Oh New York, New York, the city that never sleeps – because you can’t decide where to sleep. The many neighborhoods of Manhattan are home to an overwhelming amount of stellar hotels that come in all shapes, sizes and price points from the grandiose uptown classics to the psychotically buzzed-about boutiques found below 14th Street. For those who are pro-celebrity sightings and anti-Times Square, we’ve got you covered.
We have rounded up a handful of Manhattan’s most exciting luxury and boutique accommodations that are fit for a queen – of pop music, that is – as well as Academy Award winners, iconic rockers, supermodels and even the four-legged friends found in many a starlet’s oversized, overpriced designer purse.
The Bowery Hotel
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Who’s the hippest of them all? That’d be the East Village’s The Bowery Hotel which opened in 2007. Step into the dimly lit lobby where you will discover supremely stylish types lounging on plush velvet couches. The boutique boasts what is perhaps Manhattan’s most elegantly moody hotel lobby. Let’s call it shadowy-chic with a side of mystique and loads of charm. Better yet, picture this: massive Persian rugs, armchairs with gargoyles carved into the legs, a fireplace, potted palm, velvet curtains, dark wood, ceiling paneling, antique artwork and some antlers on the walls. In short, the lobby has an overall hip ‘n’ kinda haunting vibe. If a remake of Clue is ever in the works, it must be shot here.
Akin to the quirky characters in the cult classic are the famous faces that swing by The Bowery Hotel. Don’t be surprised if you bump into a famous New Yorker, like Kids’ castmates Rosario Dawson and Chloë Sevigny. And while checking out the intimate, ivy-strewn outdoor terrace located in the back of the lobby, you just might see an Olsen or two. Please don’t lose your mind if while ordering breakfast at the hotel’s fantastic Italian restaurant, Gemma, you notice Keanu Reeves eating solo to your left. (Author’s note: It happened to me, and I’ve yet to recover.)
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If you have a room, don’t forget your key because this is not the standard keycard situation. Hotel guests are given an actual key with red tassels. Every room comes with seriously amazing city views via huge windows as well as a marble bathtub, a killer minibar and the Instagram-famous teddy bear wearing a bellman suit and red top hat. His name is Bo the Bear, which is short for Bowery, of course. Bo’s adorableness is available for purchase at $81 USD, but the Le Labo bath products and a stack of fashion magazines are all yours.
For the room-less, don’t fret – you can still hang with the cool kids. Just throw on a sartorial-slaying number and confidently kick it in the lobby or grab a spot on the bench outside the hotel’s entrance and make a friend – perhaps with a paparazzi photographer who’s anxiously wishing for an SUV to pull up. Don’t forget that repeat visitors include Kendall Jenner, Bella and Gigi Hadid, Zoe Kravitz, Zayn Malik, Kristen Stewart, Jared Leto, Sofia Richie, Justin and Hailey Bieber and many more.
Address: 335 Bowery, New York, NY 10003
The Mercer Hotel
SoHo’s The Mercer Hotel shares some of The Bowery Hotel’s vibes in terms of its fabulous lobby, rooms, restaurant, can’t-beat location and so on. Many a Kardashian-Jenner family affair has taken place at The Mercer, throughout the years. Just Google “Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott Mercer Hotel” or “Kanye and Kim Mercer Hotel” for paparazzi photography proof. The Mercer was the mega-famous family’s hip home-away-from-home of choice when they were in town for the 2019 Met Gala.
Other famous names who’ve checked into the dreamily-designed hotel have included the late Karl Lagerfeld, Pharrell Williams, Rihanna, Sean Penn, Cindy Crawford, Kaia Gerber, Demi Moore, and Courtney Love. Considering The Mercer is the sister hotel to Los Angeles’ iconic Chateau Marmont, it makes sense that the A-listers feel right at home here. Rumor has it Karl Lagerfeld took over three floors during an extended stay in 2014.
