Ink 48, a former theatrical printing house, becomes the flagship for MGallery

The name is no coincidence. Before becoming a hotel, the building at 653 Eleventh Avenue housed a 1930s theatrical printing house, just a few streets from the Theater District. The ink gave the address its name, the 48th street its number. Accor has just signed the arrival of the MGallery Collection in New York.

A signing, not an opening

The distinction matters for anyone wishing to book. Ink 48 is not becoming MGallery tomorrow morning · it will become so in 2028, at the end of a renovation programme designed to imbue it with the brand’s hallmarks without erasing its character. In the meantime, the hotel continues to operate independently, with no announced closure.

This is a mechanism that is now common among major groups: secure the asset first, transform it afterwards, and put up the sign last. It avoids months of closed doors, at the cost of a wait for travellers looking for the MGallery experience.

222 rooms facing the Hudson

The hotel features 222 rooms and suites, including 17 suites and a signature penthouse, offering volumes rarely found in Manhattan. One side overlooks the Hudson and the cruise terminals, while the other looks out onto the Midtown skyline. The design leans into the location’s industrial heritage, featuring exposed brick and clean lines rather than palace-style decor.

The address is located in Hell’s Kitchen, on the West Side of Manhattan, just minutes from Times Square, the Theater District, Hudson Yards and the Intrepid Museum. It is a neighbourhood of backstage areas rather than shop windows, which partly explains the appeal for a brand that trades in character.

The rooftop is the main selling point

At the top, the Hudson VU is the centrepiece: a rooftop bar overlooking the river and towers, reserved for guests aged 21 and over and accessible by reservation only. It established the house’s reputation long before this signing, and it is the asset that MGallery is acquiring as a priority.

On the ground floor, Hudson Local entrusts its kitchen to chef Carlos Letonas, trained in Michelin-starred establishments, and its wine list to sommelier Elia Chuaqui. The hotel also boasts 560 square metres of meeting space spread across six locations · three rooms, two suites and the terrace · accommodating around one hundred people, as well as a fitness centre.

What New York brings to MGallery

“New York is one of the most influential tourism destinations in the world,” summarises Maud Bailly, Managing Director of Sofitel Legend, Sofitel, MGallery and Emblems, who views this signing as “a major milestone” for the brand in North America.

The collection brings together more than 125 addresses worldwide, including Molitor in Paris, Santa Teresa in Rio and Manly Pacific in Sydney. The United States ranks among its top five markets, and Ink 48 succeeds Seattle’s Hotel Ändra as its most visible American acquisition. Fifty projects are currently in development, with nine openings expected by the end of the year, from Mykonos to the Maldives via Oléron.

On the ownership side, the asset is held by Capstone Equities, a New York investment vehicle, and Montreal-based Leyad, with management entrusted to Rebel Hotel Company.

Our perspective

The signing is good for Accor, which lacked an address with character in New York and has acquired a rooftop already established in the landscape. It is less so, for now, for the traveller: two years separate the announcement from reality, and nothing promised can be visited before 2028.

The real issue will be the renovation. A 1930s industrial building transformed into a lifestyle hotel, then reworked according to the codes of a boutique hotel brand, runs the risk of losing along the way what the press release calls its singular character. We will go and see. In the meantime, Ink 48 remains what it is: a great Hell’s Kitchen address with one of the finest terraces in the city.