afterwork spots on nearby Stone Street.

 Bottom Line

Gild Hall is far hipper than your average Wall Street business hotel. Friendly service, a hunting lodge-like lobby, fantastic flat-screen TVs, Kiehl's bath products, Sferra linens, and sex toys available in every room make this the premier choice for stylin’ financiers. But there’s not much after-dark action in the Financial District.