At a glance: Like many New York City hotels, the Benjamin entered an altered reality after the pandemic. In 2022, Sonesta, the eclectic international hotel conglomerate, scooped up this historic property from its financially troubled owners. A two-year, $25 million renovation ensued, and the Benjamin, long known for comfort, discretion and a proudly unhip decor, emerged rarin’ for the 21st-century with a dramatically refreshed lobby, 209 stylish guest rooms, a confident, if more corporate, attitude — and an expanded name.

Though modest in size, the newly glamorous lobby sports a curvaceous reception desk that channels  a cigar box — a wink to the hotel’s 1927 origins? — and two petite seating areas that manage to shoe-horn in a vibrantly colored velvet banquette, sofa and club chairs. Commanding center stage is a glass-encased, gas-jet fireplace bracketed by towering, Art Deco-inflected, black-marble columns and surmounted by an exuberant brass ceiling sculpture.

Making up for the scarce public spaces guest rooms and suites are, well, roomy. Each is outfitted with a kitchenette, a holdover from the hotel’s origins as an apartment hotel designed for extended stays. Many boast balconies or terraces.

You’ll also find a sampling of appealing perks held over from the Benjamin’s previous incarnation. The pillow menu originated here (currently available in 10 flavors, including NASA memory foam, satin and buckwheat). Pet-friendly amenities include dog beds and treats. And a Peloton is at the ready in the fitness room.

Unfortunately, there’s no restaurant (it’s scheduled to open later in 2025). .

Also missing is a strong sense of this august building’s history, though to be fair, that disappeared long ago. But the Benjamin’s Roaring 20s origins are on full display when you gaze upon the hotel’s Landmarked brick exterior, devised by Art Deco architect Emery Roth (1870-1948). Georgia O’Keeffe was so impressed by the Beverly, as the hotel was then known, that she immortalized it in her painting, New York Night, 1928-1929.

Rooms: With white walls, sweeping wood headboards and lively patterned area rugs warming the hardwood floors, the renovated rooms and suites serve up comfort with panache. Each comes with a freshly tiled kitchenette, If the smallest, at 275 square feet, are modest pieds-a-terre, the suites are like East Side apartments (the largest stock dinner service for four), with sleeper sofas and, in many cases, balconies or terraces. The new marble-lined bathrooms come with either showers, tubs or both.

Food and Drink: A new restaurant is expected to open in Fall, 2025. In the meantime, plenty of dining options are available nearby, including Lex Yard, MIchael Anthony’s sleek American restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner at the newly unveiled Waldorf Astoria across the street from the Benjamin.

Amenities: Pillow menu. Pets are courted with a menu of accouterments like dog beds and canine treats ($75 pet fee per stay).

Surroundings: A great location if you want Midtown. Lexington Avenue in the 40s consists of boring office buildings, but it’s studded with hotels, nice if you want to try out a different bar or breakfast spot. Grand Central Station, Rockefeller Center, the Museum of Modern Art, Saks Fifth Avenue and preppy haberdashers including Paul Stuart are steps away. Times Square and the Theater District are a brisk walk or crosstown bus ride away. Central Park, Bloomingdales and the renowned Morgan Museum and Library are easily accessible. Bus stops and the subway station are nearby.

Back story: Opened two years before the 1929 Stock Market Crash, the Benjamin started life as the Beverly, a stylish brick tower designed by architect Emery Roth, known for luxury New York apartment buildings such as the Beresford as well as the Belleclaire and Warwick hotels. Over the years this 1920s pile lost its panache. It was still the Beverly when we first stayed and reviewed it for the New York Times in the early 1990s, and though prices were low, the rooms were worn out. In 1997, the hotel was purchased by Affinia Hospitality, then known as Manhattan East Suite Hotels. After closing for a major makeover (bye-bye window air-conditioners, hello central heating/cooling), it reopened in 1999, rechristened the Benjamin after Affinia founder Benjamin J. Denihan Sr., who made a killing in dry cleaning before trying his hand at hospitality (his portrait hung above the reception desk for years.) Between 2010 and 2011, the hotel’s public rooms underwent a grand-scale renovation resulting in a gracious-but-staid lobby and The National, a terrific bistro-style restaurant and bar. But the pandemic created financial woes for Affinia Hospitality, and in spring 2022, the hotel became part of Sonesta. What you see today is the result of a $25 million renovation that revamped the guest rooms and public spaces. Phase two is set to unwrap in fall 2025 with the arrival of a new restaurant.

Keep in mind: The HVAC systems can be noisy, and street sounds can be heard upstairs.