Overview
History
Conspicuous consumption, 7am until late
Designer William Sofield styled the interior in what Wired called industrial hip: steel wainscoting and a staircase studded with glass bottles1. The Soho Grand Hotel around it opened on August 4, 1996, by its own account the first luxury boutique hotel in downtown Manhattan2.
By 1999 the Grand Bar had long been a place for the glitterati to see and be seen1. When we listed it, we couldn't think of many more elegant settings for the conspicuous consumption of the leisure class than its enormous, clubby rooms.
It's still at 310 West Broadway3, now called the Grand Bar & Salon, which the hotel describes as a throwback to the way bars used to be3. It's open daily from 7am until late3, so the leisure class can start at breakfast.
Sources
Researched October 2026.