New York, New York - the city of constant hustle, where dreams are made, sex and fashion rule, and travel budgets are blown on a daily basis.
Much like London, New York City is a patchwork of disparate neighbourhoods, from the fancy restaurants and clubs of the Meatpacking district in Manhattan, the stiff upper lips and designer shops of the Upper East, through to the up-and-coming hubs all over Brooklyn.
To comprehensively rank the best hotels in New York would be a life's mission - a worthy quest for sure - but if you've only got five minutes and you're looking for something a little specific: a hotel to help you live that bougie fashion-girl life, worthy of a Sex and the City's Carrie or, better yet, a Samantha, then we got you girl.
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Here's ELLE UK's list of the best hotels in New York to book in 2023:
1) Best Hotel For New York's Original Bougie Legacy: The New York Edition, Times Square
Possibly the most infamous nightclub of the 20th century, Studio 54's legacy isn't just disco-pants and sparkly eyeshadow. Club co-founder Ian Schrager has been extremely busy since the hotspot's closure in the 80s (and his brief stint in jail), mostly turning his hand to hotels.
Edition Hotels, a partnership with Marriott International, is Schrager's latest venture. Originally a clocktower, exceptionally well placed near Madison Square Park, but re-invented as a serious luxury hotel, complete with Michelin-starred restaurant, this is a place for the rich, fabulous, cocktail-loving glitterati.
2) Best Hotel For A Slice Of Britain: Crosby Street Hotel, Soho
The Firmdale Hotels group is British, but leapt across the Atlantic a short decade ago, opening The Crosby Street Hotel as their first venture. Located in the busy, but still trendy SoHo area of Manhattan, you'll be close to all the shops, the great Paint Box nail bar, and plenty of watering holes (a wander to Mother's Ruin won't disappoint).
With living rooms that wouldn't be out of place in a chic country home, afternoon tea available in the bar and all the fancy wallpaper, British guests looking for a slice of home should venture to Crosby Street.
3) Best Hotel For Something Bold, Lavish And High Fashion: The Mark, Upper East Side
Located in the plush, rich and designer-shop laden Upper East Side, The Mark is a place for Manolos and De Beers diamonds. For all its glittering surrounds, it's not without its cool points.
The hotel's interiors are the inspired work of French designer Jacques Grange, whose previous clients included Yves St. Laurent, Valentino and Karl Lagerfeld.
The hotel has a partnership with designer department store Bergdorf Goodman and offers personal shopping and a concierge service that gets you quick access to some of Bergdorf's greatest offerings.
4) Best Hotel For Downtown Cool: The Ludlow, East Village
Near to the former rock'n'roll haven of the East village and walking distance from some extremely delicious restaurants (take a stroll to Lamia's Fish Market, trust us, you will not be disappointed), The Ludlow is a discreet, but terribly up market find.
Petite rooms with Indo-Peruvian four poster beds, handmade silk rugs and Moroccan lamps are stylish and eclectic, while retaining their plush, luxuriousness.
5) Best Hotel For The View From The Rooftop Bar: Wythe Hotel, Brooklyn
Think the views of The Standard, minus the swarms of tourists passing through the high line, plus oysters, so many delicious oysters.
A street over from The Williamsburg and it's increasingly chichi neighbourhood, The Wythe is a boutique hotel itch that needs to be scratched. Transformed from the husk of a century-old factory building, and staunchly dedicated to reflecting the local vibe, the Wythe now boasts 70 rooms, with the full Manhattan skyline visible from many of them.
The real selling point though? Lemon's rooftop restaurant and bar. If you're into sundowners in front of a heady vista, some of the most tasty, herb-laden foccachia you'll ever meet and an oyster platter to send you into paroxysms of joy, Lemon's is your girl.
Book ahead though, this secret hasn't been well kept.
6) Best Hotel For Inner-City Sanctuary: The Dream Downtown, Chelsea
Although a hotel designed to look like an ocean-liner might not seem immediately like a place to offer rest and repose, let us assure you that the Dream Downtown (located in the art-centric district of Chelsea), has a lot to offer those in need of a little RnR.
The rooms, with their nautical vibes and porthole-shaped windows are quirky, sure, but the hotel's real selling point is an inner-city sanctuary in the shape of a tranquil, outdoor, 50ft, glass-bottom pool. Walking through the hotel's chic reception area and ground-level bar, you'd be forgiven for thinking the dappled light was an effect - a projection, perhaps.
With the only sandy beach in Manhattan, you can expect the pool area to turn into a chic party every so often, but mostly it serves as a wonderful, surprisingly quiet escape from the hustle and bustle of the surrounding city.
7) Best Hotel For Celebrity Clout: The Greenwich, Tribeca
The first thing we need to tell you about The Greenwich hotel is that Robert De Niro is a co-owner. That part really speaks for itself, doesn't it. It's got a $15,000 per night penthouse, with interiors designed by legendary artist Axel Vervoordt. Which also speaks for itself.
But for your average Joe looking for a snazy hotel and something to write home about, there are affordable room options too.
8) Best Hotel For An Other Worldly Experience: The Hudson, Broadway
Let us give you fair warning about this hotel: if you're looking for vast rooms, a tranquil lounge, light and airy decor and a family friendly vibe, the Hudson Hotel is not the place for you. The Hudson is a world apart from most of the luxury hotel's you'll have stayed in.
But if you're seeking something darkly beautiful, weird and wonderful, a scene, an experience and potentially an erotic bathroom moment, then you should consider it.
Thanks to design impresario Philippe Starck, the Hudson's interiors are easy to marvel at. A halogen-flanked escalator leads up to a reception area that could have appeared in a Tim Burton movie - a secret garden full of chandeliers. There are chairs that double as modern art and a library bar that feels like a clandestine gentlemen's club (although ladies are, of course, allowed).
The rooms themselves are mostly tiny and they take mood lighting to new extremes, but the bathroom has a wall of clear glass in front of the bathtub, so if you find the idea of watching your partner lather up while you lounge on the bed tantalising, you should give it a go.
9) Best Hotel For Something Deeply Cosy - The Bowery Hotel, Lower East Side
Walking distance from The Crosby Street Hotel and the Ludlow, The Bowery Hotel is situated among plenty of chic hotel friends. A delightful blend of old and new, the hotel is chintzy and grand at the same time, with lashings of velvet furnishings, a Wes Anderson-level eye for quirk and symmetry and complimentary bicycles for your peddling pleasure.
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