By Janet Carr & Julius Melnitzer | August 16, 2026
In 2001, 60 Thompson, a boutique hotel that made its name on design and the downtown nightlife it drew, helped pioneer luxury boutique hotels in New York City’s SoHo neighbourhood. Standard International gutted the building and reopened it in 2024 as The Manner, at 58 Thompson Street, part of Hyatt’s Unbound Collection. It keeps nothing of the original design but everything of the original ambition. What stayed with us, however, wasn’t only the design.
THE PEOPLE
If someone ever wanted to create a course on how to recover from a faux pas, they should hire The Manner’s staff. We stayed in July, and the hotel was unaware that we were reviewing it.
Lapses in communication were frequent, both with us and among staff members themselves. Some room choices (bath or shower) were unclear during the booking process, reception was initially unaware of reservation changes, and we never received the complimentary drinks at the hotel’s restaurant, The Otter, and its cocktail lounge, Sloane’s.
Parking was not properly addressed either. There is no valet. Street parking is sparse and, on certain days, requires moving the car to the opposite side. The closest off-site garage is a bit of a walk away and carries a price tag of US$87 for 24 hours.
The Otter had troubles of its own. The Prosecco arrived warm, and on another occasion we were seated in an unserved area, which produced a lengthy delay.
By the time we left, all that didn’t matter. Why? Because the staff is better than the hotel’s systems. The warm, friendly, and unprompted way The Manner’s employees remedied our concerns obliterated them: staff resolved the parking issue to our satisfaction; an upgraded room followed our complaints about the parking and about reception’s failure to register our reservation changes; Otter staff replaced the warm Prosecco with cold champagne, gratis, and waived payment for our order after the misplaced seating.
LOCATION
In 1973, the city designated SoHo as the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District. Gentrification followed, and today the world’s greatest surviving collection of cast-iron architecture rubs shoulders with restaurants, coffee shops, boutiques, art galleries, and some of the most expensive retail space in Manhattan.
The Manner, situated on a quiet, tree-lined stretch of Thompson Street between Spring and Broome, sits in the midst of it all.
THE SPACE
The Manner is handsome enough from the outside, with garden terraces on either side of its entry, but it isn’t until you step inside that the “wow factor” hits. The hotel was designed by Milanese architect Hannes Peer with Verena Haller, global head of design at Hyatt’s Lifestyle Group. British Vogue has described the interiors as “Gio Ponti on acid — with a dash of classic New York, Studio 54-worthy glitz.”
THE ROOMS
The 97 rooms and suites, all boldly painted and custom furnished — ochre lacquer on the walls, emerald velvet on the sofas, ample use of marble, and mood lighting throughout — feature king beds and range in size from 220 to 750 square feet, with the 1,800-square-foot duplex penthouse as the outlier.
Our room, the 450-square-foot King Bed Studio Suite, had a living area with a sofa, a pair of comfy chairs and coffee tables; a balcony that offered a pleasant, if not spectacular, view of the neighbourhood; ample storage space; and a bathroom with two showers — one walk-in, one over the tub.
There are no televisions in the rooms — a deliberate choice. If you want one, ask, and one arrives. The minibar holds wine and a range of alcohol-free drinks, all billed to the room.
PUBLIC SPACES: FOOD & BEVERAGES
The Apartment, located on the second floor, is a large space lent intimacy by cozy conversation groupings. A wall of windows provides natural light and the room’s focal point, a suspended electric fireplace, emits surprisingly realistic smoke-like vapour. Coffee, teas, and Balthazar’s pastries are available in the morning, switching to canapés and Negronis from 5 to 9 p.m., all included in your stay. Guests may bring friends into The Apartment, though the front desk requires names in advance.
On the same floor is Sloane’s, a cocktail lounge hidden behind two sets of heavy draperies, more stage curtain than door, which lend the place a hint of danger and mystery. The drinks and the snacks are first-rate, and the extra-dry, extra-dirty martinis — three olives — were the best we have had.
Bad weather prevented us from enjoying The Rooftop, which operates seasonally as an alternative to Sloane’s, but what we could see through the glass doors was a magnificent city view. Guests can bring friends up here as well.
The Otter is the seafood-forward restaurant Alex Stupak — the chef behind the Empellón restaurant group and former pastry chef at Alinea and the groundbreaking wd~50 — opened here in 2024. It disappointed. We ordered crab cakes and a lobster roll as our mains. The crab cakes lacked flavour and texture; the lobster roll was fine and fresh, but hardly exceptional. Overall, the décor was more tasteful than the food.
AMENITIES
The Manner guests get a 20% discount on ice baths, sauna suites, IV drips, and acupuncture at SoHo’s Remedy Place, and 20% off signature massages and facials at ONDA Beauty, steps from the hotel’s door. There’s also preferred access — the front desk puts you on a daily guest list — to a neighbourhood luxury fitness club, coupled with ClassPass access included in the stay, allowing guests to join ritualistic SoulCycle or butt-busting Barry’s Bootcamp sessions.
THE VERDICT
A stunning hotel with a disappointing restaurant and people who are far ahead of its systems. We’d go back anyway. The Manner isn’t a hotel where nothing goes wrong. It’s a hotel where nothing stays wrong.
IF YOU GO
The Manner, 58 Thompson Street, New York, NY 10012. Nearest subways: Spring Street (C, E), Prince Street (R, W), Canal Street (A, C, E). Guests must be 21 or older to check in and 16 or older to stay; there is no age restriction at The Otter. Dogs under 30 pounds are welcome at no charge, including The Otter’s patio and The Rooftop. The Rooftop is seasonal.
Rates vary sharply by date and room type. Listings at the time of writing ran from roughly US$400 a night at the low end to US$650–850 mid-range and well past US$1,800 for suites and peak dates. On top of that sits a US$50 nightly amenities fee, plus New York City hotel taxes of roughly 14.75% and about US$3.50 per room per night in flat charges. At the time of writing, the hotel’s own site discounted stays of four nights or more by 25%, subject to blackout dates. Check with the hotel directly for your own dates.