A Day in A Dream

Boutique hotels with strong brands have been around for decades — I even did a stint working on the brand marketing at Morgans Hotel Group so I got to dive into the Ian Schrager world. A great bar and a great restaurant always a plus, but now there’s a new layer to getting a guest out of their rooms. A blah lobby with a coffee machine or bell hops waiting for the next guest just won’t cut it. Hotel lobbies and their cafes are now waterholes for creatives, free-lancers, execs.

In NYC, I’m not the best at co-working; I kind of hate leaving home to work unless it’s for a shoot or meeting. I’m writing this blog post at 1am. Sometimes I wake up, journal and start on emails before I leave my bedroom, retainer still in. In London, I’m quite the opposite: I’ll try cafes, libraries, hotels. I’m usually looking for great natural light, reasonably priced beverages, not too crowded that you feel you can’t go to the restroom and a good mix of different kinds of people. A fire place is always a plus.

I love the lobby of Dream Downtown.

craving these fresh summer eats from The Beach pool & bar grill

In my hometown of NYC, I often find myself judging hotels by everything but the room. How is the restaurant? For meetings? Wha’t the vibe? In The Dream Hotel Downtown, I found a favorite spot. It’s such a fun oasis in the city — great pool, modeled after the south of France, yummy food, well lit lobby. Some parts are zen, some parts are bustling like Grand Central Terminal, when I’m in the city, especially during the warm months, I love making some time to work here during the day. Here’s another one of my favorite NYC haunts that I hope you’ll love as much as I do.