Editorial score of 9.1 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 is the Crosby Street Hotel worth booking in SoHo?
The Crosby Street Hotel is worth booking because it is a single designer's vision carried through at full ambition, rather than a brand rolled out to a template. It is the New York flagship of Firmdale Hotels, the London group co-founded by Kit Kemp, and it was the company's first outpost outside Britain. Every one of the 86 rooms is designed differently, with commissioned artworks, hand-painted fabrics, custom upholstery and the confident colour that is Kemp's signature. The building runs 11 floors on a cobblestone SoHo block, and the effect is of staying inside a curated house rather than a hotel room that could be anywhere.
The property's rarest asset is outdoor. Tucked within the hotel is a planted Sculpture Garden, accessible to guests and hung with statement pieces from Kemp's own collection, including a large Fernando Botero cat, in a neighbourhood that has almost no gardens of any kind. Add the all-day Crosby Bar, a light-filled Orangery, a Drawing Room and a 99-seat private screening room, and the hotel works as a residents' club as much as a place to sleep. Where it asks for a clear head is on price and facilities: rates run high, the bar prices follow, entry rooms are compact, and there is no pool and no full spa, only a gym and in-room treatments. For a design-led traveller, those are easy trades.
What are the best rooms to request?
Request a Large King or a suite on a higher floor and ask to sit away from Crosby Street itself, because that combination buys you both space and quiet. Every one of the 86 rooms is individually designed, so no two stays look the same, and part of the pleasure here is discovering the specific choices Kemp made for the room you draw: the artwork, the fabrics, the mannequin or the colour that anchors it. The upper floors carry floor-to-ceiling windows and, on the right side, views over the SoHo rooftops toward the Lower Manhattan skyline. Suites open up the sitting area that a celebration weekend usually wants, and a Junior Suite is the sweet spot between the compact entry rooms and the full suites.
The honest caveat is size and sound. The entry categories, the Small Double and Medium King, read genuinely compact by five-star standards, and a few street-facing rooms catch SoHo noise on busy nights. If room size matters to you, book up a category rather than hoping the entry room will feel generous, and if quiet matters, name the garden or rear-facing aspect at the time of booking. Treat the room as one carefully composed part of a larger designed house, and the Crosby rewards it.
Ask which rooms the team rates most highly for their art and light, since the individual design means some rooms simply photograph and live better than others. Book a film night in the 99-seat screening room and a garden table for afternoon tea, and request a rear or garden aspect if you are a light sleeper.
What is the dining and the bar scene like?
The Crosby Bar and Restaurant is the all-day heart of the hotel and one of the reasons locals treat it as a neighbourhood room rather than a hotel dining room. It serves genuinely good European cooking from breakfast through dinner, with a long pewter bar and tall warehouse-style windows that look toward the garden, and the light-filled Orangery sits alongside it for a brighter, plant-framed setting. The Drawing Room adds the quiet, clubby lounge space that the Firmdale model uses to turn a boutique hotel into a members' club without members. It is the kind of ground floor you can settle into for hours, which is the point.
Does the Crosby Street Hotel have a spa or pool?
No pool, and no full spa, which is the trade for a boutique on a tight SoHo footprint. Wellness runs through a well-equipped fitness centre and spa treatments delivered in-room, so you can book a massage without the hotel pretending to a spa floor it does not have. The compensating amenity is the private Sculpture Garden, a rare piece of green calm in a neighbourhood built of cast iron and cobblestone, plus the 99-seat screening room that hosts regular film nights. If a pool or a destination spa is central to your trip, this is the honest place to weigh a larger property; if the draw is design, art and service, the Crosby has the stronger hand.
Signature amenities
On a cobblestone SoHo street
SoHo · between Prince and Spring Streets
What's nearby
- SoHo shopping
Broadway & Spring2 min walk - Prince Street station
N/R subway3 min walk - The Mercer
SoHo landmark3 min walk - Nolita
Cafes & boutiques5 min walk - Washington Square Park
Village landmark12 min walk
The rooms, the garden, the bar
Facade
Kit Kemp room
Sculpture garden
Crosby BarHow does the Crosby Street Hotel compare with other downtown hotels?
Against its downtown peers, the Crosby is the design-led, garden-and-art choice, and the decision comes down to the kind of downtown mood you want. The Mercer, three minutes away at Prince Street, is the quieter, more minimalist SoHo classic that has set the standard since 1997. 11 Howard is the larger, cooler Scandinavian-minimal option at the SoHo and Chinatown edge, better for a modern room at a slightly lower rate. The Bowery Hotel trades SoHo for the edge of the East Village, with a fireplace lobby and a more low-lit, downtown-classic atmosphere. The Crosby's own trade is its price and its lack of a pool or spa, offset by the individual rooms and the private garden.
| Hotel | Style | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crosby Street Hotel | Kit Kemp design flagship | Individual rooms, garden, service | High rates; no pool or full spa |
| The Mercer Hotel | Minimalist SoHo classic | Quiet, calm, the SoHo standard | Understated; smaller public spaces |
| 11 Howard | Scandinavian-minimal design | Modern rooms, value, scene | Larger and less intimate |
| The Bowery Hotel | Downtown-classic | Atmosphere, fireplace lobby | East Village edge; different mood |
Frequently asked questions
Who designed the Crosby Street Hotel?
The hotel is designed by Kit Kemp, co-founder of London-based Firmdale Hotels, and is the group's first overseas outpost. Every one of the 86 rooms is individually designed, with commissioned artworks, hand-painted fabrics and Kemp's signature use of colour.
What is the Sculpture Garden at the Crosby Street Hotel?
The Sculpture Garden is a planted courtyard tucked within the hotel and accessible to guests, unusual in a neighbourhood with almost no gardens. It holds statement pieces from Kit Kemp's own art collection, including a large Fernando Botero cat sculpture.
What dining and amenities does the Crosby Street Hotel have?
The Crosby Bar and Restaurant serves all-day European cooking, with the light-filled Orangery alongside it. There is a Drawing Room, a 99-seat private screening room and a fitness centre. There is no pool; spa treatments are offered in-room.
Where is the Crosby Street Hotel located?
The hotel is at 79 Crosby Street between Prince and Spring Streets, on a cobblestone block in the heart of SoHo, steps from the Mercer, the SoHo shopping district and the galleries of downtown Manhattan.
Who is the Crosby Street Hotel best for?
Design-led travellers on an anniversary, honeymoon or solo retreat who want individual character and Firmdale service over resort facilities. Guests who need a pool, a full spa or the lowest rates should look elsewhere.
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