By Olivia Scheck
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — The long-awaited Mondrian SoHo hotel, featuring a distinctive tent-like exterior, opened Tuesday.
Designed by Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz and inspired by Jean Cocteau's "La Belle et la Bête," the 270-room hotel replaced the former Chinatown Dialysis Center at 9 Crosby Street between Grand and Howard Streets.
Outside the hotel is a garden with a glass roof and a collection of crystal chandeliers, which will soon house the hotel's restaurant, Imperial No. Nine, according to the hotel's website. The sustainable seafood restaurant, featuring cuisine by former "Top Chef" Sam Talbot, is set to open March 1, the website said.
The hotel is also home to Mister H, a new bar from Armin Amiri, of Bungalow 8, according to Eater.
The Mondrian SoHo sparked community resistance last year after it requested a permit for an outdoor drinking eating-and-drinking area, Curbed NY reported.
Rooms at the Mondrian start at $259. Guests who book before March 2, 2011 will receive free Continental breakfast for each night of their stay, their website said.