New York City: Mercer (4 Star Hotel)

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Address: 147 mercer street , New york 10012, United states
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Lonely Planet review

'Shhh... Is that who I think it is?' It is. Where stars slumber, the Mercer is the SoHo hotel - sleek, luxurious rooms in loft spaces, a regular who's-who in the leisurely lobby of fat-cushioned sofas and a wall of art books, and one of the neighborhood's best restaurants with Jean Georges' basement Mercer Kitchen.

Yes, the Mercer's cool. Rooms at the 75-room, six-floor hotel - a downtown dominator since 1997 - keep original traces of the century-old warehouse: giant oval windows, steel pillars, exposed brick. All the modern comforts come with 400-thread-count sheets, flat-screen TVs and remarkable white-marble and mosaic-tile bathrooms. The L-shaped 'loft' studios have skylights over the square tubs. Some rooms have French-door windows overlooking access to a bamboo courtyard in back - adding to an already vaguely Raj feel of the dark-wood floors and three-blade ceiling fans. The basement restaurant - concrete floors, translucent bulbs under footfall of SoHo sidewalk-pounders above - serves a mix of French from its open kitchen. It's great for brunch or dinner.