The Jane Hotel

I’ve got a thing for flop houses. They’re liberating. I firmly believe that you should sleep cheap and eat well. This blog is all about one night stands (not of the sexual kind, but of the hotel-night kind), but I’ll admit I gave The Jane Hotel a couple of shots. I stayed at the hotel for three one-night stands between Thanksgiving and Christmas 2011. I wanted to love this place, I really did.

From the minute you walk into the lobby, you get the feeling that you’re someplace familiar. I wanted to call this place home. Apparently some people do. As the hotel transformed from a flop-house to a YMCA (or vice versa) some of the permanent residents stayed as the place was renovated a few years ago. While the hotel is all newly decorated in shabby-chic style with a nautical twist, you can tell the permanent residents’ doors because they’re just plain shabby. The nostalgia of this place is pretty cool, and I’ll admit a part of me wanted to stay here just for the mere fact that survivors of the Titanic stayed here. (There’s a good article about the hotel in the Real Estate section of the New York Times.)
For the $99 rate on the first visit and the $125 rate on subsequent visits for the standard cabin got me a twin bed (a.k.a single) bed and shared bathroom down the hall.

Some people don’t like sharing a bathroom, but for intrepid travellers it really isn’t a big deal. There are plenty of bathroom facilities, at opposite ends of the hall, they are private (full doors) and were kept very clean. Not much different than college dorms.

You’ll see from the hotel’s website (http://thejanenyc.com/) that the rooms are small, but they are also well designed, so there really is room for everything. The space was ideal for one person who just needed a place to crash. I think that if you had anything larger than a carry-on bag, and were to stay for more than two or three nights, you’d feel a bit claustrophobic.

On the negative side:- No hangers (just hooks for your clothes, which might be o.k. for jeans, but not for professional business attire for the nex day)
- Extremely hot room (at least was the case with room no. 535....heat radiated from the wall, making the room unbearable. I had thought that maybe I could combat the heat by turning on the air conditioning before I went to bed, but the A/C was just too noisy, I opted to open the window instead.... but eventually the heat accumulated in the room setting off the smoke alarm at 5:00 in the morning!)
- Noisy – no soundproofing where you need it. The way the cabin beds are set up, your head is at the outside wall – you can hear every voice, every door closing, the turbo-air hand dryer in the bathroom.....every little thing. I’m not exactly a light sleeper, but the hallway noise level just wasn’t acceptable.

On the plus side:
+ I really like the location on a quiet street very close to the Meatpacking District and a couple of great restaurants (the Spotted Pig gastropub is my favourite in the area)
+ Its a short walk (about 7 or 8 minutes) to a subway station (8th Avenue at 14th Street for the L, A, C and E)
+ iPod docking station
+ Free Wi-Fi+ Flat screen TV+ Bottled water in the room is a nice treat
+ The bathrobe and slippers are a nice touch
+ Rooms and bathrooms are very clean... spotless even. Common areas wear shabby-chic well.
+ The small cafe off the lobby offers room service, which was a nice treat – the food was quite good!
+ A 24-hour pharmacy/chemist just a few blocks away, which is reassuring.
+ I hear the bar/club is among the best... though I haven’t experienced it firsthand.

A couple of other things to note: Around Thanksgiving time, their phone was out of order for over a week. I couldn’t confirm my reservation before arriving. I also couldn’t call to let them know I left a favourite scarf in my room, so that they could hold it for me. (When I asked about my scarf on my next visit a week later, it could not be found.)

This hotel is a take-it-or-leave it. It was also the inspiration for me to sleep around the city....so, I may come back and edit this review...when I've got a few more budget hotels under my belt.

If you go, ask for high floor and an inner room for as much quiet as possible.... in the middle of the floor is good, too... away from the bathrooms, elevators and stairwells.

Leave a comment if you have any questions or thoughts about The Jane!
CD