New York City is home to some of the world's most treasured monuments and attractions, not to mention some of the world's most exquisite hotels. Whether you're looking for old-world grandeur, celebrity-studded parties or your own private Rolls Royce chauffeur, you'll find it in New York.
We're certain the list for New York's best hotels changes by the day, so we've compiled a list of hotels that represent some of the finest, most luxurious and quite simply fascinating accommodation options to consider when visiting the city that never sleeps.
View from the rooftop of The Knickerbocker, NYC.[/caption]
The Knickerbocker Hotel, Times Square (above)
Overlooking Times Square, this elegant hotel - once the home of Newsweek Magazine - with a beaux-arts facade dates from 1906 and is a minute's walk from Times Square- 42nd St subway station and a 13-minute walk from the Empire State Building.
The sleek, contemporary rooms come with 12-foot ceilings and high-thread-count sheets, in addition to free Wi-Fi, 55-inch flat-screen TVs and minibars. Suites add separate sitting areas with pull-out sofas and city views. In-room beauty treatments and 24-hour room service are available. Amenities include a chic, fine-dining restaurant, a cafe and hip rooftop bar. There's also a fitness room, various meeting spaces and valet parking.
The Ritz-Carlton, Central Park (above)
Whether it is taking afternoon tea in this luxury Midtown Manhattan hotel’s warm and inviting Star Lounge, or joining the noontime ritual of feeding the Central Park carriage horses across the street, guests of The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park will find tradition stands elegantly proud on Central Park South. Wth room views directly flowing onto Central Park and an easy walk to Fifth Avenue, Broadway, Rockefeller Centre and the Lincoln Centre, plus access to its world famous Ritz-Carlton Club Lounge, this multi-award winning hotel on over 2,000 square feet of space will leave you breathless.
When first opened by John Jacob Astor IV in 1904, the St. Regis was the tallest hotel in the city. Beaux-Arts flair continues to dominate, from the hotel's elaborate facade to its plush, elegant rooms. Don't miss Maxfield Parrish's Art Noveau mural in the King Cole Bar, allegedly where the Bloody Mary was invented.
The Plaza Hotel (above)
The Plaza Hotel, located in the midtown Manhattan neighborhood of the borough in New York, is a landmark 20-story luxury hotel and condominium apartment building, owned by the Indian conglomerate Sahara India Pariwar. The building was opened to the public on October 1, 1907, when, at the time, it cost a whopping $12.5 million to construct.
The Royal Plaza Suite is the most luxurious retreat in all of the hotel, with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a hand-picked library, grand piano, formal dining room, state-of-the-art kitchen and sweeping views of 5th Avenue. But that's not all $30,000 a night will get you: Inside the master bathroom is a secret panel that opens as an exit door for guests who need to make a quick escape to the outside world.
The Palm Court, which serves breakfast, tea, bar bites, and evening cocktails, served as the setting for many popular novels and films, most notably F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby." Additionally, one of the film's most significant scenes took place in one of its suites.
Fitzgerald and his wife occasionally used the hotel as their home. Fitzgerald's love of the hotel was so well-known, it is said that Hemingway once advised him to "give his liver to Princeton and his heart to the Plaza."
Four Seasons Hotel New York (above)
Arguably the jewel in the crown of New York's finest suites, Four Seasons Hotel New York is home to New York's most expensive hotel room - The Ty Warner Penthouse - which can be yours from $US50,000 per night plus taxes (approximately $AUD68,000). Guests can enjoy 360-degree views of Manhattan through floor-to-ceiling windows, calfskin leather walls, and a grand piano. Guests also have access to a 24-hour personal butler, a Rolls-Royce chauffeur, and a personal trainer. The 4,300-square-foot suite is cleaned twice a day.
