New York Hotel With Titanic Connection

The Jane Hotel in New York not only costs $79 a night, has bellboys dressed in old fashioned “monkey suits,” but also has a Titanic connection. According to Reb Stevenson of the Toronto Star this 146 room hotel in Manhattan’s West Village is worth a stay if for nothing else the ecentric theme. Originally a lodging for sailors when it opened in 1908, it became famous in 1912 when Titanic survivors stayed there. The Jane was not much over the years and more of a flophouse according to Stevenson. Then it was bought in 2008 by Sean MacPherson, who owns three other Manhattan hotels. At first the plan was to scrap the old place and put up a traditional hotel. Then MacPherson got the idea to rennovate it into a more upscale but less pricey place for people of modest means to stay.

The standard cabins aren’t much larger than a sleeping bag on the sidewalk, but they’ve got style in spades. Throughout The Jane, there’s a vague, nautical feel, as though it shares some of Titanic’s DNA. Within my five-by-seven-foot room, I’ve got a single bed, flat-screen TV, iPod dock, fan, towel, slippers, storage cubbyholes, hooks and even a window. Yes, it’s rather snug, but since I’m not a scarecrow I can cope. There is no Edwardian chamber pot in the cabin. And thank God for that. Instead, guests must brave shared coed washrooms down the hall.

More spacey abodes are available (which cost more) and there is a restaurant with a French/Moroccan theme that has nothing more expensive than $14 on the menu. And the male staff all sport the retro bellboy costumes of long ago. There is a large ballroom with that overstuffed Victorian feel to it (closed at the moment due to permit issues) and a bar that is lush and mysterious. Not bad for $79 a night and comes with a Titanic angle. Something tells me that attractive gal who travels the world for the Travel Channel will not be stopping here soon. But the cost-cutting Rick Steves might find the place worth a try. 🙂