Gramercy Park Hotel
Gramercy Park Hotel ranks 7th in the list of Best Hotels With a View in NYC. The setting alone is worth a visit: Set on Lexington Avenue and 21st Street, it overlooks the private, gated Gramercy Park. "I've always wanted to go in there but it's always so damn locked," says one resident. The Gramercy Park Hotel, built in 1925, was taken over in 2004 by famed real estate tycoon and art collector Aby Rosen, who closed it for two years to renovate with celebrated artist Julian Schnabel leading the design efforts. The end result? A visually stunning beauty that exudes style, exuberance, and one of the most relaxed vibes of any hotel in town.
Just in case you miss the massive bronze revolving door, the concrete exterior greets you with custom bronze arched doors with clear beveled glass and cast bronze handles. The second floor of the lobby was removed to accommodate the 20-foot ceilings with wood columns and a massive hand-blown glass chandelier in the center. The room features a nine-foot-high wood-burning fireplace, a black and white tiled floor, brown leather chairs and red velvet sofas, maroon curtains, and artwork by Schnabel, Damien Hirst, and Botero (all from Rosen's personal collection). Across from the two lobby bars is the hotel restaurant, Maialino, the beloved Danny Meyers' critically acclaimed Italian trattoria visible from the street level. The restaurant is always busy, with customers ordering dishes like braised suckling pig, salt-baked sea bass, and squid ink pasta with crab, Calabrese chili, and basil. Are you hungry yet?
The custom-made, vintage-inspired fixtures that add a sense of modernity to the hotel and its rooms include: velvet drapery on custom bronze rods and mahogany wooden blinds, handmade embroidered tapestry chairs, an English drinking cabinet with a flip-down mirrored lit bar top, and Bluetooth-enabled Marshall speakers, to name a few. The dark wood floors and rich, vibrant colors make the rooms feel very cozy. If you have time, you can also tour the artwork on the terrace, an indoor-outdoor event floor that also houses more art.
Google ratings: 4.4/5.0
Address: 2 Lexington AveNew York10010
Contact: 212-920-3300
Website: gramercyparkhotel.com
