look out for a new mod addition to the chelsea area this month. june welcomed the soft opening of the maritime hotel on ninth ave and 16th street that you may remember as the old covenant house with all those portholes. owners and designers sean macpherson and eric good (of the b bar and the park) partnered with investors richard born and ira drucker (mercer and chambers hotels), and turned the hotel into a marine-inspired soon-to-be hotspot.

each room has one of those large porthole windows as the focal point and is designed like a cabin on a sailboat (with a flatscreen tv of course). and come september, the hotel will boast two new restaurants - italian and japanese - in addition to a bar in its 10,000 square foot outdoor courtyard. surprisingly, the hotel is offering a summer rate of only $165 bucks which includes breakfast and wireless cable.

but beware come fall when the hotel will launch officially and in full-gear and you'll wish you knew it when.

the maritime hotel
363 west 16th street
at ninth avenue
212.242.4300

www.themaritimehotel.com