October 2023
|
|
massive walnut carving of the New York street grid, and an ivy “Living Wall.” Some wine and coffee and most food is local at in-house Collage Bistro, where the overflow of guests from the compact reception area congregate. No need to come by bus; park next door and you get the special overnight rate of $24.
Rooms: $199-$459 per night
The Plaza
The Beatles loved to stay here. Truman Capote held The Party of the Century (his Black and White Ball) here. It’s where P. Diddy threw his extravagant $3 million 40th birthday party and where Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas got married. Many movies were filmed here and at least one plot line—that of Bride Wars—revolved solely around this establishment. To top it off, the famous children’s book character, Eloise, introduced many generations of girls to this hotel. So after a three-year, $450 million, lobby-to-rooftop gut renovation, how would The Plaza stack up to its own legend?
There has been some whining about the 181 condominiums carved out of former guest rooms. And a basement “mall,” while upscale, has lent a certain air of commercialism to the Plaza. But the remaining 282 guest rooms—gilded and fussed over with crystal chandeliers, claw-foot tubs, and Louis XV reproductions—are as grand as ever, while The Palm Court and Champagne Bar have been restored to the satisfaction of many Plaza disciples. The Oak Room is still ornate and weighty as a church, with its vaulted ceilings and original streetscape murals. Not too surprising is the success of one basement-shop standout: Eloise at The Plaza, a pink emporium of all things Eloise, where birthday tea parties on child-sized tables and chairs and mini vanity tables and three-way mirrors are training the next generation to dream of their own weddings at The Plaza.
Rooms: $575-$30,000 per night
The New Yorker Hotel
If you’ve celebrated a bit too much after a Knicks win at Madison Square Garden or wandered the exhibition booths at the Javits Center to the point of exhaustion, you could do much worse than seek shelter for the night at the nearby New Yorker Hotel. After a $65-$70 million overhaul, this 912-guest-room, former favorite of conventioneers and tour groups is back to being a contender in the above-standard category, with new luxury bedding, flat-screen TV’s, free Wi-Fi, and a sophisticated earth-tone palette.
Stained red carpeting throughout the lobby was removed to reveal a buffed marble floor, which, though an improvement, gives the large space the feel of a bus station. But the new massive Art Deco chandelier and stamped-gold ceiling sets the tone for the rest of the improvements; in the adjoining steel-and-neon Tick Tock Diner, you expect to bump into Clark Kent and Lois Lane. Unless you book a spacious “Double/Double suite” (two rooms, two beds, pull-out couch in the sitting room), rooms are small, but 20 here (which have to be reserved for $40) have what newer, more glamorous city hotels do not: balconies. Book any suite, and it comes with breakfast in the Sky Lounge, a windowed space on the 38th floor with unparalleled panoramic views. On a nice day or night, you can take your coffee and continental breakfast outside to appreciate the roof of Madison Square Garden below, and longer views of the Hudson River and New York Harbor. Rooms: $119-$500 per night
Affinia Shelburne
According to Affinia execs, the “biggest hotel trend of the decade” is customization, so, brainstorming with the best minds in hospitality, they came up with “My Affinia.” You want an Ibanez guitar, golf putter, yoga mat, or city-walking-guide-loaded iPod waiting in your room when you arrive? Do you require water and food bowls for your can't-stand-to-leave-him-behind Fido? Just e-mail or submit their web form ahead with your request and say no more.
After a $25 million basement-to-roof renovation, the formerly sagging .... |
