Equinox Hotel New York review: 8/10

Why Stay At Equinox Hotel New York

Equinox is a cult household name to many at this point – known worldwide as a top-tier gym and fitness franchise – but many people might not realise they have a hospitality brand. Focused on the intersection of work, play, movement, nourishment and regeneration, Equinox Hotel New York is the first location of Equinox Hotels’ lifestyle hotel offerings. This gym-hotel crossover is the first of its kind, and makes for a new and exciting type of stay. With an emphasis on both high performance, as well as your best night’s sleep, there’s the opportunity to be energetic as much as there’s the chance to truly decompress.

Location: 7/10

Equinox Hotel New York lies in Hudson Yards – a shiny new neighbourhood of shops, dining, residences and offices in Manhattan overlooking the Hudson River. The most prominent landmark is The Vessel, which is the centrepiece of this area. This is a perfect place to be centrally located for tourists: it’s next to the 7 train, right by the High Line, and it’s easy to access the city’s top sights – like gallery hopping in Chelsea or sightseeing in Times Square. Guests can also get discounted helicopter rides to and from the airport through the hotel with Blade, an innovative and more approachable helicopter service charging per seat, rather than for the entire ride.

Additionally, it’s steps away from designer shopping, such as Cartier, Dior, Louis Vuitton and Rolex. There are also restaurants like Greek hotspot Estiatorio Milos (newly opened in Dubai’s Atlantis The Royal), or skyline views over drinks on the 101st floor at Peak’s Lounge Personal favourites are casual Israeli street food from Miznon (order the broken chicken pita) and Magnolia Bakery, Laudree and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream for dessert. Beyond shopping and dining, the hotel is moments away from Edge, the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere, and The Shed art centre, commissioning original work and supporting emerging artists. This part of town is definitely more corporate, commercial and touristy, but it has its draws.

Rooms and Suites: 9/10

Ensuring the utmost peace for guests, Equinox Hotel New York is home to 212 rooms and suites, all situated above the 25th floor lobby. Branded as ‘Dark. Quiet. Cool,’ the room felt tucked away in it’s own little private oasis. Although the hotel has a focus on “high performance” and is great for active guests, it’s also a perfect place for the traveller who just wants to deeply relax and lay in bed.

Based on a sleep system, the rooms were scientifically designed alongside sleep doctors for your best night’s sleep, and they certaintly live up to expectations. In-room light and temperature can both be entirely controlled by the in-room i-Pad, while darkness is possible thanks to motorized black out blinds. You can also expect complete quiet, thanks to double-paned windows and soundproofing. What makes the beds so utterly sleep inducing are the Coco-Mat mattresses (a global favourite from Greek hotel brand Coco-Mat) and pillows from St Geneve, alongside two sepreate goose down duvets for temperature regulation.

Next to the bed, there’s a booklet of AM. and PM. rituals, all focused on getting guests to their optimum mental state, as well as a series of movement, meditation and breathwork videos on the TV to guide you through a morning and night time routine if you choose. Other highlights include a bathroom with rainfall shower and stand-alone-tub, a reimagined and elevated mini-bar, Nespresso machine, yoga equipment, custom Grown Alchemist bath products, Dyson hairdryer and medical grade filtered air.

Food and Drink: 7/10

Equinox Hotel New York’s main restaurant is Electric Lemon – the brainchild of restaurateur Stephen Starr and STARR Group, behind other well-known New York eateries such as Pastis and Buddakan. The space includes a seated restaurant, bar, lounge and a beautiful 8,000 square-foot outdoor terrace with views of the Hudson River and Manhattan and serves ‘clean, conscious’ breakfasts, lunches, brunches, dinners, desserts and drinks. Broken Coconut is the hotel’s fast and casual option – right before the rooftop pool – with various healthy bowls, salads, tacos, smoothies, drinks and more. You can also order from the comfort of a lounge chair on the roof and eat it poolside, encouraging relaxation. The spa also has its own menu of superfood lattes, bowls, sandwiches, smoothies, coffee, tea, wine and other refreshers. Restaurants aside, in-room dining is truly superlative and this reviewer’s personal preference. Go against Equinox norms and order the filet mignon with a side of fries…

Spa and Facilities: 10

The Spa by Equinox Hotels is tucked away from the rest of the space and goes beyond the traditional spa menus. Examples of this are innovative treatments such as The Spa Wave Table, which uses immersive sound therapy and claims to provide the equivalent of three hours of sleep in 30 minutes. They also have an extensive list of NutriDrip IV Vitamin Therapy to choose from, lymphatic drainage body treatments, Augustinus Bader and Biologique Recherche facials, acupuncture, massages, cryotherapy, infrared saunas and even hair styling. The facilities are shared with Equinox Hudson Yards fitness club members, which includes 60,000 square feet of space – offering state-of-the-art equipment, group fitness classes, SoulCycle, personal training, an indoor saltwater lap pool, hot and cold plunges and an outdoor heated lounge pool overlooking The Vessel.

One thing to note is that since the outdoor pool is also shared between guests and members, it tends to be very busy. This means the lounge chairs in this section fill up quickly. That said, they have an excellent waitlist system – you can join a queue and go about your day until they text you that your chair is ready. So, if you want to lay outside by the pool, I’d recommend either getting there early or planning to put your name down. The indoor hot plunge was a favourite of all these shared amenities. I also loved using the Pilates studio, which is open for guest use outside of classes.

The Vibe: 7/10

The staff at Equinox Hotel New York is extremely friendly and welcoming and offers impeccable service. The hotel’s common areas are quieter with a pretty low-key energy, filled by a steady steam of wealthy looking tourists, business people, couples and smaller families. The fitness club is more bustling, with a varied range of attendees – lots of younger people wearing running shoes, influencer types, tech and finance guys, gym buffs, Pilates women and workout coaches. The rooftop pool is home to the most energy and buzz, and you might see a fair amount of iPhone photoshoots of women posing in bikinis with The Vessel in the background.

The verdict

Come for the room and the facilities. I slept so deeply and woke up feeling well-rested and refreshed, and appreciated the all-encompassing luxury wellness experience the hotel provided. Described as ‘for those who want it all,’ it’s clear there’s something for every type of traveller at Equinox Hotel New York – whether you want to be pampered and cosy in a peaceful and private environment or energetic and on the go using the fitness offerings and exploring the area. Was it the best sleep of my life? It just might’ve been…

33 Hudson Yards, New York, doubles from about AED2,794 ($761), equinox-hotels.com

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