Fashion 26, Wyndham hotel’s latest Chelsea, New York offering is located at West 26th and steps from the Fashion Institute of Technology. The hotel will open its doors on April 15, but rumor has it a few guests are already booked for the soft launch the weekend prior.
I caught up with Deirdre Yack, Director of Sales and Marketing for Fashion 26, and got the inside scoop on a few fashion-forward trends hotel customers will find when they check-in:
Is there one room in particular you’re very fond of in the hotel? Our rooms are all very consistent in decor and size. The top two floors of the hotel are Club Floors, filled with extra features like Frette Slippers, glass digital scales, fashion magazines, larger and additional bath amenities, plus incredible views. Uptown view is of the Empire State Building, while the downtown views show off a really unique view of residential buildings, rooftop gardens, water towers – really fun and not often seen NYC views. I would say my #1 favorite room is 2208 – a Club King – you feel like you can reach out and touch the Empire State Building. Plus, Club Floors offer complimentary breakfast in Rare offering a great value to guests.
I’d expect a fashion-focused hotel to have some trendy apparel. What is the staff dress code like and who designed it? Wow – our uniform program is unlike any I have seen in my 13 years in hotels. Think traditional, classic American-style. Our General Manager, the owner and our designer Glen Coben all literally went shopping for ideas one day. They scoured their favorite upscale retailers and came back with a really fresh, high-end concept for our uniforms. A company called Top Hat custom made the uniforms for each department, using these samples. Let’s just say, I wish sales could wear the concierge uniform (a really cute grey jumper with skinny belt over a white man-tailored shirt). The doormen have Kangol hats for cool weather days, and housekeeping attendants have a simple pinstriped black dress with a charming kick pleat. The quality for everything is incredible – a soft, light merino wool.
How will Fashion 26 pave the way for “designer” hotels in the future? Our design and unique concept are born from our location in the garment district. Our fashion concept, commitment to detail, interest in the arts, all come straight from ownership to management – direct to our guests. That said, we are more concerned with our service and delivering the best possible experience to each guest than we are to being a “design” hotel or starting a new trend. We simply aspire to create an experience that brings fashion, art, hospitality and impeccable service together in a way that will impress and delight each guest. In fact, we have quite a few guests arriving as early as March 31 for our soft opening.
The hotel is currently accepting reservations on its Web site and don’t worry — you don’t need to don a pair of Jimmy Choo’s or know how to keep a shirt ruffle from feathering in order to check into these rooms.