There’s a lot to love, from the moodily lit ultramodern basem*nt restaurant, The Mercer Kitchen, to the airy lobby, which feels more like a luxe living room with its floor-to-ceiling bookcases and plush low couches. The location is everything – endless high-end designer stores including Balenciaga, Off-White™ and Louis Vuitton and five-star restaurants are all a few cobblestone steps away. Still, the six-floor, stylish sanctuary provides a break from the SoHo bustle. The loft-inspired rooms are modern, sleek yet simple, and the windows offer great sunlight and city views. Fun fact: The rooms were designed by French interior designer Christian Liaigre who designed the homes of sartorial stars Calvin Klein and Karl Lagerfeld. This surreal-chic boutique deserves five stars all the way.
Address: 147 Mercer St, New York, NY 10012
The Mark Hotel
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The Mark Hotel
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The Mark Hotel
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The Mark Hotel
The Mark Hotel isn’t some stuffy, over-the-top hotel that you might have guessed it to be based on its Upper East Side location, room rates and insane amenities. You’ll realize that The Mark is something special as soon as you step inside the bold and beautiful lobby – that is if you don’t walk right past the hotel.
In true hidden gem form, The Mark, which opened in 1927, is located on a discreet street off of the famed fashion-heavy destination that is Madison Avenue. The lobby oozes with a sense a maximalist sophistication with its zany, optical art black-and-white marble floor, wild modern art and furnishings and a stunning Instagram-friendly chandelier. That is all thanks to a major 2017 upgrade from French interior designer, Jacques Grange, whose clients have included Princess Caroline of Monaco, Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino, and Karl Lagerfeld. There are the 118 rooms that are the opposite of zany – they’re zen-luxe.
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The Mark Hotel
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The Mark Hotel
The Mark is all about making its guests feel right at home, and by “home,” we mean heaven. The hotel offers charmingly-designed pedicabs to bring guests directly to the iconic department store, Bergdorf Goodman, where guests can shop 24/7. If you fancy sailing down the Hudson, The Mark will make that happen for you with their very own 70-foot sailboat. Yes, you read that correctly. Also housed in The Mark is The Mark Restaurant by Jean-Georges, The Mark Bar, a Frédéric Fekkai hair salon and an Assouline bookshop.
You just might spot some familiar faces, especially if you are in town circa Fashion Week or The Met Gala. The Mark is known for treating all its guests like royalty, so it makes sense that Meghan Markle celebrated her crazily buzzed-about baby shower with friends Serena Williams and Amal Clooney in The Mark’s famed Penthouse Suite. Occupying the top two floors, it features five bedrooms, four fireplaces, six bathrooms, two powder rooms, two wet bars, a library lounge and private rooftop terrace access. In other words, The Mark is absolutely fit for a duch*ess. It’s also fit for previous guests including the Beckhams, Lady Gaga, Katie Holmes, Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron, Kim Kardashian-West, Kanye West and anyone with impeccable taste, and a few credit cards.
Address: 25 E 77th St, New York, NY 10075
Soho Grand Hotel
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Soho Grand Hotel
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Soho Grand Hotel
Newsflash: The Soho Grand hotel did it first. In other words, it’s considered the city’s first luxury boutique. In 1996, it opened its doors on West Broadway, and it’s consistently reigned supreme, attracting many of those on the A-list. We all know that location is everything, and celebs love the chichi restaurants and designer stores close by.
Be-like-a-celeb tips: Swing by high-end vintage store, What Goes Around Comes Around while waiting for your table at the perma-packed Cipriano, Il Mulino Prime or MAMO. Another perfectly fab option is to simply never leave the exquisite hotel. You’ll be blown away, right away when you are greeted by the gorgeous glass and cast iron staircase that leads you to the gigantic gorgeous lobby. Soho Grand’s overall design has an old New York feel – sort of the Andy Warhol’s The-Factory-days-meets-the-Roaring-Twenties. It’s all so incredibly cinematic, which makes sense that the hotel was featured on episodes of Sex and the City, The Sopranos and The Oprah Winfrey Show.
