Freehand New York at 23 Lexington Avenue in Gramercy houses the New York outpost of the Broken Shaker, the craft cocktail concept that began in Miami Beach and has earned James Beard Award nominations for cocktail programme quality at multiple locations. The Freehand's Gramercy position, Roman & Williams interior design, and the hotel's social-hospitality philosophy create the conditions that the Broken Shaker's programme specifically requires: a hotel whose guest population overlaps with the neighbourhood's creative and professional audience in a room that is designed for extended occupation.
The 395 rooms span configurations from private king rooms to queen suites, all designed by Roman & Williams with the material warmth and considered detail that the practice brings to hotel commissions. The lobby and social spaces are designed on the Freehand model: a ground floor that functions as a neighbourhood bar, coffee shop, and co-working environment simultaneously, attracting the cross-pollination between hotel guests and local regulars that the brand's social design makes possible.
Simon & the Whale, Gabriel Stulman's seafood restaurant off the lobby, and Studio, the all-day dining room a floor up, provide the food programme that the Broken Shaker's cocktail focus requires as a counterpart: kitchens that take their craft as seriously as the bar takes its own. The George Washington Bar, set in the hotel's former library room with restored mahogany millwork and a fireplace, provides the classic cocktail alternative to the Broken Shaker's seasonal-ingredient approach.
Lexington Avenue and 23rd Street places the hotel at the Gramercy Park-Flatiron intersection, the Gramercy Park Hotel and its famous private park key are three blocks east; Madison Square Park and the Flatiron Building are three blocks north. The 6 train at 23rd Street provides rapid Midtown and Downtown access. For guests who want the Gramercy neighbourhood's residential quality alongside the Broken Shaker's cocktail programme, the Freehand provides both.
The Broken Shaker and the Freehand's social lobby formula create the solo retreat infrastructure at its most generous: a bar that is worth visiting as a destination rather than as a hotel amenity, a lobby that operates as a co-working environment during the day, and Simon & the Whale for the dinner that does not require company to be good. The Gramercy neighbourhood's walking infrastructure, Madison Square Park, Union Square, the Flatiron, extends the retreat's outdoor programme.
The Freehand's Gramercy position, Simon & the Whale's client-lunch capability, and the Broken Shaker's reputation as a serious cocktail destination create the business hotel formula that the neighbourhood's media, publishing, and professional services industries specifically need. The lobby co-working culture supports the flexible work arrangements that creative-industry business travel increasingly requires. For professionals whose clients are in the Flatiron, Union Square, and Gramercy districts, the Freehand's address is the correct base.
From $115/night private rooms; suites from $300/night. Check availability at freehandhotels.com/new-york.
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Last updated April 10, 2025
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At 23 Lexington Avenue on the corner of East 23rd Street, on the Gramercy-Flatiron border. Gramercy Park sits two blocks south, Madison Square Park and the Flatiron Building are a few blocks west, and Union Square is about a ten-minute walk south. The 6 train stops at 23rd Street outside the door; by car it is roughly 20 minutes to LaGuardia and 35 to JFK.
395 rooms across a renovated 1928 building, the former George Washington Hotel. The room types span private rooms, quad shares (a Freehand-brand signature), and suites. Most rooms are small (20, 28 sq m), Freehand's positioning is design-led affordable boutique, not full-service luxury.
Hybrid. Freehand operates traditional private rooms alongside quad-share rooms with shared bathrooms, a hostel pattern at hotel-tier design and service standards. The private rooms compete with mid-tier boutique hotels (Ace, Standard); the shared rooms compete with high-design hostels (Generator, Selina). The two product lines coexist physically and operationally.
Broken Shaker is the rooftop bar, the New York outpost of the Miami original. It serves cocktails year-round (heated and tented in winter) with a strong by-the-glass wine list and casual food. The bar has its own street entrance, so non-residents can visit without going through the hotel lobby.
Mid-range business yes, executive business no. Wi-Fi is fast and reliable, the lobby has plenty of working-couch space, and the location is well-positioned for meetings in Flatiron and Union Square. But room sizes are small, there is no executive lounge, and the energy is design-and-bar-focused rather than corporate. Use Freehand for shorter, lower-stakes business trips.
