Wall Avenue Lodge evaluation: Magnificence and sophistication in Manhattan’s Monetary District

Getting there

Although it’s all the way down toward the southern tip of Manhattan, the Wall Street Hotel is surprisingly easy to get to thanks to its proximity not just to various Subway lines but also to the New York City Ferry’s Pier 11 stop. So if you want to live out your “Working Girl” dreams sans cruising to Staten Island, you can hop on board and take various services to stops around Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and New Jersey.

It’s also within a 5-minute walk of the Wall Street stations for the 2 and 3 lines and the 4 and 5 lines, as well as the J and Z lines’ Broad Street station. A little farther north, you can catch the A and C lines at Fulton Street.

Booking details

The Wall Street Hotel is part of a family-owned company, so it does not participate in any of the major hotel points programs.

Standout features

• Beautiful rooms with pearl- and oyster-inspired decor feel like cocoons from the city’s hustle and bustle.
• Martini aficionados will love the cocktail bar’s menu, which includes both vodka and gin classics as well as a “Martini Frites” section so you can have fries and caviar to accompany your tipple.
• If your day out in the city isn’t enough to get your steps in, the well-equipped gym with two Peloton bikes and plenty of space for free weights and stretching should keep you fit.

Drawbacks

• Despite the lively eateries of the Tin Building and the South Street Seaport, this part of town can get a little drowsy after dark.
• Your $100 on-property experience credit won’t get you far, thanks to the steep menu prices at the hotel’s restaurant and bar.
• Room rates run high, even for New York City, and unfortunately, your hotel points won’t come in handy here since it’s an independent property.

The vibe

The Wall Street Hotel conveys an unmistakable sense of history, standing tall at the corner of Wall and Pearl Streets on the site of what was formerly the 18th-century Tontine Coffee House, home to the first New York Stock Exchange.

The current Beaux-Arts edifice is over a century old and belonged to a family-owned company that imported precious goods, including Australian pearls. That company, including the building, was eventually purchased by the Paspaleys, who reopened it as a hotel in 2022, with plenty of pearl and oyster allusions throughout, as well as nods to New York’s Gilded Age industries courtesy of decorator Liubasha Rose and her interior design firm, Rose Ink Workshop.

No smoky, wood-paneled gentleman’s clubs or hushed ballrooms here, though. Instead, light streams through huge windows into the gleaming white and gray marble lobby. Pastoral scenes decorate the reception area’s walls, along with vibrant paintings by Australian Aboriginal artists from the APY Art Centre Collective.

The Lounge on Pearl — its carpet the teal of the Western Australian waters where Paspaley pearls are harvested — beckons guests to wade in and take up an art deco-style stool at the bar or sink into one of the tastefully patterned armchairs arranged by the marble fireplace. No wonder this has become a favorite spot for visiting glitterati and urbane professionals alike, who come to mingle in the moodily lit watering hole in the evenings.

The room

The 180 rooms and suites at the Wall Street Hotel were decorated with an eye toward creating a comfortable, residential feel, though my Grand King room on the sixth floor felt far more elegant than my actual abode.

The aesthetic was inspired by both lower Manhattan’s and the Paspaley family’s pearling past with a palette that subliminally hearkens to the sea with a panoply of pelagic blues and creams the color of sea foam after the crash of a wave.

The wall feature behind the Frette-sheeted bed as well as the finish on the chest of drawers under the Samsung Smart TV (where I found a Nespresso machine and a welcome amenity of mini cannoli), were reminiscent of mother of pearl while the pattern on the carpet was a playful reference to the mesh netting used in oyster farming.

Though just 350 square feet, the space felt larger thanks to high ceilings and huge windows. There was a cozy corner seating area with a small sectional and a round table that was excellent for relaxing and dining but not as convenient for working due to the lack of nearby plugs.

If plugs are what you’re after, however, there are plenty by the bed, including universal power outlets and both USB-A and USB-C ports. There’s also a Bang & Olufsen speaker for blasting tunes (or podcasts).

Next to the window, an elliptical vintage-style bar cart held a host of spirits and snacks, including Hendrick’s Gin and Macallan whisky as well as M&Ms, Haribo gummy bears and kits with phone chargers and intimacy items, among other options.

There was also an oyster-shaped bottle opener from Mau House available for purchase. The proceeds support the hotel’s work with the Billion Oyster Project, which is dedicated to restoring New York Harbor’s oyster reefs (you can also leave a donation at checkout).

Back toward the entrance, the small wardrobe contained a safe and limited closet space.

Across from it, the bathroom was clad in thickly veined gray and white marble and contained the toilet, a glassed-in walk-in shower and a countertop with two sinks. The hotel provides citrusy Acqua di Parma hand soap and lotion and Grown Alchemist shampoo, conditioner and body wash.

Though my room looked out over Wall Street and was not far from the elevators, excellent soundproofing made for a tranquil, quiet stay — all the better to enjoy the room and its amenities.

