FINALLY the ONE hotel Brooklyn bridge has opened to a soft launch (June 2017 Update: Now the One Hotel pool is opened for guests and the bar is open for public!). I have walked past many times and watched it grow and be built on the banks of the East River next to Brooklyn bridge. Living in Downtown Brooklyn for 6 years and watching the neighborhood change got me excited. But after staying at One hotel in Miami, watching the One hotel being built in Brooklyn got me like OMG!
One Hotel in Brooklyn Bridge Dumbo Will Make You Glad that You Stayed in Brooklyn than Manhattan
As we mentioned in our previous post, we wanted to check out all the new hotels in Brooklyn (For the time being, we only focused on boutique hotels). The new hotels were Williamsburg hotel and William Vale hotel and you can click on the hyperlink to check out our thoughts about the hotels. We will not be doing a review but there is also Even Hotel and Holiday Inn (Downtown Brooklyn) which are really clean and nicely done which are more reasonably priced.
LOCATION & DETAILS ABOUT THE HOTEL
One hotel is located on 60 Furman Street, Brooklyn right next to the Brooklyn Bridge. It is over looking the East River and Wall Street. You will also be able to see Statue of Liberty from the hotel. It is not the most convenient location if you are looking to use the subway all the time (A, C train: 10 Minute, F train: 15 minute). But there is water taxi and East River Ferry right in front of the hotel. Those will take you to every where from Wall Street, Midtown, Williamsburg and more.
One Hotel Will Become a Representation of Dumbo Brooklyn with Repurposed Decoration with a Twist of Contemporary Identity
According to the press release, One hotel Brooklyn opened with a contemporary identity and a brand of Brooklyn of being green. It represents the shipping roots of the Dumbo pier waterfront. And how does it represent? They repurposed from crates, palettes, ropes and moving blankets from shipping to decorate the hotel. Also, the hotel is entirely run by wind power. How COOL IS THAT?! Enough talking and go experience the hotel. You will understand what I meant by representing Brooklyn.
LOBBY
As you arrive at the hotel you are immediately struck by the wonderful structure of glass, steel, reclaimed woods and plants nesting literally next to the famous Brooklyn bridge. Also your senses come alive with the wonderful aroma that screams One hotel but also the smell of the living plants covering the grey walls inside the hotel. At the lounge area, you can actually see the Brooklyn Bridge. If you have been to One Hotel in Miami, you will get a grip of what the lobby is like!
The Lounge Area Has a View of Brooklyn Bridge & Serve You Free Mimosa While Waiting for the Room to be Ready
The check in area is very modern, if a little small for this size and quality hotel. There was always a line of people waiting at the front desk. But nothing will put me off. I checked in but the room wasn’t ready – won’t be ready until 3pm. I was surprised that the room wasn’t ready as it was a soft launch and the hotel didn’t seem busy. Anyways it gave us chance to rest and look around the very large public areas of the hotel.
The Check In Area Can Be Small on a Busy Day
As we sat at the lounge waiting I was told there are free Buck’s Fizz for guests so I decided it was only proper to ask for my Buck’s Fizz. The drink arrived quickly and it was a nice touch to sit sipping admiring the views both internal and external (the Brooklyn Bridge and MManhattan skyline are clear to see).
ROOMS
Just after 3PM, the room was ready. I don’t know why but we were so excited – was it the good weather? the hotel? the smell of the lounge? Anyways, we went up to the Room. We booked a Bridge King, and I guess it meant that we will have a view of the Bridge. I also think when you book a room, please ask for a view of the river. Unless I am not sure if it is worth spending this much and staying at One hotel.
Before you read the post, you can check out our video tour of the One hotel below.
When You Book, MAKE SURE to Ask for a Room with a View of the City, Unless It is not Worth a Pay!
The room!!!! The room was fantastic!!! It was big for New York standards with a large king size bed, a built in sofa for your friends to sit around and drink admiring the best part of the room – the VIEW. OK!I would say Williamsburg hotel or William Vale hotel has a decent size room, but One hotel is definitely bigger than the other two (and the same price). fyi. One hotel might have been cheap (when we booked) cause it was the soft opening but you should compare the other three before you book anything.
The Windows Fully Opens from Floor to Ceiling where It Makes You Feel Like Out Door!
The view was fantastic so much so we sat and looked at the view for hours with our friends drinking several bottles of vodka. The other good thing is that the window opens fully so you get the breeze and feeling of the outdoors.
The bedroom has more than enough space and the bathroom is very good quality all open plan but I think the open plan gives the room a feeling of more space. The bed and bedding all excellent quality and made for a perfect nights sleep although I did wake up to see the sunrise over manhattan it was magical I felt very lucky to have this view to what appeared to be just me.
AMMENITIES
The hotel offers all the usual facilities spa, pool, rooftop bar but unfortunately none of them were open during the soft launch which was a pity. The One hotel pool has just opened and from the pictures looks amazing. One hotel pool will be only opened for the guests, so you don’t have to worry about getting your own sunbeds. But the bar will be opened for public, and I could already see this bar will be a to go bar in Brooklyn.
The room service was very good and quick – we have buckets of ice deliveries nearly every hour and nothing was too much trouble.
The Cafe Has Tasty Food Collection with a Modern Interior, but Pricy for a Simple Coffee and Bagel
The cafe in the reception is very good although it is expensive for a simple coffee and a bagel but it saved walking too far.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The one hotel is a fantastic hotel. It is expensive and not the best location where everyone will stay. Prices have gone up considerably from the soft opening period but the demand is clearly there. Here is the pros and cons of the One Hotel:
PROS
- The Room Size
- The view
- The roof top pool during summer
CONS
- 10 minute walk to subway stations
- Limited restaurants in the neighbor
- The price
I think we wrote too much that could bore you to death. So we will stop now!