The Crop of Fresh Arrivals Re-Energizing New York City’s Hotel Scene
Post-pandemic, the city is roaring back to life. Here are our favorite stylish new hotels to know—all of which happen to be steps away from the most talked-about bars, restaurants, and cultural happenings to crop up.
The lobby of the Ned hotel and members club in NoMad.…
One of the best things about New York is its exceptional ability to reinvent itself. Emerging from the pandemic, it’s doing it again. From a sumptuous stay in the former home of the New York Stock Exchange to a sophisticated Art Nouveau gem with Ignacio Mattos’s buzzy culinary spaces and a members club rejuvenating a favorite Beaux Arts landmark, we’re spotlighting several notable hotels ushering in a new era for New York City travel.
Keep reading for everything to know about each hotel, and a guide to their neighborhoods and nearby happenings.
The Atrium of the Ned, which hosts three live music acts daily.…
The Space: As a sister to Soho House, London’s The Ned arrives stateside with big expectations—and it delivers. Set within a historic beaux arts building formerly home to the Nomad Hotel, Soho House’s design team collaborated with Stonehill Taylor on the property’s interior design, which features common areas that nod to the neighborhood’s Gilded Age roots with walnut finishes, a palette of moody smoking room colors, and plenty of plush seating. Room offerings range from aptly-named “crash pad” studios to duplex suites. A Ned membership comes with a 20 percent discount on hotel room bookings, and full access to the property’s five restaurants and three bars. Members and non-members alike can look forward to Northern Italian fare at Manhattan’s first Cecconi’s, or can walk through the hotel’s atrium to the tune of three live music acts each day for dinner at The Little Ned, whose menu evokes old-world clubs with offerings like steak tartare and caviar.
Highlights: An impressive contemporary art collection curated by Soho House head of collections Kate Bryan balances the period touches and keeps the space feeling modern with select pieces from the likes of Mickalene Thomas, Rashid Johnson, and Hank Willis Thomas, along with emerging names.
Location: Manhattan’s NoMad neighborhood has a storied history: the likes of Oscar Wilde and Winston Churchill’s grandparents were among those who called it home. Today it enjoys a more contemporary bent, with museums, social clubs, and vibe-y bars all skewing the neighborhood regulars younger.
Nearby: The fashion crowd frequents Dover Street Market, the Rei Kawakubo-founded retailer of designer fashion that also boasts locations in Singapore, Beijing, and Paris. There, you’re sure to find something to wear out to dinner or drinks, especially since they just dropped the new Fall/Winter 2022 collections during the first week of August. After you shop, head to the newly-opened outpost of Chinatown mainstay Apotheke for a botanical-inflected cocktail.
Ignacio Mattos's Lobby Lounge, at the Nine Orchard hotel. …
The Space: Housed in a former bank building dating back to 1912, Nine Orchard has no shortage of breathtaking original architectural features. In the common spaces, designed by Fernando Santangelo, in collaboration with Reza Nouranian, expansive arched windows and an exquisitely-detailed vaulted ceiling in the lobby, where tellers were once stationed, let in an abundance of natural light for a grand arrival experience. The 116 rooms and suites designed by Reza Nouranian and Ray Azoulay serve as a continuation of the lobby’s sophistication with cozy finishes like boucle accent chairs and upholstered headboards that recall the Art Nouveau.
Location: Tucked into a quiet street at the crossroads of the Lower East Side and Chinatown, guests will find the neighborhood teeming with cultural attractions like art house cinema Metrograph, Hannah Traore gallery, and some of the city’s top-rated bars and restaurants.
Highlight: Ignacio Mattos—the celebrated chef-restaurateur behind Lodi, Estela, and Altro Paradiso—oversees the property’s food and beverage program. Lobby Lounge offers small bites, tea service, and a six-page drinks menu spanning aperitifs to digestifs and everything in between. Corner Bar serves bistro fare (eggs Florentine; smoked salmon with toast and creme fraiche) at breakfast and a hearty menu of classics (chicken liver mousse; steak au poivre) for dinner. A fine dining concept, Amado Grill, is slated to open in September.
Nearby: Stop by Le Dive, a natural wine bar in the style of a Parisian cafe with bites like salade niçoise, pâté, and tinned fish. Just a few blocks away, the museum at the International Center of Photography has exhibited everything from Tyler Mitchell’s debut solo show to a visual history of hip-hop and is guaranteed to incite inspiration—whatever the current exhibition. On view now: a survey of William Klein’s photos, paintings, and films.
