The Lowell

There’s plenty of flashy, ostentatious luxury to be found in New York, if that’s your style, but the Lowell, on Manhattan’s posh Upper East Side, presents an alternative vision. Around here there’s still some affection for an understated sort of luxury, and anyone who’s nonplussed by the Lowell’s lobby — where’s the soaring atrium, the million-dollar art installation? — need only bear this fact in mind.

For once you’ve stepped off the elevator — an equally humble affair — and into your room or suite, you’ll grasp the point. The Lowell saves the best for where it counts. These spaces are stylish updates on the classic prewar Upper East Side residential template, plush but always dignified, full of creature comforts and steeped in Gotham romance. Suites far outnumber rooms, contributing to the Lowell’s residential aspect, and more than a few of them have original wood-burning fireplaces, long gone from the vast majority of New York hotels.

The Pembroke Room’s tea service is an Upper East Side institution. And from there you’re close to more than a few of Manhattan’s most desirable destinations, from Central Park to the Museum Mile to the shopping and entertainment of Midtown.