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Soho Grand Hotel
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Soho Grand Hotel
By day, relax in the romantic, sun-drenched The Grand Bar & Lounge and by night, dance away in the Club Room where downtown DJs spin it up and downtown creatives spill their drinks. Explore the neighborhood via one of the hotel’s cute custom bikes like frequent famous guest Katy Perry has before and then cool down post-ride with a watermelon margarita at the hotel’s outdoor Tiki-chic space called Gilligan’s.
As for Soho Grand’s 367 rooms? They’re spacious with an interior that’s a bit ‘70s-ish. All come with funky furnishings, original art from Howard Greenberg Gallery, a gourmet minibar, Fretté bathrobes, C.O. Bigelow bath products, Samsung Smart TVs and spectacular in-room views of downtown Manhattan. Then there’s the SoHo loft-inspired suites and two penthouses, which is where we’d imagine the plethora of celebs, from Britney Spears to Jessica Alba, stay and love.
Dogs love Soho Grand, too. The hotel offers pet-friendly floors and even features a dog park that looks and feels like a peaceful private garden. Here, everyone, including your four-legged furry friends, lives the grand life.
Address: 310 W Broadway, New York, NY 10013
The Standard, High Line
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The Standard, High Line
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The Standard, High Line
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The Standard, High Line
If there’s a record for the “Most Celebrity-Visited Hotel On The Planet,” then The Standard, High Line would absolutely be a top contender. The invite to their annual Met Gala after party thrown on the 18th floor inside the lavish lounge known as The Top of The Standard has to be one of the most coveted invites in the world. The infamous bash’s VIP list from over the years is insanely infinite and insanely impressive, but we’ll give the name-dropping a try: Madonna, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Celine Dion, Sarah Jessica Parker, Katy Perry, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Jennifer Lawrence, Zendaya, Donald Glover, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lady Gaga, Lupita Nyong’o, A$AP Rocky, Frank Ocean, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Nick Jonas, Julianne Moore, Diplo, etc. We’re out of breath just typing all of that.
The Top of The Standard, which features 360° views of the city, isn’t the hotel’s only on-site nightlife destination. Its penthouse discothèque neighbor is Le Bain, where things get wet n’ wild on the dance floor thanks to world-famous DJs, weekly parties hosted by downtown nightlife fixtures and a plunge pool curiously placed in the center of the dancefloor. If you need a break from the madness, go on and climb a neon graffitied flight of stairs to Le Bain’s massive faux grass-covered rooftop where you’ll find club kids and a cute crêperie. What’s not so cute are the lines that sometimes go down the block for those trying to get into the Meatpacking District’s hottest hotspots. We promise it’s not at all the end of the world if you’re denied entry. You can always have drinks at The Standard, High Line’s outdoor Biergarten or dine at neighborhood staple The Standard Grill.
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The Standard, High Line
The Standard, High Line is more than just a hotel. It’s a borderline New York City icon at this point. Sitting majestically above the famous elevated public park, The High Line, and overlooking Manhattan’s beautiful chaos, the aptly named haute hotel is a work of futuristic art. Speaking of art, make sure to check out the hotel’s outdoor public plaza where you’ll find an ice skating rink in the winter and rotating art installations in the summer. “NO POOL” just opened, which is a retro-chic take on the American pool club featuring colorful chaise lounge chairs, inflatable sharks, a bocce ball court and – no pool.
As for the 338 rooms and 4 suites? They are crisp and clean stunners and minimal with a punch. There’s just something about the pairing of the low, comfy beds with the floor-to-ceiling panoramic glass windows that makes you feel like you’re walking on air. Make sure to prepare for a comedown after checking out. You’re welcome.
