Harlem's 125th Street just got its first major hotel in decades: the Renaissance New York Harlem.
Located just down from the Apollo Theater at 233 W 125th St between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and Frederick Douglass Boulevards, the Marriott-owned hotel had its soft opening on August 26.
The 28-story Renaissance, filled with design inspiration from Harlem's cultural heyday—think poetry by Langston Hughes on bedroom mirrors—has a total of 211 rooms. Many have sweeping views of Central Park.
In a unique setup, the hotel shares its entrance—found under the renovated facade of the 1917 Loew's Victoria Theater—with a new addition coming to the Apollo Theater.
The legendary performance spot is set to open the theaters at The Victoria, two new flexible performance spaces, directly below the hotel.
To get to the hotel lobby, guests take elevators featuring dramatic portraits of Harlem Renaissance figures like Josephine Baker and Cab Calloway to the fifth floor.
There they'll find the Victoria restaurant and bar, which currently opens at 5pm (lunch should start in about a month).
The lounge-like area is surrounded by more Harlem-inspired decor, including a series of steps decorated with the names of jazz greats.
The finishing touch, when it opens next year, will be the rooftop bar on the 28th floor.