Food and drink

Chef John Fraser, who garnered one Michelin star each at two of his now-closed restaurants, Dovetail and Nix, oversees the menus at the hotel’s main eatery, La Marchande. Guests can access it via the lobby, though there’s also a street entrance.

With flickering candles, fanciful wallpapering and tinkling crystal chandeliers, La Marchande feels like a contemporary chophouse with French flair and fare.

Of course, at a hotel with an emphasis on oysters, you can expect there to be options here to start. The menu offers choices of a half-dozen or dozen West Coast, East Coast or Long Island-grown mollusks ranging from $22-$48, depending on your choice, and the provenance might vary depending on what’s in season.

The dinner menu also includes other specialties like a fresh seafood tower ($95), classic shrimp cocktail ($16), escarole Caesar salad ($20) and a variety of steak cuts ($32-$190) plus non-beef options like Dover sole with vermouth-lime butter ($75). A salad, hanger steak with a side of black pepper sauce, a cocktail and a glass of French wine from beverage director Amy Racine’s list zeroed out my $100 Capital One Premier Collection experience credit (and then some), but it was worth it.

Guests can have breakfast at La Marchande as well, and signatures like an avocado tartine with radish, chili oil and a four-minute egg ($18) do not disappoint. The dish tasted even better since breakfast was included with my Capital One Premier Collection booking, and I had two cappuccinos ($9) to boot.

On my second morning, I decided to order room service, which was also included as part of the breakfast benefit and arrived promptly at 8:30 a.m. as requested via a door menu the night before. I started my day with a fluffy omelet with chevre cheese, fines herbes and garlic confit accompanied by buttery marble potatoes ($22) and a pot of strong coffee ($12).

Although people waft in throughout the day, the Lounge on Pearl really comes alive in the evening when hotel guests return to unwind after a busy day out in the city.

According to the bartender, most go for one of the specialty martinis, including the Pearl ($22), with Roku gin, Italicus and Lillet, though the smooth Perfect Manhattan made with Angel’s Envy bourbon set the tone for an enjoyable night out on the town. Guests can also order from a small menu that includes snacks like salted cod and scallop fritters with Meyer lemon aioli ($20) and ahi tuna lettuce cups with ginger and spicy chili aioli ($23).

Here, too, there is the option to order a half-dozen of the daily selection of oysters accompanied by a tangy tomato-verjus mignonette ($24).

Amenities and service

You won’t find a spa or pool at the Wall Street Hotel, but it does have a well-equipped fitness center on the second floor. The machines there include Peloton bikes, a Mirror fitness screen, Technogym treadmills and a variety of weights, including a range of dumbbells. There’s also a fridge stocked with cans of Gatorade to keep you hydrated during your workout.

The hotel also offers what it calls a “Curated Concierge” service to help personalize your stay with elements like in-room floral arrangements, photography sessions and partner experiences like a hot shave at New York Shaving Company or private yoga and Pilates sessions.

Although I did not get to try those services myself, every staff member I interacted with was courteous and helpful. The bellman who took my suitcase from me upon arrival already had it placed in the room by the time the check-in formalities — during which the receptionist thanked me for my Capital One Premier Collection booking and enumerated the benefits — were complete. The waitstaff at the bar and La Marchande were all professional and polite, and daily housekeeping kept my room spotless throughout my stay.

Out and about

If you’re in town for business and your activities are mainly in the Financial District, you couldn’t ask for a better location than this. It is just a 2-minute walk from the New York Stock Exchange and other nearby financial institutions. You can also walk to and across the Brooklyn Bridge, or circumnavigate Manhattan’s southern tip to Battery Park and enjoy the greenery or catch a boat out to the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island.

The stores and restaurants of South Street Seaport are also a quick walk away, as are the eateries, bars and food shops of Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Tin Building. You might also luck out and catch a concert at Pier 17.

Accessibility

All of the Wall Street Hotel’s public spaces, including its entrance, registration desk, restaurant and lounge, are wheelchair-accessible. The hotel can valet accessible vehicles and offers wheelchairs upon request, too.

Checking out

Once a warren of bleak office towers and boisterous happy hours, Manhattan’s Financial District has quietly become one of the city’s trendier neighborhoods, and that’s thanks, in part, to the opening of the Wall Street Hotel. With alluring public spaces, including its gorgeous bar, large and elegant rooms and a location that puts much of the city within easy reach by public transport, it’s no wonder the hotel is a hit with locals and travelers alike.

While its room rates are steep, even by New York standards, by booking through the Capital One Premier Collection (or Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts if you have an eligible card and prefer that portal), the value-added benefits like upgrades, on-property credits and daily breakfast really do add up. One final perk that came in handy? Late checkout, which I took advantage of on my final day by extending my stay until 2 p.m. to get some work done before departing for my evening flight home.

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