Editorial score of 8.7 of 10, the composite average of the three factors above (Rooms, Service, Location). Method at our methodology page. Affiliate disclosure: booking links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you, and never change our verdict.
Why does 11 Howard rank where it does?
11 Howard earns its place on the strength of two things: its design provenance and its address. It is not a new tower but a plain 1961 commercial structure stripped to its frame and rethought, the first independent hotel by Anda Andrei, who spent roughly three decades as Ian Schrager's design director before stepping out on her own here. She brought in the Copenhagen studio Space Copenhagen for the interiors and custom furniture, with the collector and developer Aby Rosen behind the project, and it opened in April 2016. An Alexander Calder mobile turns slowly in the double-height lobby, setting the register for everything above it. The corner position and the building's height give the 207 rooms their signature 11-foot ceilings and oversized windows, which is genuinely uncommon this far downtown, where natural light rather than square footage is the real luxury.
The address does the other half of the work, and it is why the location score carries the property. 11 Howard Street sits at the crossroads where SoHo meets Chinatown, Little Italy and the Bowery at once, the most concentrated stretch of downtown culture in the city. The reason the overall score is not higher is honest and specific: this is a design hotel rather than a full-service one, with no pool and no destination spa, and the smaller room categories are genuinely compact. Service is assured but reads as boutique-scaled rather than five-star anticipatory. For a guest who values design intelligence and a downtown base over resort facilities, the trade is exactly right.
What are the best rooms to request?
Book up from the entry categories and ask for a corner room, because the 11-foot ceilings and oversized windows are the product and the smaller rooms give you less of both. The rooms use wide-plank light oak floors, handcrafted furniture, naturally dyed fabrics and custom artwork commissioned through the Design Hotels programme, and the material quality reads as restraint rather than minimalism, with warmth in the choices. The larger categories and studios open the ceiling height and the light widest, and the corner units catch the downtown streetscape from two directions. For a guest who cares about how a room is put together, this is the most considered environment in SoHo below the Mercer's price point.
The honest caveat is that the smallest rooms are genuinely small, and design does more of the work here than floor space. If square footage matters to you, treat the entry tier as a price point rather than the experience and step up to a Medium, Large or Studio. Because this is a member of Design Hotels bookable through Marriott Bonvoy, points and elite recognition apply, which can soften the cost of moving up a category. One more practical point is worth weighing before you book: because 11 Howard sits at a true downtown crossroads, the neighbourhood does a great deal of the work of the stay, so the calculation is less about in-hotel facilities and more about how much time you plan to spend out among the galleries, restaurants and shops within a few blocks. Guests who treat the room as a well-made base rather than a destination in itself tend to rate the hotel highest, and that is the right way to approach it.
Book Le Coucou as far ahead as you can, since the one reason to eat in books out well in advance. Ask for a higher corner room away from Howard Street for quiet, and use the Bonvoy channel if you want status recognition on the stay.
What is the dining and the bar scene like?
Dining punches above the hotel's size, thanks to a single serious room. Le Coucou, Daniel Rose's French dining room adjoining the lobby, holds one Michelin star and handles dinner at a level most hotel restaurants in the city do not approach, all industrial-chic interiors and mod-French plates. The catch is that it books out well ahead, so reserve early or plan to eat in the neighbourhood, which is no hardship at this crossroads. The Blond, the hotel's cocktail lounge, supplies drinks and late-night energy rather than meals. Beyond these two rooms and in-room service there is no separate all-day dining, which suits a downtown hotel whose guests are out exploring more than they are eating in.
Does it have a spa or pool?
No, and it is important to know that before you book. 11 Howard has no swimming pool and no destination spa, only fitness access and in-room wellness services. This is the clearest expression of the hotel's nature: it is a design hotel, not a full-service resort, and the investment went into the rooms, the lobby and Le Coucou rather than a wellness floor. Guests who need a pool or a full spa as part of the trip should pair 11 Howard with a day elsewhere or choose a hotel uptown for that portion of the stay.
Signature amenities
At the SoHo, Chinatown and Bowery crossroads
SoHo, at the junction of Chinatown, Little Italy and the Bowery
What's nearby
- SoHo shopping
West Broadway & Broadway4 min walk - Canal Street
Chinatown markets3 min walk - Little Italy
Mulberry Street6 min walk - West Broadway galleries
Art district7 min walk - The Bowery
Restaurants & bars8 min walk
The rooms, the lobby, the light
Exterior
Guest room
Lobby
Le CoucouHow does 11 Howard compare with SoHo's other design hotels?
Against the field, 11 Howard is the Scandinavian-edit design choice, and the decision comes down to the register you want downtown. The Mercer Hotel is the long-established SoHo standard, all warm loft interiors and a restaurant that has drawn the neighbourhood since 1997. Crosby Street Hotel is Kit Kemp's exuberantly patterned counterpoint a few blocks north, with a screening room and a garden. The Bowery Hotel trades SoHo polish for East Village scene and a fire-lit lobby. 11 Howard's own trade-off is the lack of a pool or spa and the compact entry rooms, which is the price of its design discipline and its address.
| Hotel | Style | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Howard | Space Copenhagen design | Design, 11-foot ceilings, Le Coucou | No pool or spa; compact entry rooms |
| The Mercer Hotel | SoHo loft classic | Warmth, address, restaurant | Fewer rooms, high rates |
| Crosby Street Hotel | Kit Kemp maximalism | Pattern, garden, screening room | Busier, bolder look |
| The Bowery Hotel | East Village scene hotel | Lobby scene, downtown energy | Away from SoHo, busy public rooms |
Frequently asked questions
Who designed 11 Howard?
11 Howard was created by creative director Anda Andrei, Ian Schrager's design director for some three decades and this her first independent hotel, with the Copenhagen studio Space Copenhagen on interiors and furniture, for developer Aby Rosen. The team gutted a plain 1961 structure rather than building new, and the hotel opened in April 2016.
How many rooms does 11 Howard have?
There are 207 rooms and suites, the count its operator Design Hotels publishes. All carry the building's signature 11-foot ceilings, wide-plank oak floors and naturally dyed fabrics, and the corner position gives many of them oversized windows and unusual downtown light.
What restaurant is in 11 Howard?
Le Coucou, the French dining room by chef Daniel Rose, adjoins the lobby and holds one Michelin star. The Blond is the hotel's cocktail lounge. There is no separate all-day dining room beyond these and in-room service, so book Le Coucou ahead or plan to eat in the neighbourhood.
Does 11 Howard have a pool or spa?
No. 11 Howard has no swimming pool and no full spa, only fitness access and in-room wellness services. Guests who want a pool or destination spa should look uptown. The property is a design hotel rather than a full-service resort.
Where is 11 Howard and what is nearby?
11 Howard is at 11 Howard Street, where SoHo meets Chinatown, Little Italy and the Bowery. The galleries of West Broadway, the SoHo shopping circuit and the restaurants of the Bowery corridor are all within a short walk, and the hotel is a member of Design Hotels bookable through Marriott Bonvoy.
Other design stays in downtown New York
#10 · SoHoThe Mercer Hotel
#11 · SoHoCrosby Street Hotel
#18 · East Village