News

GILD HALL

15 Gold St., New York;

212-232-7700; 1-800-268-0700; http://www.thompsonhotels.com.

Rooms and Rates

Standard rooms from $375;

suites starting at $750.

New York's Financial District is experiencing a boom - and it's not happening on the stock market. It's now a hot place to live and go out on the town. It wasn't always so. In the past, the sidewalks of Lower Manhattan could have been rolled up after office hours. Post-9/11, these canyons of narrow streets in the shadows of skyscrapers took on an even more desolate and depressing feel. Now, people are moving into lofts in converted office buildings with shops, 24-hour fitness centres and restaurants. Hotels, too, are staking their turf in the city's next destination with a Four Seasons, Hyatt and Sheraton under way that will add 3,000 rooms to the 'hood. The 126-room Gild Hall is the first boutique property to open.

Location Gild Hall is appropriately found on Gold Street, just around the corner from the keeper of so much gelt, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. With neighbours like that, it's probably the safest part of the city. Security cameras and personnel are noticeable throughout the Financial District. Subway lines converge at the tip of Manhattan and are connected by endless underground corridors, so getting uptown or to the boroughs is quick and easy.

Design The exterior of this nondescript, 18-storey building is lost in the surrounding forest of towers. A bland façade is about all that's left of the 10-year-old building's original design as a Holiday Inn. Inside, a more creative flair takes over. Subtle references to moneyed movers and shakers are interpreted by a backlit map of the world behind the front desk (without those silly clocks that show different cities and their times). Look down and you'll find inlaid gold-like coins in the wood floor.

Ambience There is a gentlemen's club feel, but it's more eclectic than stuffed shirts. With antler chandeliers, shelves of old books, sepia-toned photographs, wood panelling, deep leather couches - even a leather floor - the Americana-style lobby suggests a snug retreat from slaying the dragons on Wall Street. Complimentary coffee, tea and brioche make it a welcoming place to lounge in the morning. Upstairs, colour prints by mid-century society photographer Slim Aarons line the red hallways, letting Britt Ekland, Truman Capote and Salvador Dali guide you to your room.

Clientele This is meant to be a business hotel, the first for the trendsetting Thompson chain. Guests include an international mix of businessmen and women willing to try something different in a convenient locale. Not all were pleased with the unfinished state of the hotel and the concomitant sound of construction - there's enough of that going on in the streets of Lower Manhattan. Work is slated to be done by the end of April.

Rooms For a boutique hotel, the rooms are amply sized, to which we have its Holiday Inn roots to thank. Attention is paid to providing workspace at desks and countertops. Contemporary wood furnishings, flat-screen high-definition TVs and free wireless access make for a comfortable and practical work/sleep space. As at other Thompson hotels, the windows open. Washrooms have tubs, marble counters, glass tiles and toiletries by Fresh. Rooms do not come with noteworthy views as neighbouring buildings dwarf the hotel, so book a room on the lower floors - two through eight - which have considerably higher ceilings than the upper floors. Moulding, wallpaper and modern chandeliers that look like oversized dream catchers accentuate the sense of height. A wall-to-wall leather headboard is a signature feature in every room and the beds are dressed in Sferra linens. Black leather sofas and wood floors distinguish the eight suites (which have showers only).

Service There is a business centre and three small exercise rooms with Cybex fitness machines. It's as if you have your own private gym. The staff is friendly, professional and efficient. A loud radiator was dealt with quickly.

Food & Drink Thompson partners with known entities to run their in-house restaurants. Toronto's Susur Lee will assume that role at Thompson LES in the Lower East Side this year. Gild Hall will have Libertine, featuring modern English cuisine with a twist on English tapas, including a raw bar and more substantial high-end pub fare under the direction of celebrity chef Todd English. It opens in September. The bookshelf-lined staircase in the lobby will lead to a champagne bar.

Things to Do Look up at the gilded spires and domes of Wall Street's towers to discover an architectural treasure trove in the sky.

To tour the world's largest accumulation of gold, contact the neighbouring Federal Reserve Bank at least one month in advance by calling 212-720-6130.

Walk the pedestrian-only Stone Street, New York's first cobblestone road, now lined with restaurants and bars.

The South Street Seaport at Fulton and South Streets has a maritime museum and mall on Pier 17 in the East River. Giant discount fashion outlet Century 21 (22 Cortlandt St.) draws bargain-hunting office workers on their lunch break. And the arrival of Tiffany's and Hermès signals the upwardly mobile feel taking over the area.

Tourists and even locals are coming downtown for projects designed to revive the area post-9/11, such as the summer-long River to River Festival of free concerts, plays and site-specific events.

This summer's big draw will be the inventive installation under the Brooklyn Bridge by Danish artist Olafur Eliasson, which will see four freestanding waterfalls up to 37 metres high cascading around New York harbour from mid-July to October.

*****

Hotel vitals

Top Draw

For those who like the boutique experience, this is the first of its kind in a neighbourhood to watch.

Needs Work

The curtainless Venetian blinds don't do a good enough job at blocking out the morning light. Plus, while renovations continue, the hotel should forewarn guests of the noisy work.