New York City and luxury are pretty much synonymous. If you’re in this city of nearly nine million denizens and you have a chunk of money to burn, the Big Apple will hand you a torch.
And there is nowhere better to throw some money at a swanky posh hotel room than Gotham City. This American metropolis is practically a pro at luxury hospitality, as nearly every luxe hotel company is represented here, each one trying to outdo the other in how well they pamper moneyed guests.
If you’re looking for some posh digs for an upcoming visit to Gotham, look no further. The below 10 properties are the best luxury hotels in NYC.
The Carlyle
It’s hard to get more New York than this fabled Upper East Side hotel from 1930. It’s hosted A-list celebrities, princes, potentates, and all manner of heads of state. The 193 spacious rooms (including 59 ultra-spacious suites) are loaded: huge closets, 450 thread-count sheets, marble bathrooms, and a stocked minibar.
The in-house, ground floor drinking spot, Bemelmans Bar, is Gotham to the nth degree—where New Yorkers go when they want to feel like they belong in this city; it’s the place to sip martinis and gawk at the wall illustrations by Ludwig Bemelemans.
Greenwich Hotel
This 88-room property in Tribeca has some serious star power behind it: Robert DeNiro is a co-owner, and the in-house restaurant, Locanda Verde, is run by celebrity chef Andrew Carmellini. The hotel has a state-of-the-art gym, an underground pool, and a Japanese spa.
All rooms have large king beds, coffee makers (upon request), free wifi, and a tablet to use for in-house dining or other hotel needs. Some upper-echelon rooms have walk-in rain showers, soaking tubs, and fireplaces.
The High Line Hotel
There once was a time when there were no luxury hotels in and around Chelsea. All that’s changed and this posh property is one of the main reasons why. Housed in a still-functioning theological seminary from the 19th century, the High Line Hotel is filled with neo-Gothic charm, including a private chapel.
The 60 rooms are loaded with great amenities, including free domestic and international phone calls, hardwood floors, vintage furnishings, CO Bigelow bath products, plush bathrobes, and free wifi. And, as the name suggests, the location right at the High Line is great.
The Langham
The lovely Langham is 234 rooms of utter comfort. With rooms that are more spacious than your average luxury hotel, the Langham has a loyal fan base of regulars. Even the smallest room here is bigger than most luxe hotels’ regular rooms.
All guest rooms have comfy king beds and all bathrooms have rain showers. Some rooms have terraces. Others have Empire State Building views.
The in-house eatery is chef Michael White’s Ai Fiori, a charming Michelin-starred spot that serves up high-quality Italian fare.
Mandarin Oriental
Located on the upper floors of the Deutsche Bank Center (the Columbus Circle glass skyscraper formerly known as the TimeWarner Center), the New York City outpost of the Mandarin Oriental is a five-star deluxe luxury extravaganza.
The 248 rooms all boast floor-to-ceiling windows, many of which have stunning views of Central Park (and others have views of the Hudson River), plus all the luxe amenities you’d expect from a hotel of this caliber. The in-house cocktail bar, The Aviary, is one of the best in the city.
The Mercer
Located in the heart of SoHo, the Mercer is a luxury spot with an added bonus: prime celebrity spotting, as this property is a favorite for visiting Hollywood royalty. The loft-like rooms evoke the neighborhood nicely and they also happen to be stocked with amenities: marble bathrooms, loaded minibars, 24-hour room service, small leather sofas, high ceilings, and flat-screen TVS. Guests also get day passes to upscale Equinox gyms.
The Pierre
On the posh corner of 61st Street and Fifth Avenue sits The Pierre, an elegant 525-foot-tall hotel that first flicked on its lights in 1930. The New York City landmark has 189 guest rooms (49 of which are suites), all of which have huge flat-screen TVs, plush bath robes, Bluetooth-enabled speakers, unlimited local and long-distance domestic calls and, of course, stellar views.
The Plaza
“Nothing unimportant ever happens at the Plaza,” is a famous unattributed quote about this hotel anchored on the southeast corner of Central Park. Since 1907, the Plaza has been coddling guests in the warm glow of supreme luxury.
The more-spacious-than-usual rooms have king beds, wood-paneled closets, and most have amazing views. The bathrooms have mosaic tiles and plus-sized soaking tubs.
The Standard High Line
It was kind of an event when this ‘70s retro-resembling hotel opened up in the Meatpacking District. Much of the buzz corresponded with the opening of the High Line park, the elevated greenway that stretches from the Meatpacking District up to Hudson Yards.
But the hoopla has cemented the Standard into a hip spot to lay one’s head in lower Manhattan. The floor-to-ceiling windows provide great views—and voyeurs have been known to use their rooms to show off to people on the High Line. All 338 rooms come with Bluetooth-enabled speakers, hooded robes, overstocked minibars, and access to the 24-hour gym.
TWA Hotel
Airport hotels are often boring and depressing. TWA has disrupted the hegemony of airport ennui with this fabulous and fun hotel right in front of JFK’s terminal 5. The lobby of the hotel is housed in the famously retro Eero Saarinen-designed structure from the early ‘60s, the ideal vintage space to sip a dirty martini and get nostalgic about the bygone eras of air travel.
The 512 rooms evoke the Mad Men era with rotary phones, Mid-Century Modern furniture, marble desks, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the runway (they’re designed extra thick to block out the jet noise). The hotel also has a handful of atmospheric bars and a rooftop infinity pool with awesome runway views. In the warm-weather months there’s even an outdoor roller rink.
David Farley is a West Village-based food and travel writer whose work appears regularly in the New York Times, National Geographic, BBC, and Food & Wine, among other publications. He’s the author of three books, including “An Irreverent Curiosity: In Search of the Church’s Strangest Relic in Italy’s Oddest Town,” which was made into a documentary by the National Geographic Channel. You can find Farley’s online homes here and here.
