The Soho Grand is a hip hotel but that goes without saying. This hotel is also a celebration of Soho itself with its' holy stairs leading up to the grand lobby and I don't mean "holy" in biblical terms. The holes on the stairs perfectly match the city streets of Soho. I didn't notice it initially until a friend pointed it out, "aah! I get it!" I remarked in a somewhat air headed way and thought to myself "How the hell did I not notice that?". The same weekend that I stayed at the Soho Grand, fashion designer supreme, Jeremy Scott was celebrating his birthday party in the garden along with Leigh Lezark in the courtyard.  Attractive, well dressed people everywhere, including an above ground pool filled with cuties swimming it up in the hot early August weather. On any given night there will be an event or a party at the Soho Grand or her sister the Tribeca Grand hotel. On the night I was at Soho Grand there was an event called "Hot Chips", the following night there was a movie showing at the Tribeca Grand. There is always fun to be had at both of these cool hotels.

I stayed in a Superior Deluxe room which featured amazing views of Soho and beyond with visibility all the way to the Williamsburg bridge. The room was spotlessly clean and the bathroom featured cute black and white wall paper with little chicadee doodles. In general the room was cozy and exactly the kind of room you want to stay in after a long night of partying. The bed is so comfortable, perfect for flopping down and calling it a night. When you’re not flopping on the bed, you have all of Soho at your feet from the moment you step outside the hotel. Shopping, shopping and more shopping! Did I mention there’s a lot of shopping to be had in the area? Everyone knows that Soho is a destination for the best shopping spots but there are also some great restaurants around including one of my personal favorites, Ed’s Lobster Bar a few blocks down on LaFayette. I think I overdosed on Lobster Rolls during my stay in NYC. I probably visited Ed’s 5 times for lunch every day out of an 8 day stay in NYC!

Another interesting thing to note is the fact that at the Soho Grand you can request your very own pet goldfish. I requested one and the fish whom I named Troy hung out in my room for a little while but quickly decided that I felt bad for the little fella being stuck in that little bowl so I called maintenance and asked if they could come back and pick up Troy and take him back to his home. I asked the maintenance man, Eduardo if I could come down with him to see where Troy would be going and he said I could so I followed him down. I watched as Eduardo dumped Troy's bowl into a super extra large aquarium where he could be back with his friends again. I felt sad for a half moment, as Troy blended in with all the extra fish, knowing that I would never see him again after spending a few hours with him. C'est La vie...nevertheless the pet fish offering at Soho is cute to say the least. I just wish the bowls were slightly larger.

Another really cool thing to note is that on each floor of the Soho Grand, there is a “help station”. In each station you will find free drinks (yes free! While other hotels are charging 7 bucks for a can of coke, Soho Grand plays a great host and gives guests drinks for free!) such as Coke, Sprite, Coffee along with copies of Nylon Magazine, Time Out and all the usual suspects (New York Times, LA Times). Newspapers are refreshed daily so you can just walk over to the help station and grab what you need rather than receiving a paper every morning that you’re not going to touch. Last but not least we mustn’t forget that the wonderful Privé Salon is located right next door to the Soho Grand. You can actually enter the salon from within the hotel! So you literally have everything you need within one hotel and out and around the hotel is within reach. Convenience + Cool = The best hotel to stay at in Soho!

Soho Grand Hotel310 West Broadway New York, NY 10013 212.965.3000