Those who have been reading this blog for a while know that I used to review episodes of Gossip Girl every Monday. I was a little late jumping on the GG bandwagon (I had to stream the first two seasons on Netflix), but once I caught up, I was hooked.
It's well documented that my favorite character on the show was Chuck Bass, played by British actor Ed Westwick. In the later seasons of the show, Chuck owns the Empire Hotel and last week, thanks to a work trip, I actually stayed there.
Cue the freak out!
I arrived to the Empire on Friday afternoon and I was giddy the entire cab ride from Penn Station. When we pulled up I was wondering, "Will this live up to the dream in my mind?"
As soon as I walked through the front door I knew this was indeed a Chuck-worthy hotel. Check out the sexy furniture in the entry way.
All the doors leading into the lobby are branded with solid gold "E" letters.
The lobby has a lounge vibe with marigold colored curtains that are two stories tall.
The seating areas are a mix of tufted couches and animal print accents.
The lobby feels very grand with it's second floor balcony, modern chandeliers and winding stair case up the back.
The short walk to the guest elevators takes you through a luxuriously decorated hallway, reminiscent of a Las Vegas hotel.
I stepped off the elevator into a forest of white birch trees.
My room was small, but had touches of Chuck everywhere.
The head board was chocolate brown leather, a very masculine choice.
At the foot of the bed was a mirror nearly six feet tall.
The tiger print chair was the most Chuck touch of them all. Couldn't you seem him in his purple silk robe sitting in that chair?
Though I never touch the mini bar in my hotel rooms, this spread was quite impressive.
My room had a small desk area and a TV mounted to the wall that you could turn toward the bed.
The bathroom was simple and honestly, I was a little disappointed.
The sink had zero counter space (a nightmare for any girl).
Other than the tiger print chair, the best part of my room was the view. Though I was only on the fourth floor, I could see straight out onto the park down below.
It was rainy the two days I was in town, but I could still see the tall buildings poking over the trees.
I also had a great view of Lincoln Center. It doesn't get much more New York than this.
The first night we stayed at the hotel, when we came home, I noticed the letter "M" in the Empire Hotel sign on the roof had gone out. That was the only moment where I felt like Chuck Bass was fictional. The real Chuck Bass would have never let that happen. Especially not to my letter.
The afternoon we were checking out there was a black tie wedding at the hotel and I was able to watch them shoot their bridal party pictures in the hotel's lobby. Chuck definitely would have approved.
The Empire Hotel did live up to my Gossip Girl fantasy. My room was great, my view was excellent, Lincoln Center is steps away and most importantly, The Smith (one of my favorite restaurants and the place where I saw Ben Affleck) is directly across the street.
Visit the Empire Hotel at 44 West 63rd Street, New York, NY 10023.
