DAYDREAMING THE ORIGINAL STAYCATION: THE DREAM HOTEL L

ooking for your next staycationwe found it at The Dream Hotel Chelsea. From NFT artwork galleries to the perfect Karl Lagerfeld soap and shampoo~ this special staycation escape will be a dream come true! Arriving at the hotel one will find two hundred hand-blown glass globes floating through the space and congregating over The Bodega Negra restaurant filling the space with a magical light cloud effect along with a very chillaxing vibe and DJ spinning your favorite tunes. Each fixture and furnishing has been custom designed and selected for the public spaces and guestrooms in The Dream to complement the exterior design of the hotel which evokes a contemporary limitless feeling of space and light throughout the entire guest experience.

Founded in 2004 by Vikram Chatwai, a prominent New York hotelier, the first dream hotel opened in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood and quickly gain a reputation for its hip and innovative design including the special originally designed portal-shaped windows which lead visitors upon entering each guest room to instantly be captured by incredible cityscape views. The unique skyline views and circular windows bring one right into the action of Manhattan yet seems far enough away to feel the escape from the frenetic energy of the city. Designed by Handel Architects, the 12-story building includes 316 guestrooms, two restaurants, rooftop and VIP lounges, an outdoor pool and pool bar, a gym, event space, and ground-floor retail including a hair salon The Benjamin. Guests may feel they are preparing to walk the latest fashion runway to entering the latest hip VIP private nightclub, take a break at their favorite speak-easy lounge to relaxing by the pool - all of this in one place and under the same roof.

The Dream sits on a though-block site, fronting both 16th and 17th Streets, and is adjacent to the Maritime Hotel, which sits adjacent to the west. In 1964, the National Maritime Union of America commissioned New Orleans-based architect Albert Ledner to design a new headquarters for the Union, on Seventh Avenue between 12th and 13th Streets. Two years later, he designed an annex for the headquarters on the site where Dream currently sits. Rumors have swirled for years that the hotel is actually inspired by Andy Warhol’s Factory and upon being upgraded during our visit to a “silver room” it is hard to ignore the amazing shine of the hotel’s complete design of silver inspiration!

From the rooftop lounge to the open-air city skyline The Dream provides a fresh contemporary twist for the perfect escape for your next staycation. The rooftop bar PHD has gained popularity over the years with the likes of the fashion and art world colliding for events and parties always hitting the pages of all the top magazines. During New York Fashion week both PHD to the exclusive Electric Room on the ground floor of the hotel welcomed such celebrities as Cameron Diaz, Diddy, Katy Perry to Adam Lambert. From on-site NFT galleries throughout the lobby to the unique artwork throughout the interior, one feels like they are walking a fashion x art runway. The manager welcomed us with fresh chocolate strawberries and our favorites like Fiji water, but the very special moment was seeing the most spectacular views of the Empire State building out the window in spectacular colors- it really took our breath away.

A creative staycation when you need a change of scenery can mean first-class service, a cozy bed, and fabulous amenities for relaxing which The Dream has it all. We decided to use our favorite app Doordash to order from our favorite local NY spots such as hip French restaurant Buvette in the West Village to incredible glutenfree ricotta pancakes from Friedman’s amazing brunch options. The great discovery was the hotel will send your delivery right up to your door plus each room has its own “privacy button” just in case one wants to be left to their own escape. Get your walking shoes on to discover the neighborhood which has everything within a short walking distance- from your favorite spots from Chelsea art galleries to the West Village eateries. Dream the dream at THE DREAM!