Finding hotels that deliver real bang for the buck isn’t easy, especially in an expensive city like New York. But it is possible. In our new series, Luxury for less, we’re going to show you some of Oyster’s fanciest hotels, and where you can get a similar luxury experience — for half the price. Sure, you might have to sacrifice a trendy brand name or 24-hour hallway butler, but you’ll still be getting the same flavor of luxury. To start off, we’re going to compare two stylish, downtown boutiques: the hip Mercer Hotel in SoHo and the Smyth Hotel in TriBeCa.
The Mercer
- Price: $595/night*
- Rating: 4.5 Pearls
- Location: SoHo, New York City
The Mercer’s 75 loft-style guest rooms, beautiful staff, stylish lobby/lounge, personalized service, the Jean-Georges restaurant Mercer Kitchen, and swanky SoHo location make it a go-to choice for celebrities and other fashionable members of the entertainment industry.
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The Smyth
- Price: $320/night*
- Rating: 4.0 Pearls
- Location: TriBeCa, New York City
Opened in spring 2009, The Smyth delivers style and substance without pretension: name-brand artwork, a brand-new bistro & wine bar, Sferra bed linens and top-notch service.
The Mercer: The Mercer’s Christian-Liaigre-designed lobby, which features high 14-foot ceilings, a library of books for guests to borrow, and low, plush, intimate seating, doubles as a late-night lounge for the city’s young entertainment and fashion types.
The Smyth: The Smyth’s gray-and-white, retro-modern lobby features a display of vintage alarm clocks and pop-inspired artwork from contemporary artists John Sparagana and Santiago Rubino.
The Mercer: Steel doors, high ceilings, and understated, modern design make the Mercer’s rooms feel like luxurious versions of the neighborhood’s many studio lofts.
The Smyth: The Smyth’s luxurious-feeling rooms have modern technology (iPod docks; Plama TVs) and luxury details (Sferra bed linens, Dean & Deluca mini-bar snacks).
The Mercer: Bathrooms have ultraluxe bath products by Face Stockholm and Millenium towels by 1888 Mills.
The Smyth: Bathrooms have rainfall shower heads, Hans Grohe fixtures, and Frette robes.
The Mercer: The trendy Mercer Kitchen is helmed by celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
The Smyth: The new Plein Sud Restaurant and Lounge, headed by Parisian restaurateur Frederick Lesort, serves South of France-inspired cuisine.
Oyster’s take: The Smyth delivers a comparable experience across the board. Mercer is trendy, sure, but you’ll pay a lot for a little cachet.
*Prices are averages for the next 30 days
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