The 30-story waterfront Ritz-Carlton New York, Battery Park has everything you’d expect from the upscale chain including the ritzy ticket price. The 298-room swanky hotel is across from the ferries to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. The harbor-front, “Statue of Liberty View” rooms come with telescopes to spy on Lady Liberty. Bonus: The Skyscraper Museum shares the same building.
Elegant Pierre Taj Hotel, with a prestigious Fifth Avenue address, recently went under the knife for a $100 million facelift. While the guestroom décor and baths were updated, the renowned trump l’oeil murals in The Rotunda, remain untouched. Jiva Spa channels India with Indian herbs-infused aromatherapy treatments.
East meets West in the Mandarin Oriental, a drop-dead, 240-room stunner that takes over the top floors of the Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle. It’ll cost you a pretty yen, but the Central Park views alone from your Oriental-designed guestroom are worth it. Succumb to the Thai Yoga Suite in The Spa. Bonus: An indoor lap pool.
Check into the Library Hotel in midtown and you’ll want to hole up in your room to devour the collection of books stocked there. But there’s a big, bad city out there to explore, including the New York Public Library one block away. The hotel’s 60 guestrooms are spread over 10 floors, each of which is named for 1 of the 10 classifications of the Dewey Decimal System (history, philosophy, etc.) Page turners: Complimentary European-style breakfast, coffee and tea, and wine and hors’ d’oeuvres. Footnote: A rooftop garden lounge.
The luxurious Plaza Hotel, across from Central Park, also recently had a facelift. Happily, the fabled and revered Oak Bar remains and ladies who lunch still slip into the Palm Court for afternoon tea. The new Champagne Bar and Chocolate Bar put The Plaza over the top as a decadent destination. Snarky but lovable Eloise, the fictional heroine in Kay Thompson’s classic book, once lived here, and her portrait hangs proudly in the lobby. Families with play dough, check their darlings into the pink, black and white whimsical Eloise Suite (parents can book the adjoining suite.)
Housed in a former printing house, Ink 48 is a headliner in the Clinton neighborhood (formerly known as Hell’s Kitchen.)The boutique hotel’s 222 rooms feature enormous windows, high ceilings and a minimalist color scheme. Beat life’s daily deadlines in the Zen Garden at the hotel’s InkSpa. Another retreat: The Press Lounge on the 16th floor is a hot nightlife scene with outdoor seats and city views. .
The 5-star, 368-room Four Seasons Hotel New York oozes understated luxury. Designed by I.M. Pie, the hotel has good bones and contemporary, upscale décor in the guestrooms, lobby and lounge areas. Bonus: The Calvisius Caviar Lounge features caviar from Italy, as well as French champagne, vodkas and Italian sparkling wines
There’s no check-in desk at The Andaz 5th Avenue, Instead you’re greeted at this new 184-room boutique hotel with a cocktail in the “lounge” by a “host” who walks you through the procedure. Minimalistic, clean and masculine in decor, this Fifth Avenue hotel sits directly across from happening Bryant Park.
In a city that is not drowning in hotel pools, the 391-room Trump SoHo Hotel makes quite a splash. The trendy hotel has a seasonal pool deck with a tiny outdoor heated pool, private cabanas and a bar. In keeping to “The Donald” standards, The Spa menu features the Trump Signature Gemstone Treatment (gem-infused oils with, yes, diamonds.)
The Grande Dame of the Upper East Side, The Carlyle has been a classic hideaway since the 1930s with classic decor, original art and flashes of Art Deco. Book a room that overlooks Central Park. Bonus: Woody Allen regularly jams with his clarinet and his New Orleans Jazz Band at the hotel’s Café Carlyle.
Laurie Bain Wilson writes often about New York City and is the author of several travel guidebooks, including New York City Made Easy and New York City with Kids.
