If you squint real hard, there is still some of Williamsburg's soul left that hasn't been ruined by GQ, and it's just enough to stack a bunch of bodies up to the sky for $300 apiece. But is the 'burg chill enough for two boutique hotels with nearly identical names?
In one corner we have the Hotel Williamsburg, located on North 12th between Bedford and Berry. Though "Brooklyn's first full-service luxury boutique hotel" began taking reservations yesterday (starting at $295), the hotel's bar won't be open until Friday. It will also feature a 40 x 20 foot swimming pool, a step up from the kiddie pool that you blacked out in this summer after three Turkey's Nest margaritas.
In the other, theoretical corner, is Williamsburghotel, a 440-foot-tall structure designed by the Miami firm Oppenheim Archetecture+Design. According to The Architect's Newspaper, its planned location is right next to the old Williamsburgh Savings Bank (no, not THAT Williamsburgh Savings Bank) on 175 Broadway, near Driggs Avenue. The firm's design won a secret contest sponsored by the parcel's secret developer, and hopes for it to be LEED Platinum certified. If and when the 86,000 square foot behemoth will be built, no one can say.
Which hotel will you demand your landlord pay for when your apartment is being gassed for bedbugs? Will there be Bushmills in the minibars?
