A year after opening at the base of one of Chelsea's most talked-about new buildings, Faena New York is rolling out fresh reasons for guests to linger, starting with a 17,000-square-foot spa and a speakeasy still waiting in the wings. The maximalist hotel, known for its theatrical interiors and Argentine hospitality pedigree, is adding to its amenities even as it settles into its first full year of operation.
A Year-One Expansion Inside One High Line
According to the New York Post, Faena New York opened in September 2025 with 120 upper-floor guest rooms, a Living Room lounge, the Tierra Santa Healing House spa, the La Boca restaurant, and a restaurant from chef Francis Mallmann. Room rates start at $1,395 per night, the Post reports. The hotel is the work of Argentine hotelier Alan Faena, whose brand was founded in partnership with Access Industries, the firm owned by Len Blavatnik, per the same account.
The hotel occupies the lower floors of the East Tower at One High Line, the twisting, travertine-clad complex at 500 West 18th Street designed by Bjarke Ingels Group. The lower 10 floors of the 26-story East Tower house Faena New York, according to Suffolk Construction, while its twin 36-story companion tower stands nearby. The two towers were engineered to rotate so that neither blocks the other's view of the Hudson River, as reported by ArchDaily.
From Foreclosure to Luxury Showpiece
The site's path to becoming a luxury hospitality anchor wasn't a straight line. The development of Faena New York represents the culmination of a major real estate rescue story on Manhattan's West Side, as Surface Magazine has detailed. What began in 2015 as The XI under HFZ Capital Group, which bought the property for roughly $870 million, collapsed into foreclosure and litigation before Witkoff Group and Access Industries acquired the unfinished complex in 2021 for $900 million and rebranded it One High Line.
That turnaround has continued to pay off financially. Developers Witkoff Group and Access Industries secured a $525 million refinancing loan from Ares Management and JPMorgan Chase in January 2026 after recording more than $1.1 billion in condominium sales at the site, according to the Real Deal's reporting. The project had previously landed a $1 billion refinancing package in August 2024, the outlet notes.
New Spa Joins the Mix
The newest addition to the property is a spa that opened in June 2026, spanning 17,000 square feet and including a hammam, five plunges, eleven treatment rooms, an infrared sauna, and fitness studios, per the Post's reporting. The spa is the hotel's wellness offering.
Faena New York is also planning a speakeasy named El Secreto, which will feature a room designed by Sebastian Errazuriz, the Post reports. A street-level Faena Theater is also in the works, set to feature artwork by Andrés Resinger. Alan Faena told the outlet that New York City has historically been the center of innovation and creativity, a line that frames the hotel's continued build-out within the city's broader cultural identity.
Inside, the hotel already leans hard into art as atmosphere. Its entrance lobby, called The Cathedral, features a 27-foot-high, 100-foot-wide mural titled *ASCENSION, A Sephirotic Journey* by Argentine artist Diego Gravinese, a piece that took two years to create, according to Surface Magazine. Alan Faena commissioned the work through Faena Art to create an immersive arrival for guests, the outlet notes. Along the second-floor gallery corridor connecting the Living Room and El Secreto, the hotel also displays an original eight-panel acrylic Keith Haring mural created for the Montreux Jazz Festival, shown behind protective glass, as reported by Time Out.
A Brand Backed by Global Hospitality Capital
Faena's international reach owes much to a 2021 joint venture between the brand and Accor, Europe's largest hospitality company. The partnership saw Accor take over management of existing Faena locations in Buenos Aires and Miami Beach while backing new outposts including New York and Dubai, according to Travel Weekly. That backing has helped turn the East Tower's lower floors into what amounts to a luxury cultural anchor for the whole complex.
The hotel's early reception has been strong. Faena New York was named Best New Hotel at the 2026 Virtuoso Global Awards during its inaugural year of operation, according to Faena's own announcement, with Virtuoso describing itself as a global network specializing in luxury travel advisor bookings.
A Luxury Market Running Hot
Faena's $1,395 nightly starting rate places it in the luxury tier. Luxury hotels saw ADR growth of 9%, according to NYC Tourism + Conventions.