The space: Consisting of a members club, 22 private apartments, and an 84-suite hotel, Aman New York has been highly anticipated since it was first announced in 2020. This month, it opened as the brand’s first urban property in North America. With interiors designed by Jean Michel Gathy of Denniston architects, guests can expect to be wowed. Nama, Aman’s take on Japanese washoku dining tradition, is a major culinary standout and includes omakase-style fine dining. The suites veer meditative with earthy color palettes, murals by Japanese artist Ryoko Adach inspired by Hasegawa Tōhaku’s renowned 15th-century “Pine Trees” painting, and Central Park views from the property’s upper floors.
Location: Occupying the historic Crown Building—once MoMA’s first home—on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street, the property is in close proximity to the nearby institutions that make up the city’s famed Museum Mile: the Met, Neue Galerie, the Guggenheim, the Cooper Hewitt, the Jewish Museum, the Museum of the City of New York, El Museo de Barrio, and the Africa Center.
Highlight: Aman’s massive über-luxe spa features a 65-foot indoor pool outfitted with daybeds and firepits. Two spa houses offer private treatment rooms and terraces with outdoor plunge pools for total privacy and relaxation.
Nearby: Catch a matinee performance at the Park Avenue Armory, then start your evening at The Carlyle’s new champagne bar located in the hotel’s fine dining restaurant, Dowling’s at the Carlyle.
Zatinya, a new Mediterranean restaurant from chef José Andrés at the Ritz Carlton in NoMad. Photography by Jason Varney…
The space: The Ritz Carlton’s second New York property overlooks the city’s bustling NoMad neighborhood from a sleek glass tower by architect Rafael Viñoly. The 250 rooms and suites are designed by Cristian Pinedo of Susurrus and are done up in sculptural pendant lighting and marble accents, and stocked with Diptyque grooming products. A nearly 7,000 square-foot spa will help guests unwind with Augustinus Bader skincare treatments and botanical aromatherapy essences inspired by the nearby Flower District.
Location: Situated in the heart of the burgeoning NoMad neighborhood. Less than a block away, the Flower District’s horticultural shops continue a 100-year-old tradition, lining sidewalks that take visitors and clients alike through a green corridor of palm trees, shrubs, tulips, and other greenery.
Highlight: Chef José Andrés oversees the complimentary food and drink program in the club-level lounge, as well as the hotel’s two restaurants. Zaytinya was designed by the Rockwell Group and draws inspiration from Turkish, Greek, and Lebanese cuisines. Expect a standout wine and cocktail menu to accentuate Mediterranean mains like octopus Santorini and mushroom kapnisá with dates, roasted walnuts, cumin, and labneh. A forthcoming outpost of Andrés’s Bazaar franchise will open later this year with its familiar mix of artistry and theatrics inspired by his native Spain in a space designed by Barcelona studio Lázaro Rosa-Violán.
Nearby: Stockholm transplant Fotografiska displays world-class photography across five floors inside a historic Romanesque building. On view now: “Black Venus,” an Aindrea Emelife-curated exhibition that “surveys the legacy of Black women in visual culture—from fetishized, colonial-era caricatures, to the present-day reclamation of the rich complexity of Black womanhood by 19 artists,” according to Emelife. Grab a drink and a bite at Veronika, an onsite European-inspired brasserie designed by Roman and Williams that reopened this summer after a short-lived debut before the pandemic.
One of the luxuriant rooms at the forthcoming Hotel Barrière Fouquet's in Tribeca. Photography by Matthew Salvaing…
The space: This soon-to-open property nods to its French roots—sister to the grand dame on Paris’s Champs-Elysées—with boudoir-inspired bedrooms and glamorous art deco touches like a luxuriant pink and gold color scheme, quatrefoil accent mirrors, and elaborate chandeliers. Designed by Martin Brudnizki, the 97 rooms and pied-a-terre-style suites are available to book starting mid-October and feature toile, plush velvet, and Calacatta marble finishes. A vegetarian courtyard café and nostalgic bar channeling the roaring twenties pay homage to the Parisian patina, while Michelin-grade chef Pierre Gagnaire oversees the first outpost of Brasserie Fouquet’s. Expect Gagnaire’s takes on French classics such as escargot, foie gras, and sole meunière, building upon the foundation set by the original since it first opened in 1899.
Location: Just off the Hudson River waterfront in Tribeca, the former industrial hub’s cast-iron architecture houses residential lofts and Michelin-starred restaurants.
Highlight: Spa Diane Barrière is equipped with an indoor hydrotherapy pool, onsite personal trainers, and skincare treatments powered by cult-favorite brand Biologique Recherche.
