Four Hot Hotels for Your Next Trip to New York
New York is constantly evolving, and its hotel scene in particular changes at a fast clip. Of course, there will always be stalwarts like The Carlyle and St. Regis, but if you’re planning a trip to the Big Apple and want to stay in one of the city’s hottest new hotels, these are four to check out.
The city’s most talked about new luxury hotel is Aman New York. The brand known for its sleek minimalist design, impeccable service, and hushed exclusivity has planted its flag in the historic Crown Building on Fifth Avenue, just a couple of blocks south of Central Park. The design by Jean-Michel Gathy is inspired by Japanese architecture, making the property feel like a serene escape from the bustling city just outside. Aman New York is the first Aman hotel with a members club, and for now only hotel guests and club members can access the two restaurants—Nama, the Japanese restaurant, and Arva, the Italian restaurant—as well as the three-floor spa and its indoor pool.
Just a couple of blocks from the Aman, on Central Park South, Park Lane New York, a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, is fresh off a top-to-bottom renovation by acclaimed firm Yabu Pushelberg. Colourful murals by local artists En Viu inspired by the flora and fauna of Central Park add some whimsy to the rooms and public spaces. Original chandeliers from the 1970s grace the ground-floor restaurant Rose Lane, while the rooftop bar Darling recalls garden cafés, with black-and-white striped awnings, wicker and rattan chairs and sofas, an abundance of potted plants, and string lights. For the hotel’s current owners, transforming the private apartment of the hotel’s notorious former owner, Leona Helmsley, into a bar accessible to all was particularly satisfying. Be sure to request a room with park views.
Downtown, in the buzzy part of the Lower East Side known as Dimes Square, Nine Orchard has given new life to a landmarked 1912 bank building with Beaux-Arts flair. You can feel the grand Old New York vibes as soon as you step into Swan Room, the hotel’s buzzy lobby bar in the old bank teller room, where stylish locals sip martinis and slurp oysters under the intricately decorated ceiling. Lauded chef Ignacio Mattos is behind the menus at Swan Bar and Corner Bar, the hotel’s all-day bistro. The property is a new member of the Leading Hotels of the World, which counts many of the world’s top luxury hotels among its members.
The Sydell Group—behind the NoMad, Freehand, and Line hotel brands—is back with a fun and quirky new property in Brooklyn’s coolest neighborhood. A hybrid of hotel rooms and housing for graduate students of Bard College, Penny Williamsburg has a unique art program created in collaboration with LAND Gallery and Pure Vision Arts, two local nonprofits that support artists with disabilities. Named for Sydell Group founder Andrew Zobler’s dog, the hotel welcomes four-legged guests with dog bowls and beds. But the hotel’s true selling point is the rooftop restaurant, elNico, where you can sample creative cocktails by acclaimed bartender Leo Robitschek paired with modern Latin American fare by emerging chef Fernanda Serrano, who hails from Mexico City and cut her teeth at Pujol and Cosme. This place proves that sometimes, seeing the Manhattan skyline from across the river is even better than being there.
Photo by Alice Gao
Photo by Alice Gao
