Check-In: CityFlatsHotel, Grand Rapids
The Scenario: My wife and I invited a Dutch friend(from Netherlands) who works in the Caribbean to the cozy CitySen Lounge at the hotel to start off our weekend this past Friday night. My good friend Jimmy happened to be dining with another friend, Chip, so we joined them. I contacted my friend Sin, who was dining in six.one.six at the JW, to join us. Sin brought two people with him. Another friend, Bonzi, happened to call Jimmy from The BOB, so he
joined us with his girlfriend Shelly and their entourage of four friends. We were later joined by friends Nick and Ashley after they called Chip. Forget the fact that between our group, we had other friends sitting in the bar, in booths and friends who happened to just walk-by the lounge. What was meant to be a chill-night at a new establishment, turned out to be quite the get-together of friends and new acquaintances.
The Vibe: CFGR evokes a more personal charm than its sister property in Holland. The designer did a wonderful job of creating an inviting space out of a small footprint. CFGR reminds me a lot of the boutique hotels you may discover in Zurich, Amsterdam and Berlin. The lounge itself, with its illuminated bar, exposed brick walls, booth seatings and outdoor terrace, is stylized to reflect a hotel in a younger urban center. The staff in the lounge were friendly and accommodating and were gracious enough to offer our party a room tour. The rooms are smartly appointed with glass showers, flat screens, cork floors and bathroom fixtures worth photographing (as you can see below). CFGR is a very cool place and MHL highly recommends staying here.
Bonus Points: LEED certified, sidewalk terrace, original "FOX" jewelers sign behind the bar, good small plates, friendly staff, modern rooms, and nice touches with the interiors such as warm lighting, layout design and bathroom sinks.
Tweak: dim lighting in the lounge (they are working on adding dimmers), intentional music program, better task chair in guest room, scenting, flatscreens in rooms we toured were not optimal for bedside viewing.
CityFlatsHotel - Grand Rapids
83 Monroe Center NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
616.608.1720
cityflatshotel.com
28 Guest Rooms; starting at $149
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