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Whether you’re in New York for business or pleasure, Midtown Manhattan has so much to offer: theater, Central Park, premium shopping, and a convenient location that puts you in easy reach of trendier neighborhoods like Harlem, FiDi, Long Island City, Greenpoint and Williamsburg. Plus, some of the city’s best luxury hotels are here.
The Chatwal
Normally, Times Square hotels are buyer beware. But the Chatwal is an exception, a bona fide luxury property in the heart of the action, on 44th Street. It occupies a landmark structure build in 1905 by Stanford White, and was restored and renewed by master architect Thierry Despont, turning into a hotel with 76 rooms and suites. Chef Geoffrey Zakarian’s Lamb’s Club is a popular spot for power lunches and breakfasts.
The Benjamin
This New York City landmark was originally designed as a residential hotel with breezy terraces for entertaining. It occupies an impressive Neo-Romanesque building with a timeless design inside. Zakarian has another big-deal restaurant here, the National. They hired their own sleep medical expert to make sure that lighting and bedding are conducive to an optimal night’s rest. That means on-demand meditation, eye masks, earplugs, blackout curtain, noise machines and a lullaby library. The front desk will make work-down calls as well as wake-up ones, and the restaurant serves sleep-friendly dishes.
The Peninsula New York
Who doesn’t like old-world luxury? The Peninsula has it in spades. It also has a great location (on Fifth Avenue and 55th Street), consistent outstanding service, an upscale American restaurant and a very chic rooftop terrace. There are 235 rooms, all of which are large by Manhattan standards. They’re classically designed with a neutral palette and are very functional, with printers, scanners, dual-line telephones and other top-end technology. When work is done, there are cozy beds, walk-in showers, soaking tubs and luxurious amenities.
The St. Regis New York
There’s so much history in this hotel. Since it’s founding by John Jacob Astor more than a century ago, the St. Regis has been one of Manhattan’s most desirable addresses. The rooms and public spaces are regally decorated but graceful. The restaurant, Astor Court, and watering hole, the King Cole Bar, are delightful venues, particularly the latter, which is said to have invented the Bloody Mary and is decorated with a gorgeous, original Maxfield Parrish artwork. Rooms come with St. Regis Butler Service and (limited) use of the chauffeur-driven house car, a Bentley.
Baccarat Hotel
As you might expect, this place is dripping with opulent crystal. And yet nothing about it is tacky. Far from it. Instead, it has the glamorous feel of a Parisian pied-à-terre. There’s a luxury house car available for trips within 15 blocks of the hotel. The heated indoor pool (with cabanas inspired by the Côte d’Azur) is also a stunner, and the spa is by La Mer.
