Ace Hotel New York
NoMad
There was a time when the Ace Hotels were strictly a Pacific Northwest phenomenon, and eyebrows were raised when they began work on a hotel in New York’s once-neglected NoMad neighborhood. But now the Ace Hotel New York feels like the flagship of this often-imitated hip hotel chain. Not only has it put this stretch of Broadway back on the map, it’s also got the kind of multi-purpose public space — co-working space by day, after-work drinking spot in the evening, and a full-fledged nightlife venue featuring DJs or live music as the hours tick by.
Arlo NoMad
NoMad
New York real estate prices being what they are, you can see why a spacious hotel room can easily run you a month’s rent back home. The flip side of this rule is that an affordable room is often laughably small. The Arlo NoMad, however, goes a long way toward solving the equation — through a combination of clever, compact layouts and the plentiful sunlight afforded by the full-length windows of a brand-new hotel building, its rooms manage to feel livable rather than laughable, in spite of their modest square footage.
Archer Hotel New York
Midtown
Just around the block from Bryant Park, in the midst of New York’s garment district, the brand-new Archer Hotel goes all-out in its pursuit of a memorable identity: not only have they developed a strong visual style, they’ve instituted an approach to service that’s equally distinctive. This, apparently, is thanks to the example set by your mysterious host — also named Archer, he’s the embodiment of 21st-century Manhattan hospitality, a sort of modern-day Jeeves in a Dior Homme suit, perhaps, who strives discreetly behind the scenes to anticipate every need and satisfy every whim.
Equinox Hotel Hudson Yards
Midtown West
The Equinox brand already owns the high end of New York’s fitness-club scene, and with its entry in the West Side’s vast Hudson Yards development, it’s making a play for the hospitality scene as well. Equinox Hotel Hudson Yards New York City is unrelentingly high-end, with architecture by SOM and interiors by Rockwell Group and Joyce Wang. The rooms and suites are ultra-modern and ultra-luxurious, as is the spa and its vast Equinox-branded health club, complete with Soulcycle franchise. Among its restaurants is Electric Lemon, featuring fresh and inventive mid-Atlantic fare by restaurateur Stephen Starr.
Gild Hall
Financial District
Whether it’s an advantage or a disadvantage is somewhat in the eye of the guest, but one thing’s for sure: the most notable feature of Thompson Hotels’ Gild Hall is its location. Just a few hundred yards from Wall Street, this is deep in the heart of the financial district, a place that not too many years ago used to turn into a ghost town by about seven in the evening.
Sofitel New York
Midtown
Maybe we just have a soft spot for all things French. Or maybe it’s the case that for a big-business hotel chain, Sofitel seems to have it pretty well figured out — the consistent quality of a corporate hotel, but with the personality too many others lack, and an aesthetic sense that we may as well just go ahead and describe as Parisian, as long as we’re not shying away from cultural stereotypes.
Thompson Central Park
Midtown
The hotel formerly known as the Parker Meridien is back with a new look and a new concept — architect Thomas Juul-Hansen and designers Stonehill Taylor have transformed this upper Midtown institution into the Thompson Central Park New York. It’s got the vibrant mid-century Modernist-inspired style you expect from Thompson, as well as all the comforts required of a high-end boutique hotel, and the upper floors have impressive views of Central Park. One thing remains the same through the transition: the self-consciously divey Burger Joint tucked away on the hotel’s otherwise swanky lobby level.