Address: 848 Washington St, New York, NY 10014
Crosby Street Hotel
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Crosby Street Hotel
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Crosby Street Hotel
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Crosby Street Hotel
Leave it to London’s award-winning designer Kit Kemp to transform what was once a parking lot into a strikingly imaginative luxury SoHo boutique. Her trademark quirky-cool style and penchant for turning-heads is apparent throughout Crosby Street Hotel, from the beautiful outdoor spaces to the modern art-saturated lobby featuring a dramatic 10-foot high Jaume Plensa steel human head sculpture. Private tours of the hotel’s art collection and closeby galleries can be arranged by the fantastic staff.
Speaking of private, the hotel features a private screening room with 99 leather seats and a fruit and vegetable garden on the 12th-floor rooftop that provides the hotel with seasonal produce. The garden also comes with a Tudor style chicken coop. But what’s a five-star hotel without a unique bar and restaurant? The huge Crosby Bar is both bar and restaurant and is made of mod design dreams — high ceilings, grey oak floors, fun furniture, avant-garde light fixtures, a long pewter bar and warehouse-style windows. Crosby Bar offers all-day dining and adventurous co*cktails, though if you fancy yourself some afternoon tea, we recommend enjoying it on the private courtyard garden during the summer.
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Crosby Street Hotel
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Crosby Street Hotel
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Crosby Street Hotel
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Crosby Street Hotel
The 86 individually designed rooms continue with the faint-inducing, charming aesthetics, featuring custom vibrant art, antiques, tall beds with high headboards and a private garden for those who book the American Woodland Meadow 2nd floor suite. The bedrooms’ warehouse-style windows, with cushioned window seats, showcase arresting metropolitan views. The Crosby is easy, breezy, beautiful, and it’s a favorite for fashion magazine cover girls like Jennifer Lopez, Blake Lively, Kate Hudson, Jennifer Aniston, Sienna Miller and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.
Address: 79 Crosby St, New York, NY 10012
The Greenwich Hotel
All kinds of celebrities love The Greenwich Hotel, owned by one of the most recognizable and celebrated celebrities in the world, Robert De Niro. The TriBeCa gem opened its doors in 2008 and it’s been an amusem*nt park for pop stars, downtown socialites, Oscar winners, designers, artists, talk show hosts and even some politicians ever since.
So, what’s so special about The Greenwich Hotel? There are so many previous guests to ask: Beyoncé, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Demi Moore, Pink, Sarah Jessica Parker, Selena Gomez, Katy Perry, Jennifer Lawrence, Chrissy Teigen, Olivia Munn, Donald Glover and the many famous AF others. Well, if Michelle Obama’s post-luncheon smile in photos of her exiting The Greenwich Hotel back in July are any indication, then the food at the hotel’s Italian taverna, Locanda Verde, must be pretty damn good.
Don’t judge a boutique by its celebrity-packed guest list because you won’t be finding winding, gilded staircases, extravagant chandeliers or any of that excessive Hollywood jazz inside. The Greenwich Hotel is a tranquil treat. It’s elegant but restrained. It’s swanky but somehow homey. It’s an intriguing beauty. Think Moroccan tiles, exposed oak beams, English leather settees, Tibetan silk rugs, Italian marble, leather sofas.
The 88 rooms, suites and penthouses are individually designed, some with fireplaces and terraces and all with beds so divine that you may never want to get out of it, but you really must, because there’s so much more magic to be found for hotel guests. Chill out next to the fireplace in the peaceful guests-only drawing-room. Get some fresh air in the open-air lavishly leafy courtyard.
We’ve saved the hotel’s highest of “Am I high?” highlights for last: Shibui Spa. Located in the basem*nt, the Japanese-inspired structure is made from 18th-century bamboo and features a lantern-lit swimming pool, a 1,000 square-foot state of the art fitness center and several treatment rooms. The Greenwich Hotel is all about secrecy and serenity. It’s perfection for anyone wishing to escape the Manhattan mayhem, but particularly for celebrities. Cameras are forbidden. There are no selfies in heaven, after all.
Address: 377 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013
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