The name Fashion 26 conjures an image of being a trendy boutique hotel that is a regular haunt for the young fashionista, however on arrival the first thing that would strike your attention is the dated badly dressed mannequins in the window, if you overlook these the lobby area is welcoming and has a New York feel about it.
After a long flight I really want to do is check-in and have a rejuvenating shower, we make our way to our room and it feels small and claustrophobic and I notice a portioning door which implies that we've been given part of a joining room, I notice on the fire plan that this is the smallest room on the floor, so I phoned down to speak to reception and was informed that all rooms were the same size, as I could see this was not the case, I asked to be moved. After a large kafuffle I was given a set of keys to a new room, on opening the door it was instantly clear that this room was substantially larger, you could actually walk around the bed rather than over it, it was also front facing with a view of the hotel foyer, it was worlds apart from the shoe box I was first presented with.
The room decor in fashion 26 screams that it's trying to compete with hotels such as the W, it doesn't quite rival this, but each room does have a certain character, an urban contemporary vibe.
The bed is very comfortable with soft plump pillows and a cosy duvet, there was also minibar which wasn't restocked during our stay, as we were here for the week, the hotel really missed an opportunity here, not to mention it being slightly frustrating when I wanted a drink to find there was nothing there, having the luxury of a minibar is fairly pointless when you can't use it.
On our first trip to breakfast, I ordered some cereal which was priced on the menu at $6, I was surprised when it turned up and it was a kids variety box In the most enormous bowl I have ever seen, later in the week I ditched the kids cereal for some homemade porridge which sounded really appealing, they cook it freshly to order, my porridge arrived 10 minutes later and after stating I didn't want any sugar or honey added, I was disappointed to taste sugar, which had obviously been added in excessive quantities, I then requested that it was made without sugar, once I finally received it without the sugar it was perfect, this however happened twice again out of four mornings. I wouldn't say breakfast at this hotel was amazing, the food is lesser than average, and the service is the same, and the restaurant is again fairly average.
The hotel is located in midtown Manhattan in the fashion district, it's not the best part of town and on walking out of the hotel you will come across many fabric and bead ships which are a little worse for wear and many take away restaurants which need a little attention.
Despite all the points that I have raised I would say that fashion 26 isn't a bad pick for a New York hotel, if you want something that is fairly reasonably priced with pretty nice rooms and comfy beds then this hotel comes highly recommended, if you want something extra special then I suggest you explore other options.
The Bill: £155 per night
