My 4 top qualifications for a great hotel are fairly simple. 

1. Comfortable bed (really, unusually comfortable)

2. Nice shower/water pressure 

3. Good location

4. Must be clean

I've certainly been spoiled thanks to my husband who is a hotel snob in every sense of the word. To give you an idea, our usual hotel of choice in New York is The Peninsula, and I do love it. It is  truly luxurious and I have no complaints. However, with our plans being in the Greenwich Village area, we looked for a more convenient location. My daughter suggested checking out Gwyneth Paltrow's City Guides app for New York. (goop city) 

Gwyneth recommended The James (among others) for our area. The cost is fairly reasonable for NY - certainly a fraction of The Peninsula price tag. 

I must admit, my first reaction was not as positive as my feelings about the hotel by the end of the trip. (This may have had something to do with the heat exhaustion I suffered in the cab ride from the airport.) However, things turned around quickly. For dinner, we were taken to our destination in the complimentary hotel Mercedes. Nice perk. Like a magic carpet ride.

The rooms are small. And when I say small, I mean tiny. But they are neat and clean, and decorated minimally. The windows covering an entire wall reveal an incredible view of the city. 

This is not the view out the window, but a motorized screen... lowered for privacy here. 

And raised to reveal the bathroom here...

Upon checking in, the concierge could not have been more friendly or helpful. 

This wall, leading to the lobby, is made of keyboard buttons...

The Lobby

Rooftop Pool

Attached to the hotel is David Burke Kitchen, a restaurant where we noshed on an afternoon snack of Pretzel Crab Cakes that were quite scrumptious. ... a nice surprise after reading the mediocre review on Immaculate Infatuation. (here) We were glad we tried it, and would go back! (We do have minds of our own!)

See the pretzel sticks on top?

As far as being eligible for a top hotel consideration, let's run down the qualification list:

1. The bed was extremely comfortable and the sheets super soft. (Again, unsure of how much the cab ride from hell played into this evaluation of the comfort level...)

2. The shower was beautiful, had awesome water pressure, fancy gadgets, and an added bonus - products that smelled heavenly and were sulfate free! (I'm allergic to sulfates and have to travel with sulfate free products.) 

3. The location was prime - staying in the heart of Soho allowed us to walk almost everywhere we went.

4. Clean and elegant

I would definitely recommend The James in SoHo and will surely stay there again.