The Merchant Hotel Lower East Side

About The Merchant Hotel Lower East Side

The Merchant Hotel Lower East Side suits travelers who want to sleep in the middle of a historic downtown neighborhood and spend their days out in the city. Couples on a long weekend, friends on a first trip and business travelers with meetings downtown all fit here. The address on Orchard Street puts bars, restaurants and small shops within a short walk, and the subway connects you to Midtown and the Financial District. Late arrivals get a staffed desk at any hour.

The hotel holds an official three-star rating. In New York that usually points to a practical, well-located base rather than a full-service resort: a place to sleep, shower and leave your bags while the city happens outside. The Merchant Hotel Lower East Side fits a short city break, a work trip with downtown meetings or a first visit built around walking. Book the room you need for the nights you are there, and treat the building as a base rather than a destination in itself.

Rooms and listed facilities

Couples get free wifi, a bar and a restaurant without leaving the building. Families can ask the concierge about cots, room layouts and wheelchair accessible space before booking. Business travelers have a 24 hour front desk for early departures and late returns, and lifts to every floor served. Anyone arriving on a night flight can check in at any hour. Confirm shuttle details, restaurant hours and any extra charges with the property when you book.

The setting

Orchard Street runs through the Lower East Side, a downtown neighborhood of older tenement buildings, small shops and late-night food, south of Houston Street. Numbered streets begin further uptown, so here you navigate by named streets, and Broadway cuts diagonally across the island. Central Park, at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street, sits about 3.2 miles (5.1 km) north.

Location and neighborhood

The Lower East Side sits at the downtown end of Manhattan, south of 14th Street and east of the Bowery, where the tidy grid gives way to older named streets. Orchard, Ludlow, Allen and Delancey run at angles that repay a map. This is tenement country: walk-up buildings five and six stories tall, fire escapes, former synagogues, storefronts and small galleries. The Tenement Museum anchors the neighborhood's story of immigration. Evenings bring gallery openings and late bars around Orchard and Ludlow. Streets stay busy and mostly flat, so a day on foot covers a lot.

First-time visitors do well to treat the neighborhood as a base for downtown. From The Merchant Hotel Lower East Side, the East River waterfront is a short walk east, with the Williamsburg Bridge landing at Delancey Street and paths along the water. Fifth Avenue divides East from West street numbers uptown, but down here the named streets rule, so pick a north-south spine such as Essex Street or Allen Street and navigate from it. Broadway cuts diagonally across the city and passes just west of the neighborhood. Subway stations sit along Delancey, Essex and East Broadway; check current service with the MTA before a late night.

Getting there and around

The subway runs 24 hours a day and is usually the quickest way around downtown. Fares are paid by tapping a contactless card or phone; the MetroCard is being phased out, so tap to pay. Driving in below 60th Street incurs a congestion toll. JFK and Newark Liberty are typically 45 to 75 minutes from Midtown depending on traffic and connections; LaGuardia is closest by road. The Merchant Hotel Lower East Side is around 12 miles (19.9 km) from the airports, around 2.4 miles (3.8 km) from Penn Station and Grand Central, and around 2.6 miles (4.2 km) from Midtown. The neighborhood is flat, so walking covers most of it.

Nearby sights and food

The Brooklyn Bridge pedestrian walkway begins west and south of the neighborhood, and the walk over the East River to Brooklyn is the draw. The 9/11 Memorial's reflecting pools are free; the museum is ticketed. Ferries to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island leave from Battery Park, and the free Staten Island Ferry from Whitehall Terminal passes the statue. Little Island and Hudson River Park sit along the west side; the High Line runs from Gansevoort Street to Hudson Yards. Observation decks at the Empire State Building, Top of the Rock, One World Observatory, Edge and SUMMIT One Vanderbilt are ticketed, so check hours.

Eating here mixes old and new. The neighborhood's Jewish immigrant history shows in appetizing counters, bagel shops and deli sandwiches, some of them very old. Alongside them sit Dominican and Puerto Rican kitchens, Chinese bakeries and noodle shops, Vietnamese and Thai restaurants, taquerias, ramen bars and pizza sold late. The market hall on Essex Street has stalls for cheese, fish, produce and prepared food. Galleries along Orchard and Ludlow bring wine bars and small plates. Weekend brunch lines form on Ludlow and Clinton; book ahead or eat early. Some counters still take cash only.

A day from The Merchant Hotel Lower East Side

Start early from The Merchant Hotel Lower East Side with coffee and a bagel nearby, then walk the tenement blocks while they are quiet. Book a Tenement Museum tour for late morning; timed entry fills up, so reserve ahead. Lunch on a banh mi or tacos, then head south on foot to the Brooklyn Bridge and cross to Brooklyn for the skyline view, or turn west to the 9/11 Memorial pools. Late afternoon suits the High Line, which is thinnest on weekday evenings, or a ferry from Whitehall Terminal past the Statue of Liberty. Check opening days for the museum and the decks before you set out. Return for gallery openings on Orchard or Ludlow, dinner, and a late drink.

Distances

Facilities listed by the supplier

As listed by the booking supplier; a facility not listed here may still exist. Confirm anything important with the property.

• 24 Hour Front Desk
• Bars
• Cafe
• Coffee
• Concierge
• Free Wi-Fi
• Elevators
• Lounge
• Restaurant
• Shuttle service
• Wheelchair accessible