Alexandra Farcas 
citizenM returns to NYC with a brand-new, 300-room hotel at 189 Bowery. Launched September 12, citizenM Bowery is not only home to a unique Museum of Street Art, but also boasts the title of the world’s largest modular hotel. Its counterpart, the 230-room citizenM Times Square, which opened in 2014, is the only other citizenM hotel in the city.
Nearly five years after the walls of 5Pointz were whited out, citizenM New York Bowery brings the art of the 5Pointz Creates collective to its 20-story internal stairwell. A team of 20 artists, led by Jonathan ‘Meres One’ Cohen and curator Marie Cecile Flageul, used 420 hours, 500 spray cans and 1,000 caps to create the Museum of Street Art, a first-of-its-kind project in the hotel industry worldwide. According to the New York Times, the MoSA features portraits, collages, calligraffiti and more. Starting in October, it will be open for free, self-guided tours seven days a week. The first 500 visitors can register for a guided tour with Ms. Flageul. Moreover, a 5,000-square-foot wall mural by Meres One and an installation of painted vases created by 5Pointz decorate the plaza in front of the building, drawing guests and art-enthusiasts in.
The 246-foot tall building of the citizenM Bowery, designed by Amsterdam-based firm Concrete, is the tallest in the neighborhood. Encompassing 100,296 square feet of space, it is also the largest modular hotel in the world. 210 units pre-assembled by Polcom Modular in Poland and delivered in January 2017 were included in the construction.
The hotel itself stays true to the affordable luxury philosophy citizenM promotes. Each of its 165-square-foot rooms includes amenities like king-sized beds, HD TVs with movies on demand, ambient lighting, high-pressure rain showers, and wall-to-wall windows. Guests can unwind in the stylish lobby, grab a bite to eat at the 24/7 canteenM on the ground floor, and enjoy a 360-degree view over New York from the cloudM rooftop bar.
“When we were looking for our next New York location, it became clear very quickly that Bowery is an exceptional destination. We don’t want to be just another building; we want to become part of the neighborhood’s fabric while showing New York’s visitors a different side of the city. Even the art we use will be drawn from the local art scene, as well as international contributors” says Rattan Chadha, founder of citizenM.
By 2020, the hotel chain plans to have around 40 properties open or in development globally. This would mean extending its portfolio to more than double its current size. The list of U.S. locations citizenM has its eye on includes Seattle, Boston, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles and Miami.