Nearby: Stop in at Salvatore Ferragamo’s new concept store nearby to design a pair of custom, made-to-order 6R3ENE sneakers. Ferragamo clients interested in Web3 can mint NFTs onsite thanks to a partnership with digital artist Shxpir and creative studio De-Yan. Also check out Maison Close, a newly opened French restaurant helmed by executive chef Geoffrey Lechantoux. Brass finishes and navy blue banquettes complement decadent menu selections like tagliatelle with truffle and caviar and a roasted rack of lamb. Jewelry designer Jennifer Fisher’s nearby flagship store is another recent arrival with some buzz. Stop in for customizable fine jewelry or an always-appropriate pair of hoop earrings; after all, Fisher’s known for being the mind behind always-appropriate iterations of the style, whether rendered in braided brass or 18-carat gold and encrusted with diamonds.
The space: Set in a stunning, 14-story beaux arts structure that once served as the original home of the New York Stock exchange, designer Liubasha Rose has reinvigorated the interiors with a refined touch. Architecture firm Stonehill Taylor restored the building and combined with an adjacent structure to create the expansive hotel.The 180 rooms are tastefully outfitted in a palette of muted blues, grays, and creams. Communal spaces are adorned in hand-crafted accents, from Gio Ponti–inspired chairs upholstered in sumptuous Pierre Frey and Dedar fabrics to a reclaimed fireplace sourced from the Ambassador Suite at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
French-Southeast Asian flavors are in store at hotel bistro La Marchande, where chef John Fraser turns out grilled lobster with coconut sauce américaine and steamed Dover Sole with vermouth-lime butter. Don’t sleep on the drink menu’s impressive lineup of champagnes, beaujolais, and vermouth cocktails.
Location: Overlooking the East River greenway in the Financial District, a once dormant neighborhood on the rise. The buzzing South Street Seaport is a short walk away.
Highlight: The hotel’s vast contemporary art collection consists of pieces created exclusively by Australian Aboriginal artists who are part of the indigenous-owned arts organization APY Art Centre Collective; a hand-painted De Gournay mural with scenes of downtown New York wrapping the walls of the lounge, a collaboration with Rose Ink Workshop; and a 3D floral abstract oil painting by Danish painter and designer Thilde Maria Kristensen.
Nearby: Long an afterthought Governors Island is having a moment and is accessible by a quick ferry just a short walk away. Book a treatment at QCNY: a new day spa with massages, a sauna that boasts skyline views, multiple outdoor pools and a customizable wellness experience by way of its themed saunas and steam rooms. For instance, the retreat’s botanic steam sauna is infused with rosemary, and its mountain stube dry sauna perfumes the air with the woody scent of its all-pinewood interior. Next up, drinks and bites at Gitano Island: a waterfront restaurant, lounge, and mezcal bar that debuted this summer as an extension of the Tulum-based hot spot known for its “gypsy disco.” The waterfront locale boasts postcard-worthy views of downtown Manhattan, best enjoyed with a signature Summer Love rum-watermelon cocktail and beats spun by the rotating cast of house DJs.
Back on the mainland, Manhatta has been making waves since it reopened thanks to an inventive cocktail program and unparalleled city views from its 60th-floor perch. Or, head to the new Tin Building by Jean-Georges, a Roman and Williams-designed culinary market on Pier 17. Groceries and dishes inspired by various corners of the globe inform the ample market stalls, cafes, bars, and restaurants. Fulton Fish Co., a champagne and raw bar, feels most apt given the Tin Building’s waterfront perch and past life as the home of the Fulton Fish Market.
The Space: Designer Vanessa Guilford used color discerningly throughout the hotel’s common areas and to great effect. Contemporary artwork pops against a backdrop of warm wood paneling and intimate ambiance created by soft lighting and oversized velvet curtains. The 81 rooms exude a residential feel with luxurious touches like D.S. & Durga bath products and Frette linens.
Location: Named after the townhouse’s original owner, scholar, and poet, Clement Clarke Moore, the hotel’s central locale in Chelsea puts a decent chunk of the city just a quick subway ride away. Of course, the neighborhood’s world-renowned galleries, Joyce Theater, the Whitney Museum, and the High Line are just outside the door.
Highlight: Cafe Moore offers up Variety coffee and pastries during the day, then transitions to wine served in colorful Murano glassware come evening. Take a seat on one of the mid century sofas and flip through one of the cultural coffee table books or unwind upstairs at the rooftop bar with Empire State building views.
Nearby: After perusing Chelsea’s high-profile galleries such as David Zwirner, Gagosian, and David Kordansky, grab a drink at Moonflower, a new natural wine bar in the West Village with a seasonal menu informed by whatever’s on offer at the Union Square Farmers Market. Art nouveau touches in the form of its stained glass and pendant lights were designed by the owners’ branding studio, Swim Club. For a multi-course meal replete with a considerable selection of Italian wines, head to Marc Forgione’s new restaurant One Fifth. Hearty mains like corn-and-saffron cioppino (seafood stew) and Roman–style pizza topped with fromage blanc and fennel pollen round out a menu abundant in farmers market produce.
