A First Look at Hyatt 48Lex, Midtown’s Newest Hotel Built From the Ground Up

Is the latest, must-have luxury hotel amenity a dishwasher?

I wondered after a recent tour of the new Hyatt 48Lex, a 116-room glass box with the moniker of a chain hotel and the heart – and size — of a boutique. The first thing you see as you enter is a butler’s pantry outfitted with gleaming versions of the expected (stainless steel sink, microwave, mini fridge). But voila, a pair of surprises.  A clever cabinet swings open to display a superbly stocked, mirror-backed bar (full-size bottles instead of minis). And a Fisher-Paykel stainless steel dishwasher drawer nestles under a cupboard. Read more

Style Arrives on Kenmare Street: A First Look At The Nolitan Hotel

One day a parking lot, the next day a hotel. Okay, the Nolitan wasn’t built in a day.

But after years when new hotels mostly grew out of old buildings, New York’s latest properties are rising from the ground up. Consider the Mondrian SoHo, Yotel Times Square, Dream Downtown and the James, to name a few. Read more

Is This The End? The Fabled, Troubled, Irreplaceable Hotel Chelsea Closes For Renovations

Today we say good-bye to the fabled Hotel Chelsea, or at least the high-profile bohemian flophouse we knew. On July 31st, at the stroke of midnight, the hotel that housed Virgil Thomson, Sid Vicious and Viva closed its doors to overnight guests, and its future as a hotel is unclear. Read more

A First Look at the Fanciful, Floral Crosby Street Hotel

Shortly after I spent the night at the Crosby Street Hotel, I came across the April issue of Elle Décor. Inside I spotted the London townhouse of Kit and Tim Kemp, owners of the Crosby. Gazing at their fancifully sophisticated, color-drenched house awash in bold florals and even bolder stripes it seemed I’d never left the hotel. In fact, a shiny lamp base comprised of stacked silver balls looked like the one in my room. Read more

A First Look at Style On the Cheap at The New Pod Hotel

Invasion of the Body Snatchers aside, Pod is a cool name for a budget hotel.  To my ears, it sounds upbeat and hip, because what could be more upbeat, or hip, than a place that proudly admits its rooms are small and cheap? Read more

White Flowers, a Dux Bed and Kate Moss: A Memorable Night at The Surrey

It was just a matter of time. The Surrey, a small 1920s hotel, occupies a prime spot steps from Madison Avenue’s high-end boutiques, art galleries and the Whitney Museum of Art. For years it was a frowsy but dependable place where East Siders put up visiting relatives or moved in after a divorce if the nearby Carlyle proved too pricey. Read more

First Look at Aloft Harlem — A Cool New Hotel for the ‘Hood

Harlem isn’t known for hotels. In fact, it’s main headliner, the white brick Hotel Theresa – guests included Louis Armstrong, Malcolm X, Little Richard, Josephine Baker and Fidel Castro — closed in 1967. Read more