New York’s Chelsea neighborhood received a major injection of art, luxury, and hospitality when Faena New York finally opened its doors on September 9. In advance of the opening, the long-awaited hotel hosted select media, including Afar, and art aficionados for the unveiling of its massive centerpiece mural that covers the curved walls of the lobby entrance, or cathedral, as Faena’s team refers to it. Guests at the event also toured the hotel’s restaurant and other art-filled public areas.
“For us, it’s the most important part of the project, when we open our soul to the city,” owner Alan Faena, dressed in all white, told the crowd.
Alan Faena is the visionary behind Faena Hotel Group, which has two other locations: the first in Buenos Aires where Faena is from, and the second in Miami, where it has become a fixture of the fashionable set since it opened in 2015, famous for its golden Damien Hirst woolly mammoth sculpture in the courtyard.
With a choice location along the High Line, rooms offer sweeping West Chelsea views.
Courtesy of Faena New York
Now New York has its own Faena property, located near 18th Street within One High Line, Bjarke Ingels Group’s architectural masterpiece overlooking the beloved raised walkway project that is the High Line Park. Alan Faena is drawn to places where history, art, and the spirit of reinvention converge. This waterfront site, echoing the spirit of Buenos Aires’ old ports, fit the bill.
The evocative mural, by Argentine artist Diego Gravinese, is mythical and mystical, in soft yet bright colors that envelop the entrance, where a white and gold spiral staircase breaks up the vast painting. The mural, which took nearly three years to complete, features glowing, starry skies punctuated by larger-than-life characters and magical landscapes that don’t exist in our realm. Gravinese said the mural is about cosmic creation.
“The mural came after a long conversation with [Alan Faena], but it went beyond our expectations and our vision. It just started to grow,” said Gravinese. “I became kind of a kind of conduit for the mural to exist.”
Gravinese explained that the mural signifies an awakening of consciousness.
Upon entering Faena New York, guests will be greeted with a striking mural.
Photo by Nikolas Koenig/Courtesy of Faena New York
“It’s a journey from the mind into this spirit, into the revelations that think about this function of consciousness,” said Gravinese. “Why consciousness? From my perspective, there is a crisis in the world, and to me, this crisis is none other than a crisis in consciousness. Human beings have an infinite capacity for taking things for granted. We walk around without realizing how amazing, how incredible it is that we are alive. We are all miracles walking around, and we forget. And I think one of the intentions of art is to remind us [of] our place . . . and from there, we grow consciousness.”
Beyond the grand entrance, guests can go to the left to visit the hotel’s signature restaurant, by the critically acclaimed Argentine chef Francis Mallmann. Mallman, who is known for his live-fire cooking of steak and vegetables, also oversees the Los Fuegos restaurant at Faena Miami. His first restaurant in New York, La Boca is Mallmann’s love letter to the Buenos Aires neighborhood of the same name. The expansive ground-floor dining room offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as nightly entertainment, including live music and DJs. The gleaming wood walls feature several large-scale paintings and massive gold, angular chandeliers that hang over the red-velvet and leather seating. Bouquets of deep-red roses punctuate each table.
The wild cat theme continues at the on-site restaurant La Boca.
Courtesy of Faena New York
There are three other food and beverage venues, including El Secreto, a hidden salon and bar, quietly concealed behind an unmarked door on the hotel’s second floor, and La Cava, the adjacent emerald-toned jewel that is Faena’s wine cellar, an intimate setting for unforgettable private gatherings.
The Living Room on the hotel’s second floor features two bars, one on either end of the room, backed by gold, black, and white art deco scenes that depict famous New York City buildings and animals like a panther, a leopard, and a horse. In between the two bars are seating nooks with leopard-print chairs and couches, as well as glass tables with gold legs that look like leafy plants. The Living Room serves signature cocktails as well as lighter fare and comes alive in the evenings during curated live music performances.
A 900-square-foot terrace faces the High Line, and a massive and colorful Keith Haring mural can be found in one of the hallways.
Bathrooms in the rooms and suites exude elegance.
Courtesy of Faena New York
Upstairs are 120 rooms and suites, each showcasing floor-to-ceiling windows, sweeping views, and a serene yet vibrant aesthetic. Alan Faena collaborated with the Faena Design Team and Peter Mikic Studios to create interiors that weave Faena’s signature design with local influences that honor Manhattan’s energy.
Still to come early next year are the Tierra Santa Healing House, Faena’s acclaimed spa, and a screening room and theater.