Duane Street Hotel

Located on a busy corner, the Duane Street Hotel announces its presence with steel signage above the door and a welcome mat displaying the hotel’s logo in large block lettering. Just inside the front door is a small front desk area, where staff members check guests in and assist with luggage, special requests, and local suggestions. The hotel draws a mix of couples from all over — especially from Europe — as well as business travelers who prefer to be close to downtown offices. The lobby, though small, opens up to a cozy seating area with modern, mid-century-style furnishings. This area might hold guests having business meetings -- perhaps a group of producers making plans -- or a romantic couple drinking coffee and reading the Wall Street Journal (lobby copies are free). This lounge area leads to the restaurant with several low tables and one eight-person high-top communal table — overall, it's a great use of space. Water and cookies are typically set out for guests in the afternoons. In the evenings, Monday through Thursday, this area turns into a happy hour reception where guests are offered a glass of wine or beer to be enjoyed with staff. The small but memorable staff members are a bit part of what makes the experience, and they make extra effort to make everyone feel at home. Guests returning to the hotel are often greeted with a cheerful, “Welcome Back!”

Duane Street Hotel is in a prime area of TriBeCa between West Broadway and Church Street with a number of convenience stores nearby. For those not familiar with the area, TriBeCa is a popular neighborhood for wealthy residents — many who work downtown on Wall Street. Architect lovers will have plenty of gawking opportunities as they explore nearby streets, for the area is full of historic cast-iron buildings holding art galleries, pop-up shops, and expensive restaurants and cafes. Guest are within walking distance of key downtown neighborhoods for more choice in dining and shopping, including SoHo, the West and East Villages, Greenwich Village, Little Italy, Chinatown, and the Lower East Side. Key landmarks like the 9/11 Memorial and One World Trade Center (OWTC) can also be reached by foot. Transportation to other parts of the city is easy either by taxi, or walking to the nearby Chambers Street subway station for the 1, 2 and 3 trains.

This corner boutique hotel has only 43 rooms that are accessed from an elevator in the lobby. All rooms have tall 11-foot ceilings, hardwood floors, and large windows, which help make up for the smaller floor space. Renovated in 2013, rooms have a sleek black-and-white color palette and leather headboards -- a sharp contrast to the white Bellino bedding tucked neatly into the bed bases. Other furnishings and amenities include work desks, flat-screen TVs, Phillips iPod/iPad docks, and minibars stocked with vodka, wines, tequila, gin, whiskey, juices, sodas, nuts, and cookies. Bathrooms have walk-in showers with gray slate tiling, rain showerheads, raised sinks with counter space, and L’Occitane bath products. Stylish touches such as the shiny framed photos next to the bed, sculpture art, vintage books, and the occasional pop of color add to the chic vibe. Built-in closets have items for sale with proceeds that go toward charity. They can be extra narrow in some rooms with little or no room to set the suitcase. Types include a Handicap Accessible King, Superior King, Superior Queen, Superior Double (two queen beds) and the larger Deluxe Queen and Executive King. Two top-floor suites include a Junior Suite -- a 400-square-foot space with a king bed, sofa bed, and one and a half baths. The Corner Suite is the largest in the hotel with a king bed, separate living room, and freestanding antique tub. 

Staff are available 24 hours a day to help with luggage, airport transfers, special requests, and local advice. There is an adjacent lounge for working, meeting, or reading equipped with drinking water, cookies, and free copies of the Wall Street Journal. The lobby space has plenty of windows for street views of TriBeCa. Graffiti Earth, the small, narrow restaurant in the back part of the lobby, opened in the spring of 2016, and is an extension of Graffiti restaurant in East Village. Chef Jehangir Mehta's menu offers inventive takes on Indian, Mexican, and other international cuisines.Every Monday through Thursday in the lobby, the staff puts on an evening reception with free wine, beer, and snacks. Occasionally, the hotel arranges for a jazz trio or other musicians to play. On the top floor of the hotel is a rooftop deck that has an excellent view of the One World Trade Center and surrounding streets. Guests are able to use the nearby Equinox Gym in Tribeca upon request, for no additional fee. Spa or massage services can also be arranged.