CIVILIAN Hotel

Our Take

Whoever thinks size matters clearly hasn’t stayed at this hotel. It’s set out like an old theatre house, with spiralling stairs, props on display and walls painted in a shade that's even deeper than the heart-to-heart we had with the hotel manager after a few cocktails. The lobby isn’t much more than a corridor, but let’s be honest - that’s not where the fun happens. Plus, thanks to the touchscreen check-in points, we got checked in *pronto* without even needing to queue at the desk. Rooms are a bit on the small side, so don’t expect to be stretching out like a starfish, but they do have some nice touches - like blinds you can close with the push of a button, and a steamer to sort those suitcase creases right out. And if you’re wondering whether this hotel’s got anything ‘fun’ up its sleeve…the disco toilet should answer that. Yep, you did just read that. Liv from our Email team spent so long in there we had to knock on to make sure she was OK. She was. She was just vibing.

Hotel highlights

• Fun theatre theme

• Friendly and helpful staff (even when you want a coffee shop rec at 5am)

• Central location, with the perk of being on a quiet street (at least as 'quiet' as you can get in NYC)

• Rooftop bar which turns into a club at night

Just a heads up that the hotel requires at least one guest on the booking to be over the age of 21 to be able to check in.

Location

• Central Park - a 15-minute walk away

• Times Square - a 4-minute walk away

• Empire State Building - a 20-minute walk away

• John F Kennedy Airport - a 35-minute drive away. Don't forget to take in the views along the way!

Rooms

• The hotel offers Cozy Rooms and Spacious Rooms, depending whether you're literally looking for a city base to flop down your case, or you'd rather have somewhere to really stretch out

• Rooms are designed to look like theatre dressing rooms, and are decked out with...

  • FREE Wi-Fi

  • Smart TV

  • Handheld clothes steamer (because no matter how carefully you pack your suitcase, your favourite outfit always ends up creased)

  • Hairdryer

  • Public Goods shower products

  • Sun shade and blackout blind (controlled by the push of a button, so you don't even have to get out of bed!)

  • Retro style phone - even if you don't use it, it looks pretty flippin' cool...

  • Snazzy 'Do Not Disturb' wheel built into the door - because paper door hangers are so last year. Instead, you can control whether you want the 'Do Not Disturb' sign or the 'Please Clean My Room' sign on your door, without even having to leave the room.

Food & Drink

• Rosevale Cocktail Room + Kitchen - lobster mac and cheese with a glass of bubbly? You got it. This American diner-style restaurant is open for dinner, as well as cocktails and mocktails at night.

• STARCHILD Rooftop Bar - enjoy food and drinks on the terrace with cracking views of the city, and stick around later in the evening for when the resident DJ comes in, the lights go down and the party really starts. Fun fact - they only play 70s, 80s and 90s music, 'cause everyone knows that's when all the best bangers were about. (This floor is also where you'll find the disco toilet, complete with colourful disco lights. You're welcome.)

• Emmy Squared Pizza - this place is technically next door to the hotel, but you can hop on over for a slice, and they even do deliveries if you're really lazy. They specialise in Detroit-style pizza with a thick base, and a rich tomato sauce on top of the cheese. We know. It's a game-changer. Just trust us on this one - we couldn't get enough.

Did you know?

There are 41 sconces (light ornaments, to me and you) located around the hotel, to symbolise the 41 active Broadway theatres in New York. The more you know!

Sports & Entertainment

• FREE Wi-Fi - for all your group-chat-spamming, social-media-posting needs

• Blue Room - no, it's not an actual backstage area. It's a private event space located on the same floor as Rosevale, with blue-painted walls (duh), comfy sofas and tons of theatre props displayed in glass cabinets

• Embrace city life - you're in the heart of New York's Theatre District, so it'd be rude not to catch a show! And if that's not your vibe, you've still got the rest of the city at your fingertips...