Music director John Norris (right), here with event director Evan Hungate, chose the Crosley record player (pictured) featured in all rooms. (
)
Not so long ago, the only area hotel for traveling bands playing local venues like Williamsburg Music Hall and Union Pool was Hotel Le Jolie, a forgettable stop offering a complimentary continental breakfast in a locale that would require a license plate if it were any closer to the BQE. Most bands opted to stay in Manhattan and deal with the commute. Not anymore.
Williamsburg’s first full-service hotel is now open for business, complete with a posh restaurant, high-end cocktail menu and outdoor swimming pool surrounded by party cabanas.
Now, event director Evan Hungate says, there’s no reason for bands playing in Williamsburg to stay anywhere else. “I’m giving discounts to bands,” says Hungate. “I am not giving discounted rates to weddings. I’m not booking pharmaceutical companies. That’s not what we are.”
Each of the hotel’s 64 rooms is equipped with a Crosley record player. On the main floor is a lending library with a growing album collection already numbering in the hundreds. Nearby Mexican Summer studios even pressed an LP strictly for the hotel.
And don’t expect to see USA Today lining the hotel hallways. Rooms are stocked with Vice, Fader and Brooklyn Magazine.
The lobby leads to a pool area, which will be tented and heated in December, when the hotel plans to host holiday parties. The 150-person rooftop hosts a second party space with a clear view of the Manhattan skyline and will occasionally host bands.
According to Hungate, acoustic shows will take place in the 150-person subterranean restaurant Pillar & Plough, which officially opens on Tuesday. It’s here that Brooklyn-based Alchemy Consulting’s bespoke cocktails will sell for $13. The restaurant, which features a dining bar that faces an open kitchen, serves “urban rustic” cuisine such as dry-aged ribeye and barbecue skate — and is run by Queens native Andres Grundy.
“I’m kind of surprised a place like this didn’t open five years ago,” says John Norris, the hotel’s music director. Sipping a glass of wine in the hotel lounge that opened earlier this month, Norris listens to a mix he created with songs from Dive, Yuck and the Black Keys — the latter from an album that won’t be released for another month. As the hotel’s music director, Norris is responsible for all things music in the hotel, from curating the vinyl library to booking concerts.
Though the hotel is a property of the Minnesota-based Graves World Hospitality, it goes out of its way to keep things local. Staff uniforms are from Brooklyn Industries, Brooklyn Brewery supplies beer and NYC’s Malin & Goetz provides toiletries.
Rooms are priced between $295 and $1,250, with north-facing suites boasting balconies overlooking McCarren Park.
“Has this neighborhood become a cliché? Sure. It became a cliché eight years ago,” says Norris, of the early-aughts era that gave rise to local bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Rapture. “That was Brooklyn 1.0. We’re in 4.0 or 5.0 now. I’m surprised there hasn’t been a reality show called ‘Bedford Avenue.’ ”
That said, Norris, who lives in the neighborhood, still thinks Hotel Williamsburg is in the right place at the right time.
“Maybe not the stroller brigade,” he says. “But with most people here, there’s a very visceral connection to music.”
Hotel Williamsburg, 160 N. 12th St., Williamsburg; 718-218-7500