Ten of the best: New York City hotels for business travellers
Ian Schrager’s interior design at the 273-room New York Edition has the feel of a private Manhattan home thanks to the contemporary furnishings, oak floors, and oversized windows with views of Madison Square Park and the Flatiron and Empire State buildings. On the first floor is globally heralded Chef Jason Atherton’s mod-Brit Clock Tower eatery, where it’s about Eggs benedict for breakfast and a 40-day dry-aged prime côte de boeuf for dinner. Swing by Gold Bar for a daiquiri afterwards. 5 Madison Ave, New York. +1 212 413 4200.
When you have a rooftop bar like Salon de Ning a couple of floors above your room (we’ll have a High-roller Derby, please bartender, featuring Woodford Reserve, Chartreuse Verte, grapefruit and agave nectar) and Clement, with its fine American fare a few floors down, you know you’re in for a gourmand escape here at The Peninsula New York. That’s if you can leave your luxury room that features a plush king bed, separate shower and tub and pairs of Beats by Dr. Dre headphones on demand. 700 5th Ave, New York. +1 212 956 2888.
Robert de Niro’s 88-room luxury The Greenwich Hotel in the heart of TriBeCa is one of the city’s boutique gems thanks to its bespoke rooms – which include hand-loomed Tibetan silk rugs and English leather settees and Moroccan tiled bathrooms – indoor pool and day spa, as well as the food and wine on offer at Locanda Verde restaurant. Also find de Niro’s artworks across the Leading Hotels of the World member hotel, a hidden courtyard for guests serving food and drinks all day, and unobtrusive service across the board. 377 Greenwich St, New York. +1 212 941 8900.
Overlooking Central Park atop the Time Warner Center, the luxurious Mandarin Oriental New York sits 50 floors above Columbus Circle and features 202 guestrooms and 46 suites with floor-to-ceiling windows, bathrooms with tubs and large flatscreen TVs. Modern American cuisine is on offer at Asiate, which also has one of the city’s most extensive wine lists, while a stay wouldn’t be complete without a swim in the sky-high indoor pool. 80 Columbus Circle at 60th St, New York. +1 (212) 805 8800.
The former Jade is now known as the Walker Hotel and this popular establishment in the midst of Greenwich Village features 113 rooms with Art-Deco inspired furnishings including custom desks, armoires and wall treatments. Book a Walker Terrace room, found on the top two floors, which feature a private balcony, a deep-soaking marble bath and separate shower and view up to Midtown Manhattan. Expect a top breakfast in Grape and Vine Restaurant. 52 W 13th St, New York. +1 212 375 1300.
Commanding a top location on Fifth Avenue in Midtown, the only thing better than being a stone’s throw from the New York Public Library are the oversize rooms that come complete with Swedish Duxiana beds and rainfall showers (upgrade to a suite if you can), the house car to whisk you around Manhattan and the Michelin-starred cuisine with matching wines at Al Fiori. One of the brand’s leading properties, The Langham New York Fifth Avenue truly is one of the hidden gems in the Big Apple. 400 5th Ave, New York. +1 212-695-4005.
Everyone has a favourite film The Plaza has been featured in and that’s just one of the many reasons this castle of a hotel opposite Central Park has guests returning over and over again. It’s also the impeccable service, luxuriously classic rooms with large bathrooms, the afternoon tea and cocktails at The Palm Court, and food on offer at the open plan Todd English Food Hall. 768 5th Ave, New York. +1 212 759 3000.
Fresh from a USD$180 million makeover, InterContinental New York Barclay re-opened in late May to much fanfare following a total renovation of all 704 rooms and suites. The Federalist-style hotel, which dates back to 1926 and was originally built with the Grand Central Station extension, also had its grand staircase, elaborate lobby ceiling and house bar the Gin Parlour, which features a list of 88 gins, all gracefully resorted. 111 E 48th St, New York. +1 212 755 5900.
Down along leafy and popular Thompson Street, Sixty SoHo has been a New York favourite since it opened in 2001 and its rooftop bar for guests and other members remains one of the area’s top drinking spots. Book a king suite, which features a separate living area, a private balcony and two large flatscreen TVs, marble bathrooms with mosaic tiled floors, separate showers and tubs. Head to Sessanta off the lobby for Southern Italian cuisine. 60 Thompson St, New York. +1 212 431 0400.
The Philippe Starck-designed Royalton, with recently re-mastered interiors by Charlotte Macaux, is at home in a century-old building on West 44th Street near Bryant Park. Book a deluxe room which features built-in banquettes, bathrooms with large tubs and rainfall showers and lush down comforters. Have a hickory-infused Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned at Bar 44 in the lobby. 44 West 44th St, New York. +1 212 869 4400.
The best way to get to New York in style.
United Airlines flies daily to New York via Los Angeles. Across the Pacific, United operates modern B787 Dreamliner aircraft to California from Sydney and Melbourne on a daily basis and onboard in BusinessFirst, expect a four-course meal service (including a bespoke sundae), boutique American wines, amenity kits, flatbed seats, large touchscreen TVs and an oversized pillow as standard.