New York's Gansevoort Hotel Tries a Reinvention in a Transforming Neighborhood

25.08.2023 - 13:51 / skift.com / Leslie Barrie

When the Gansevoort hotel first opened back in 2004, the boutique property had no competition in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District.
 
“We were the only game in town, and it was just the right moment in time,” said Michael Achenbaum, the president and founder of the Gansevoort Hotel Group.
 
That gave the boutique hotel a distinct advantage, as the neighborhood became arguably the nightlife capital in the aughts. The hotel — as well as other players, such as the restaurant Pastis and the lounge Lotus — helped speed up the growth of the Meatpacking District. But there was a tipping point.
 
“I think there was a moment where it became too much, and the term ‘jump the shark’ was appropriate at the time,” Achenbaum said.
 
Almost 20 years later, the neighborhood has morphed. More luxury shops like Gucci and Hermès have entered the space, Lotus is long gone, and packing plants are nowhere to be found — though Achenbaum believes there are still one or two left on the fringes of the district.

“A lot of guests are now coming back with their children or coming back to walk on the Highline or go to the Whitney, versus 20 years ago they might have wanted to drunkenly fall around the neighborhood and go bar to bar,” said Achenbaum.
 
Just as the Meatpacking District has gotten a face-lift, so, too, has Gansevoort. The hotel is putting the finishing touches on a $30 million renovation to keep up with the changing tide and become an “adult version” of itself.
 
To transform itself into a luxury brand, Achenbaum did all the major things you’d expect, like a renovation of its rooms, lobby, check-in and corridors (and the small things, like a new logo, brand color — from purple to a deep blue — and higher-end fixtures). It also will debut four new lounge spaces in the basement, three new food and beverage concepts this fall, and a new rooftop opening this April.

“The neighborhood has transformed itself and grown up, and we’ve grown up along with it,” Achenbaum said.

It’s a fine line that Achenbaum must walk. He has to work with its brand recognition from those nightlife glory days, for better or worse, while also creating a new space that will appeal to the neighborhood’s deep-pocketed and arguably more subdued crowd.

It isn’t a sure thing that the balancing act will work. Other Gansevoort Hotel Group properties have long been sold off, like in South Beach and on Park Avenue. But Achenbaum is optimistic that his flagship has staying power.

Achenbaum and his team doubled down on the hotel’s art collection. The goal is for guests to notice the millions of dollars of artwork hung on its walls. It has added original art from the likes of Banksy and Hassan Hajjaj in the lobby. The move aims to shift the hotel from being a nightlife