The Plaza

The word “iconic” gets thrown around a fair bit, but if there’s any hotel in New York City that truly deserves, the label, this is it. The Plaza stands in one of the city’s most prominent locations, at the southeast corner of Central Park, and its French Renaissance style is immediately recognizable. Its role as the setting for the famous 1955 children’s book Eloise is just one of its many pop-culture connections. Behind the scenes much has changed since its 1907 opening, but its Beaux-Arts atmosphere remains as ornate as ever — and under the steady hand of the Fairmont hotel group, the Plaza is among New York’s finest traditional luxury hotels.

Most of its 282 rooms and suites remain antique in their inspiration, though there’s nothing faded about them — think timeless rather than ancient. (The exception is the Eloise Suite, which is extra-ornate and thoroughly pink.) The comforts are first-rate and modern where they need to be, and the service is exceedingly professional in the traditional manner. There’s a Guerlain spa and a bookshop by Assouline, and the Palm Court, under its spectacular glass roof, is a New York institution, most famous for its afternoon tea but open from breakfast straight through to last call at 11 p.m.