$79 for a N.Y. hotel room? It’s true

$79 for a N.Y. hotel room? It’s true

In New

 York’s hip Manhattan West Village, it doesn’t get any better than The Jane

Of course The Jane's hotel staff sport retro, burgundy-colour bellboy uniforms -- nothing else would look right.

Reb Stevenson/For the Toronto StarAds by Google

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Video: Sleeping Around Like a Sailor

By Reb StevensonTravel Writer

NEW YORK — Who trusts those gaunt monkeys you usually see tethered to toothless organ grinders? Not me, that’s who.

There is one perched above the front desk at The Jane Hotel. And despite the fact that he obviously had some work done by a taxidermist well before I was born, his devious grin suggests he’d love to ensure my stay at The Jane is somewhat unsettling.

Incidentally, The Jane’s owner/designer is backing him up.

It’s not that Sean MacPherson is against comfort. He just wants guests to be “10 per cent removed from reality,” when they stay at his 146-room masterpiece.

How about 90 per cent removed from reality? That’s how I feel when I meet The Jane’s price list. Even though the hotel is situated in Manhattan’s desirable West Village neighbourhood, my room goes for just $79 (U.S.) per night.

What’s even more stunning when you consider that figure is the fact that this place has ties to the world’s most macabre cash cow: the sinking of the Titanic.

The Jane sprang up beside the Hudson River in 1908 as a lodging for sailors. Back then, it was called The American Seaman’s Friend Society Sailors’ Home and Institute, which was actually a fitting moniker given the designer’s last name: Boring.

In 1912, a large group of Titanic survivors stayed there while they waited for the inquest into the sinking to wrap up. They held a memorial service in what is now the ballroom.

MacPherson, who owns three other Manhattan hotels (The Maritime, The Bowery andLafayette House, bought The Jane in 2008. More of a flophouse than anything, it wasn’t exactly sparkling like the Heart of the Ocean at that point.

“It was the last stop for a lot of people,” he says.

Instead of whitewashing the iconic building, MacPherson deep-sixed his initial plan to convert it into a more traditional hotel.

“It struck me that I should try to make more of what it is rather than turn it into something else,” he says.

So, working around the 46 tenants who have permanent rights to continue living at The Jane, he whipped up a hotel that would appeal to “a 19-year-old runaway from Nebraska.”

The standard cabins aren’t much larger than a sleeping bag on the sidewalk, but they’ve got style in spades. Throughout The Jane, there’s a vague, nautical feel, as though it shares some of Titanic’s DNA.

Within my five-by-seven-foot room, I’ve got a single bed, flat-screen TV, iPod dock, fan, towel, slippers, storage cubbyholes, hooks and even a window. Yes, it’s rather snug, but since I’m not a scarecrow I can cope.

There is no Edwardian chamber pot in the cabin. And thank God for that.

Instead, guests must brave shared coed washrooms down the hall.

Gregor McGehee, an artist from London, is splitting the cost of an even more compact room: the standard cabin with bunk beds. But space isn’t his primary concern — it’s germs.

“The bathrooms are spotless. If you’re going to live in a communal environment, you must have that,” he declares.

Don’t care to witness a stranger playing “Oh Susannah” on his teeth with a strand of floss? You can upgrade to one of The Jane’s fancier captain’s cabins. They’re spacious, lovingly restored according to the period, and feature large private washrooms.

But even if your wallet sentences you to steerage, you can escape to several public spaces within the hotel.

The restaurant, Café Gitane, is a funky French/Moroccan eatery where nothing on the menu commands more than $14. Popular offerings include avocado toast (avocado, lemon juice and chili flakes on seven-grain toast), a mountain of couscous and the best darned chicken sandwich I’ve ever tasted.

The lobby is luxurious but faded — not quite as rotten as the Titanic, but definitely a decaying remnant of former glory.

Male staff (including the 24-hour elevator operator), sport retro, burgundy-hued bellboy costumes. If you’re a fan of Pee Wee’s Big Adventure you’ll be transported right back to his big-screen debut.

There is also a grandiose ballroom that taps into what looks like a Victorian obsession with Persia, complete with oriental rugs, potted palm trees and textures galore. It is closed for the time being due to permit issues, but MacPherson hopes to have it up and running shortly.

In the meantime, there’s always the Lobby Bar, also lush and mysterious in decor. Of course, it wouldn’t be complete without its own evil gaunt monkey.

Truth: to stay at a whimsical hotel in Manhattan for just $79, I’d cuddle that monkey like a teddy bear all night long if I had to.

Reb Stevenson is a Toronto-based writer. She can be reached through her website at www.rebstevenson.com. Her trip was subsidized by The Jane Hotel.

JUST THE FACTS

The Jane is located in the West Village at 113 Jane and the Hudson River.

Nightly rates are: $79-$99 (U.S.) standard cabin, $125 (U.S.), standard cabin with two bunk beds and $209-$250 U.S. (captain’s cabin).

For more information, visit www.thejanenyc.com or call 212-924-6700.