The LEED List No. 03 - Arlo Hotels - Midtown
The design at Arlo Midtown does not shout. It hums. Conceived by Meyer Davis, a renowned New York based design firm known for its work in luxury hospitality and residential interiors, the interiors of this LEED Silver-certified hotel in Manhattan's Garment District manage to feel both softly urban and intimately intentional. Meyer Davis is recognized for their sophisticated, clean aesthetic and thoughtful spatial composition. Their design philosophy embraces narrative and function equally, prioritizing a balance between emotional resonance and practical utility. The palette is refined and textural, the lighting deliberate, the materials natural but polished. Nothing is too much, yet everything feels considered. At Arlo Midtown, this approach reveals itself through the use of natural materials, smart lighting, and refined finishes that create a welcoming yet urban atmosphere. Their work supports the hotel’s sustainability goals through restrained detailing and purposeful spatial planning, aligning seamlessly with Arlo’s compact footprint and design ethos.
Arlo Midtown presents a compelling case for compact sustainability in hospitality. As a LEED Silver certified hotel operating within the dense urban fabric of Manhattan, it embraces a micro hotel model that aligns naturally with many of the goals outlined in the LEED framework. In a city where space is at a premium, the hotel maximizes every square foot, not just in terms of function, but also in energy efficiency, material usage, and environmental impact.
The compact nature of Arlo Midtown is not simply about smaller rooms; it is about strategic space planning. Efficient floor plans reduce circulation space without compromising guest comfort. Zoning between public and private areas is handled carefully, promoting intuitive movement and minimizing unnecessary transitions. Smaller rooms mean smaller energy loads: heating, cooling, and lighting systems operate on a tighter footprint, making it easier to regulate and reduce consumption. The energy savings are considerable when aggregated across the hotel's 489 rooms.
LEED Silver certification requires projects to earn 50 to 59 points across categories such as Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Innovation. In compact urban hotels, credits are often earned through strategies like smart HVAC zoning, occupancy sensors, low flow plumbing fixtures, and locally sourced, low emitting materials. Arlo Midtown likely incorporates these elements, along with energy efficient lighting, reduced construction waste, and tight envelope design to limit thermal loss. Public transportation access, bicycle storage, and reduced parking availability also contribute to site sustainability, aligning with LEED's urban mobility goals.
Compact design in this context becomes both a spatial and ethical choice. The smaller scale encourages resource conscious behaviors, from reduced housekeeping demands to the use of multifunctional furniture and amenities. While it may seem subtle, this restraint shapes not only the building’s performance but also the guest experience. There is a feeling of design intentionality, where nothing is excessive, and everything has a role.
This case offers a useful reminder that sustainability does not always rely on grand architectural gestures. Sometimes, it shows up in the systems we do not see, in the planning decisions made early on, and in the refusal to waste space. In places like Arlo Midtown, compactness becomes a design value, a quieter, more disciplined way to build and operate in a city that rarely stops moving.
I visited Arlo Midtown this week and had the opportunity to speak with Danny, the hotel manager. He generously showed me around the hotel, including all three restaurant and bar spaces, the gym, and two guest rooms, a double and the most requested corner king room. While all the rooms are small, they are exceptionally efficient in layout and use of space. After the tour, I stayed for a bite and had the seasonal squash blossoms with a glass of wine, which felt like the perfect way to take in the space from a guest's perspective.
One of the biophilic design elements that stood out to me most was a set of moss rings hanging above the front desk in the lobby. They hover just above the staircase that leads to the lower level, where the gym, office, and housekeeping are located. Even the gym has biophilic elements. Each element provides subtle grounding, and they set the tone for the kind of calm, natural rhythm the hotel wants you to feel. Even in a compact space, biophilic elements like this do a lot of heavy lifting. You feel the softness in the air, the visual connection to green without needing a view.
Arlo’s architecture plays with volume in subtle but effective ways. Public areas like the lobby and restaurant have high ceilings that make the space feel generous and open, drawing guests in and encouraging gathering. In contrast, the private guest rooms have lower ceilings that emphasize rest and privacy, adding to the sense of coziness without feeling confined. Showers take the place of tubs, speaking to both the space-saving layout and a more efficient use of water. In the bathrooms, the tile finishes reflect an urban palette that nods to nature without leaning heavily into earth tones. The textures and colors feel like the city, refined, cool, and understated, but still organic.
What struck me most about the psychological aspect of Arlo’s design was how it uses smallness to bring people outward. In a city like New York, where square footage is always a negotiation, the hotel does not try to fight its footprint. Instead, it embraces the idea that a room should be a place to rest and reset, not necessarily the final destination. The design subtly encourages guests to explore, socialize, and step into the energy of the city. But it also knows how to hold stillness. At night, the rooftop becomes a kind of quiet observatory, with views of Hudson Yards and the city skyline pulling people upward. It is a smart balance, compact interiors that invite you out, and shared spaces that draw you back in.
As both a guest and someone deeply immersed in the practice of design, Arlo Midtown reminded me that sustainability, when executed with care, can feel quietly luxurious. It is not a matter of subtraction, but of refinement. There is no need to strip away comfort or elegance to achieve environmental intelligence. Instead, the design draws your attention to the subtle pleasures, the softened acoustics of a well-planned lobby, the intimacy of a perfectly scaled room, and the way natural light lands exactly where it should. These details do not declare themselves, but they are deeply felt. In Arlo Midtown, beauty and responsibility coexist not as a compromise, but as conviction. The hotel does not need to explain its ethos; it simply lets you live in it. And that, to me, is where sustainable hospitality becomes something far more lasting: not a feature, but a feeling.
Always, In the details.
351 W 38th St, New York, NY 10018
