SoHo Grand Hotel

I love visiting SoHo when in New York (the shopping is amazing!) so this time around I decided to stay right in the neighborhood, at the SoHo Grand. Included in the Tablet Hotels guide for its personality and attention to detail, the SoHo Grand is a great little boutique hotel with a lot to offer:

• A swank lounge and cocktail area at the Grand Bar (note to the owner: lowering the bright lights in the bar area would do wonders for the ambience!)
• Outdoor dining and lounging space in The Yard
• Complimentary iPods loaded up with the music currently heard throughout the hotel (for the duration of your stay) and Bose SoundDock Stations
• Complementary bikes for cruising the streets of NY
• Goldfish to keep you company in your room (I enjoyed this feature at the Hotel Monaco in Chicago once)

The hotel has very sleek decor (think Hudson or the W), but with an architectural design that remains true to its gritty neighborhood surroundings: lots of cast iron, molded concrete, mesh wire glass, low lighting.

The rooms are very comfortable (larger than those at the other spots, in my opinion) with fully stocked mini bars, flat panel televisions, WiFi, and a small library of CDs (the hotel's signature sounds). Check out the bathroom wallpaper, which is reminiscent of the Partridge Family birds:

One disc in particular, Ursadelica, is one of my new faves. Featuring DJ Ursula 1000 (a/k/a Alex Gimeno), the house DJ at the Grand Bar & Lounge, it is an eclectic mix of (and I quote, because I couldn't possibly make this up) "jazzy breaks, mod freakbeats, latin movers, boogaloo groovers, psychedelic soul shakers and bouncy electric disco stompers." I LOVE it.

Pets are not only welcome, they are pampered with their own beds, room service menu, daycare, grooming, and walking services. We even saw a couple of pooches enjoying quality time with their owners in the Grand Bar and Lounge!