The Maker In Hudson, New York Is Waiting To Craft Your Perfect Getaway

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There’s a reason we all aspire to one day be able to afford furniture that doesn’t chip or break after a few seasons. The feeling of luxury and permanence that a carefully crafted table or chair lends to a room are qualities that transcend the piece itself, and being able to experience these things in unfamiliar, novel spaces is often the point of booking a hotel room for a night or two. 

What first struck me about The Maker upon entering its Library was exactly that, a feeling of permanence, a sense that the room and all of the furnishings and decorative items in it—the books, the lamps, the fabrics—had always been there and always would be. It’s a room with a lived-in quality, like many of the other rooms in The Maker, and that’s probably because the building in which the hotel operates is a house that was built for a family in 1894. 

Unlike other hotels, where you might spend no more than a few minutes in the common areas during the entirety of your stay, The Maker’s communal spaces invite you to lounge and laze about. You can read one of the many books from the Library, which were all sourced from Manhattan’s The Strand, play a board game with friends and family, or drink your morning coffee in the Salon while cracking open the pages of the New York Times. However you decide to spend your time at this charming little refuge situated on a quiet corner of Warren Street, your day is sure to be made.

The Making Of The Maker

In 2016, husband and wife Lev Glazman and Alina Roytberg, who also co-founded the global beauty brand Fresh, and hospitality expert Damien Janowicz began restoring the 1800s Georgian-style house and the rest of the property. Opening The Maker in August 2020 was a natural progression for the trio, who opened Bartlett House in Ghent, New York in 2016. (Bartlett House is an all-day bakery, café, and restaurant that bakes fresh pastries for The Maker every morning.) 

Glazman’s two passions in life, fragrances and lighting, were major influences while cultivating the right feel for the hotel. Besides the natural light that floods the Conservatory—The Maker’s primary dining room—and the few rays of sun that creep into the moodier corners of the building, light is otherwise only provided by tiered, crystal chandeliers, glowing Art Deco globes, and hundreds of other lamps that double as pieces of art.

After climbing the first set of stairs that lead to the four studio rooms, one is greeted by a cozy alcove that houses a cabinet containing one hundred of Glazman’s favorite fragrances. I had one of my most memorable hotel experiences sitting on the plush little bench and testing all the different perfumes before discovering that I loved the Chanel 1957 eau de parfum the most. As the Concierge Agent told us, the thought behind the fragrance library is “that you might have a new favorite. When you encounter that scent in the future because someone’s walked by you wearing it or you’ve brought it into your home and you’re putting it on, [Glazman] wants it to bring back memories of your stay.” And, if you suddenly find yourself longing for a new scent to wear during your stay, you can peruse the six gender-neutral fragrances that Glazman and Roytberg developed for The Maker brand, which are available for purchase at the hotel.

There are a number of other details sprinkled throughout the hotel that make it truly a one-of-a-kind respite. The rose bush pattern on the walls of the Rose Dining Room was hand stenciled by Roytberg and a couple of coy hummingbirds are hidden amongst the flowers, waiting for guests to find them. All the art adorning the walls was sourced from Glazman’s private collection and most of the furniture, which brings together the Art Deco, Mid-Century Modern, and La Belle Époque eras, was bought from shops located right on Warren Street. Some of it is even available for sale. 

Glazman was intent on showcasing the artistry and craftsmanship of all the kinds of “makers” in the town, which is how the hotel got its name, and all the restorative and construction work was done by local hires. The mural in the Conservatory was painted by Michael Allen, a Hudson artist who still stops by the hotel for a coffee or pastry every now and then.

To Be A Maker For A Night

In total, The Maker has eleven rooms, including seven located above its bakery and café, one that is a two-bedroom apartment and another that’s accessible. The four studios that occupy the second and third floors of the main house—The Architect, The Writer, The Gardener, and The Artist—are spacious alcoves, each uniquely different from the other with apt, bespoke touches and flourishes that make it easy to imagine what it’d be like to live as one of those four identities for a day. 

In The Gardener, a wrought iron fence separates the bedroom from the bathroom. The Architect features a black-and-white bouclé wool sofa by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. The Artist’s wooden easel and Waterworks claw-foot tub are evocative of the Renaissance, and the vintage typewriter in The Writer is actually functional should inspiration strike. 

All four studios have fireplaces for the colder months of the year and the beds are plush and conducive to a very good night’s sleep. In the mornings, the Eye Opener service—prepared coffee or tea left outside a room’s door—is offered to all guests and the in-room snack and mini-bar offerings are the best I’ve ever seen at a hotel. To name a few: Bourbon from Hudson Whiskey NY, chocolate from Tony’s Chocolonely, Dirty’s potato chips, Casamara Club non-alcoholic amaro club soda, and Coca-Cola in those gorgeous little glass bottles. The starting rate for a night at The Maker depends on the season but is currently $475 for a room with a queen-size bed and $1,100 for one of the studios.

Drinking, Dining, and More

Dinner at The Maker is served from Thursday to Sunday in the Conservatory, and the hotel’s chefs draw from the bounty of Hudson Valley farms to create a contemporary American cuisine. I was lucky enough to taste a delicate fluke crudo, ricotta and lovage dumplings in a mushroom broth, a filet of steelhead trout with a cauliflower, crème fraîche purée, and an olive oil cake with buttermilk ice cream for dessert. I hadn’t dined at a hotel restaurant in a very long time, and I forgot how much more pleasantly calm it can be to do so. The staff is attentive, friendly, and the service very refined. After dinner, guests can head to the Lounge, which is located in what used to be a carriage house, and where jewel-toned sofas, dark, wood-paneled walls, and a backlit bar create the perfect atmosphere to order one of the hotel’s six signature cocktails, each inspired by a Maker fragrance.

Outside in the courtyard, there’s a heated pool available to hotel guests only. Anyone not wanting to miss a beat in their health and fitness routine can visit the juice bar and gymnasium to the right of the hotel. The gym has state of the art equipment mixed in with a few antiques from the 20th century—a 1910 pommel horse, gymnastics rings from the 1940s, and a 1930s speed ball for boxing—and playful, acrobatic paintings done by Victoria Maxfield, another Hudson artist, line the walls.

It was easy to trust that my stay at The Maker would be filled with comforts and surprises because of the level of detail paid to the design of every room, and indeed I was far from disappointed. It’s a hotel whose promise is to give you a cozy place to rest your head, but it does so much more than just that. The Maker is like a second home in the Hudson Valley whose layers of history and art create an atmosphere of elegant whimsy.

5 more reasons to love The Maker

1. Hudson is an amazing destination for anyone who loves dining out or shopping for antiques and vintage furniture. You can spend an entire day walking up and down Warren Street and still have plenty left to discover.
2. Not only does The Maker sell a fragrance line and some of the hotel’s furniture. Its Gift Edit is a great place to find that birthday present you’ve been looking for. Who doesn’t love a candle?
3. Brunch is also served in the Conservatory on Saturdays and Sundays, so guests can enjoy a seat in the beautiful natural light that filters in during daylight hours.
4. Looking to host your next group dinner? The Rose Dining Room is just the place to do it.
5. Each room is equipped with an iPad that makes it easy to navigate all the hotel’s offerings. 

Book a stay here.