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Set on a tree-lined street at the edge of New York’s SoHo, 97-room The Manner is looking to reignite the downtown luxury hotel scene in a very un-hotel-like way. The brainchild of Amar Lalvani, executive chairman of Standard International, the hipster parent company of The Standard and Bunkhouse Hotels brands, it’s named after the “manner” of hospitality he favours in his own travels – the feeling one has arrived at the home of a cool, connected friend. “At any time of day, you can help yourself to everything – from a cappuccino to a newspaper to a window seat on all the city views,” he says. “It’s for the global traveller who appreciates art, architecture and design.”
The “friend” in question clearly has a bold design sensibility: the spaces include 10 suites in shades of ochre part-inspired by Gio Ponti. No children under the age of 16 are allowed and TVs won’t feature in the guest rooms. “We’re not trying to be all things to all people,” Lalvani says. “Many of them watch on their iPads and laptops anyway, so we didn’t want to ruin the aesthetic with a wall-mounted TV.” Should a guest insist, he says a 35in model can be delivered within the hour.
There is something for both the casual overnight visitor and the longer-term resident. A lofty duplex penthouse – modelled after Halston’s 1970s office, with wrap-around outdoor spaces for entertaining – will suit those in search of a spacious home-from-home. Rooms and suites gleam with bespoke brass light fixtures and polished Sapele-wood doors, some with velvet-swathed banquettes. There are also careful curations of books, bath products by Costa Brazil (fellow SoHo resident Francisco Costa’s Amazon-inflected brand) and minibars, stocked to order.
The European-feeling interiors are the collaborative work of Verena Haller, the Standard group’s chief design officer, and Milanese firm Hannes Peer Architecture. Food and drink is overseen by James Beard Award-nominee Alex Stupak; the seafood restaurant is an intimate space, with inlaid oak floors and a continuous wall mural; there’s also Sloane’s, a sexy, gilded bar on the second floor, and, as of spring next year, The Apartment, a guests-only lounge. 2025 will also see the opening of The Rooftop, where the coffees and nightcaps will come with skyline views.
Lalvani cites elements from some of his favourite hotels – Stockholm’s Ett Hem, the Hotel Esencia in Mexico, and Positano’s Le Sirenuse among them – as inspiration for The Manner’s ethos. Still: No kids, no TVs, a clubby insiders’ feel, those brazen colour schemes? Lalvani’s betting on his vision resonating with a certain guest. “There’s no check in, no credit cards, all done in advance. You don’t see a bill at a friend’s house, and you won’t here. The freedom of not having to worry about those things is another kind of luxury.”
themanner.com, from $899