The Best Luxury Hotels to Book in New York City

The 112-year-old Plaza epitomizes New York luxury. Beyond the gilded lobby – complete with a priceless glass chandelier – are five dining and drinking venues, all serving gourmet-standard food and typically posh cocktails. The hotel’s famous Palm Court is an aspirational destination for afternoon tea; if you reserve a table under its outstanding stained-glass ceiling, you’ll want to sip your brew of choice as slowly as possible. Meanwhile, rooms are adorned with unique wallpapers and 24-karat gold fixtures and come recommended by fictional guests, including Eloise and Kevin McCallister.

The W New York introduces a contemporary, plugged-in brand of luxury – one that includes a Farewell Kiosk where guests can print their boarding passes and apps capable of unlocking room doors. Even private helicopter tours are available at the touch of a button. There are endless attractions right on the doorstep, too, from the theaters of Broadway to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Central Park, and Radio City Music Hall. After a busy day of sightseeing, relax in your guest room or suite while taking in panoramas of the Big Apple, or visit the Living Room, which pays tribute to the history of Times Square.

Fueled by a fitness-focused ethos, Equinox Hotel offers top-tier personal training and community-driven workout classes. A sprawling 60,000sqft (5,574sqm) fitness center, indoor lap pool, futuristic cryotherapy chambers, and neon-hued SoulCycle studio (of course) are just a few pieces of its wellness-driven jigsaw. However, the rest of the hotel has equal appeal for those in search of relaxation – the rooms feature midnight-blue furnishings and ensure an uninterrupted night’s sleep with sun-canceling blackout blinds. Jaume Plensa’s giant disembodied Westworld-style head surveys the marble rooftop bar, conjuring up a cinematic sci-fi setting for sunset drinks.

History has been kind to the Lowell Hotel, bestowing it with a luxurious identity that has helped it flourish over the years. You will find onyx statuettes shouldering golden globes, enchanting Grecian paintings, and a healthy scattering of flora bursting out of Asian-inspired vases. The gilded decor continues into the rooms, which are dressed in metallic tones and antique furnishings – each one also contains a kitchenette or a marble-topped pantry stocked with treat-filled Dean & Deluca gourmet tins. When you aren’t busy getting lost in the bucolic maze of nearby Central Park, you can tuck into saffron risotto in the French-and-Mediterranean-inspired restaurant Majorelle.

An opportunity to gaze at the gilded levels of the Beekman’s famed atrium is reason enough to stay here. Illuminated by a skylight nine stories above, each level is supported by Victorian wrought-iron railings and covered in decorative details, such as dragons and sunbursts. Rooms are draped in old-school frills and finery, complete with fringed lampshades lighting craft-cocktail minibars, bespoke leather headboards bookending king-size beds, and sliding barn doors opening out onto marbled farmhouse-style bathrooms (stocked with exclusive D.S. & DURGA toiletries). Slide into a suede booth in the Temple Court restaurant, where esteemed chef Tom Colicchio cooks up sensational seasonal dishes like Maine lobster with chanterelle mushrooms and tarragon.

A patchwork of exposed brick, chocolate leathers, honey-colored wood, and mosaic tiles adorns the warm lobby of the Ludlow. The glass ceiling of the indoor garden and courtyard lets light flood in and features hanging plants and Morrocan lamps. The old sign of King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut is still etched on the wall – a nod to the experimental Lower East Side club and theater that used to occupy the space. Brunch and bloody marys can be devoured under the Medieval chandeliers of French bistro Dirty French. Ranging from snug studios to the expansive penthouse with endless views of the city skyline, rooms are kept classic with golden fixtures, Victorian-style rain showers, and violet armchairs cloaked in faux-fur throws.

Set in the heart of the storied NoMad district, Mondrian Park Avenue is minutes away from the Empire State Building and Madison Square Garden. After catching an event, you can crash in rooms with tiger-stripe flooring and a luxurious blend of caramel furnishings, and burnished copper decor. Recline on pillow-top mattresses with a tipple from the locally curated minibar, and catch a show on the 55-inch LCD smart TV. Continental breakfast and morning bellinis await in the eclectic art-lined walls of restaurant Cleo, while you can tear into flatbreads among cow-print poufs, vintage skis, and Mongolian cushions on the alpine-themed Mondrian Terrace.

Though located in a century-old building, the cool New York EDITION specializes in “new luxury for a new generation.” Creator and Studio 54 legend Ian Schrager has filled the Flatiron property with custom Le Labo amenities in a scent exclusive to the hotel, black-and-white photography by renowned fashion photographer Melvin Sokolsky and other glamorous features. At the center of the hotel is its Michelin-starred restaurant, The Clocktower, which boasts a billiards room, a bar gilded in 24-karat gold, and contemporary British cuisine.

Opened by a distinguished New York family in 1904, the St Regis New York is one of the most iconic five-star hotels in New York. The pampering here (no doubt on par with the kind Colonel John Jacob Astor IV received himself) is legendary, as is the St Regis butler service that comes with every lavishly decorated room. If you do want to lift a finger here, you can use it to hold a bloody mary at the King Cole Bar, where the drink was invented in 1934.