Pocketbook Hudson — A Living Work of Art in a Historic Factory

There’s a new hum in Hudson. It rises from a red-brick factory built in 1883 — once a pocketbook textile mill, now reborn as Pocketbook Hudson, a 70,000-square-foot sanctuary for art, design, and those who love both. The building’s bones — brick, timber, and light — remain intact, but what they hold now feels almost alchemical: a hotel, restaurant, market, and gallery complex that redefines what hospitality in Upstate New York can be.

It’s the kind of place that pulls you in slowly — where every step across the old floorboards feels like an invitation to linger. The air carries a trace of coffee, linen, and warm wood, sunlight glancing off worn brick and polished brass. You find yourself taking it all in — the quiet grandeur of space, the sense that something beloved has been carefully, lovingly brought back to life.

Just two hours north of Manhattan, the property feels worlds away, poised between nostalgia and the thrill of something utterly new.

The Soul of the Building

That duality — history meeting renewal — lies at the heart of Pocketbook Hudson, envisioned by Sean Roland, Nancy Kim, and Gabriel Katz of MacArthur Holdings, in partnership with Jeremy Selman and Vipin Nambiar of HN Capital Partners. Four years in the making, it stands as a love letter to craftsmanship, community, and the creative current that has always pulsed through Hudson. “Our goal was to revive this regional landmark, creating a place for locals and visitors alike to pause and connect over a shared appreciation for art, culture, and the natural beauty of the Hudson Valley,” says Roland.

“Our goal was to revive this regional landmark, creating a place for locals and visitors alike to pause and connect over a shared appreciation for art, culture, and the natural beauty of the Hudson Valley,” – Sean Roland

Architects Adam Charlap Hyman and Andre Herrero led the building’s revival, allowing its history to whisper through every detail. The 46 guest rooms and suites are studies in texture and light: soft plaster, exposed beams, polished steel, and handmade tile. Stainless steel contrasts with the warmth of natural wood, while patinated brick walls tell stories of the factory’s past. Sunlight spills through enormous windows, warming tones of ochre, ivory, and clay — an atmosphere both serene and cinematic.

“Thoughtful hotel design can offer a platform for the human spirit to shine. In conceiving Pocketbook, one of the main pillars was to design with empathy. This energy is felt throughout the property’s carefully considered spaces, where the wisdom of one era of building meets a fresh perspective.” — Nancy Kim, Partner & Co-Founder, Pocketbook Hudson

Guests can choose from seven room types, each designed to prioritize a different rhythm of stay — from lounging to wellness to bathing — the standout of which are the two-story Loft Suites, where sweeping light, sculptural furniture, and a sense of calm luxury define the experience.

Inside, the rooms strike that rare balance between style and soul. Imagine if Kelly Wearstler traded Malibu marble for Hudson timber — sculptural but grounded, luxe yet a little undone. Each space feels like a quiet conversation between texture and light: smooth plaster walls catching the glow from century-old brick, pale wood headboards floating just above time-worn floors. A single velvet pillow offers a wink of color, while built-in seating beneath tall factory windows invites lingering with a book or a glass of wine. It’s industrial romance reimagined for the modern traveler — design-savvy, soulful, and irresistibly comfortable.

Locally made touches add depth and character at every turn: custom millwork by Primary Visual, lamps and mirrors by Misha Kahn, ceramics by Mamo, bath products by Village Common, and robes by Eckhaus Latta.

An Artful Gathering Place

Art is not an afterthought here; it’s the language the building speaks. Artistic Director WangShui curated works that punctuate the property with vibrancy and resonance — from Tschabalala Self’s courtyard painting to Martine Gutierrez’s striking lounge photography and Maryam Hoseini’s mural in the restaurant. Each piece feels both rooted in place and alive in the now.

At the heart of the complex lies SHOW:ROOM, a 6,500-square-foot design haven filled with objects that make you want to linger and touch everything. There’s a Misha Kahn–curated designer collective, textiles from Zak & Fox, and the Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery, alongside three floors of retail that blur the line between art, fashion, and utility. Hudson’s avant-garde fashion boutique KASURI now calls the third floor home, its mix of Comme des Garçons and Issey Miyake perfectly at ease beside vintage vinyl from John Doe Books & Records and handcrafted homewares from Seedlings.

“Thoughtful hotel design can offer a platform for the human spirit to shine. In conceiving Pocketbook, one of the main pillars was to design with empathy. This energy is felt throughout the property’s carefully considered spaces, where the wisdom of one era of building meets a fresh perspective.” — Nancy Kim, Partner & Co-Founder, Pocketbook Hudson

Eat, Drink, Stay a While

If the rooms are about reflection, the food is about celebration. At Ambos, Executive Chef Norberto Piattoni — trained under Francis Mallmann and formerly of Tartine San Francisco — brings the region’s bounty to life with Argentine flair. Live-fire cooking, fermentation, and instinctive creativity shape a menu that’s both primal and poetic. Arley Marks, the hotel’s Beverage Creative Director, pairs the cuisine with drinks that feel like conversation — wines from the Hudson Valley alongside Argentinian reds and spirited cocktails layered with house-made tonics and bitters.

By day, guests gather in the café for coffee and small plates; by night, they drift down to the old boiler room, now reimagined as a clandestine club where live DJs and musicians fill the space with low, honeyed energy. An adjacent Garden Lab features a demo kitchen and hosts private dinners for up to twenty guests, while a soaring gathering hall accommodates two hundred for larger events in an impressive, column-free vaulted space.

Coming Soon: The Baths

In early 2026, the experience expands with the debut of The Baths, a freestanding limestone-and-timber sanctuary inspired by hammam, sento, and thermae traditions — the ultimate way to unwind. Like the building itself, these rituals are old forms turned new again: ancient practices of restoration reimagined through a modern lens. Here, steam and stone, wood and water, come together in quiet ceremony — a timeless antidote to the noise of the world.

A New Chapter for Hudson

To stay at Pocketbook Hudson is to feel part of something larger than a destination. The property hums with intention — a place not just to rest, but to create, to connect, to be changed a little by the experience. Within its red-brick walls, hospitality becomes a kind of art form: a living collaboration between architects, artists, chefs, and guests.

Here, history and imagination share the same table. Once a textile factory, now a gathering place for curiosity and care, Pocketbook Hudson holds space for art as infrastructure — not an accessory, but a way of being. It’s a place where the line between host and guest blurs, where creativity and comfort coexist, and where design serves as both invitation and embrace.

To wander its halls is to feel the city of Hudson itself — layered, diverse, full of stories — reflected in every surface. And when you finally leave, it’s with that unmistakable sense of having been part of something alive, something quietly transformative.

Pocketbook Hudson
549 Washington Street, Hudson, NY
Rooms from $379

Photos courtesy of Pocketbook Hudson

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