New York’s new-hotel rollout just won’t let up. Last year saw the addition of some 5,000 rooms to the city’s inventory, bringing the end-of-2015 total to 107,000 rooms throughout the five boroughs.
And as of now, there are another 124 stays expected to open over the next four years, with 72 properties in Manhattan alone, plus more than 20 each in Brooklyn and Queens.
The next six months or so prove particularly exciting, with more than enough spots opening — and of all varieties — to suit every sort of stylish staycationer.
FOR THE ART AFICIONADO
Contemporary art collector and real estate mogul Aby Rosen opened the art-filled 11 Howard on April 1. Sitting at the lower Soho address from which it takes its name, the Scandinavian-cool 221-room hotel will show off works by mid-century mobile-maker Alexander Calder, as well as a mural painted by local kids who worked under the mentorship of none other than Jeff Koons — a personal friend of Rosen’s (from $400).
Following a bit later in April is HGU, whose 90 rooms occupy the Beaux-Arts-style Hotel Grand Union, a Flatiron icon first built in 1905. Despite those century-old origins, the focus here is on contemporary art, thanks to a partnership with nearby Gallery 151 (from $209).
FOR DESIGN CONNOISSEURS
The Beekman, a Thompson Hotel, will bring a much-needed dose of aesthetic acumen to the Financial District when it makes its June debut in one of Manhattan’s first skyscrapers: the 1881 landmark Queen Anne–style Temple Court building. Reimagined by London-based designer Martin Brudnizki, the 287-room Beekman blends past and present — most notably in its two turret suites, whose private terraces overlook the reborn World Trade Center (from $619).
Opening this fall, meanwhile, SBE hospitality and entertainment group’s much-delayed SLS Park Avenue comes to us from the fantastical imagination of French designer Philippe Starck. At this satellite of the party-ready brand — whose other outposts are in LA, Vegas and South Beach — Starck has created all 190 rooms plus a sexy basement bar and rooftop lounge (rates not yet available).
FOR THE HIPSTER
Following the breakout success of the Wythe Hotel, the Williamsburg Hotel will debut in late spring, sporting 150 rooms and suites done up in on-trend oak, brass and leather. Along with a rooftop pool, look for a subterranean vault-ceilinged lounge, and a sky-high boite designed to look like one of NYC’s iconic wooden water towers (from $250).
Nearby, the contemporary architecture of the June-opening William Vale is demanding attention. Its glass tower rises 21 stories on concrete trusses from a glass-walled single-story base, itself topped by a green-roof public park and 60-foot pool — the longest rooftop swim at a city hotel. From $385
Back in Manhattan, the Hotel Indigo Lower East Side opened late last year on Ludlow Street, just across from The Ludlow. The new-build tower houses 293 rooms with prime downtown views and ample hipster amenities: A groovy artisanal coffee lounge, heated outdoor swimming pool and easy access to the LES’ top boites and bars. From $270
FOR THE MILLENNIAL
Exposed brick walls and rough concrete floors, convenient in-room kitchenettes and a rec room-style, live-work-play hospitality suite give the new Riff Downtown its edge. Like the brand’s original property, in Chelsea, this wallet-friendly spot takes design inspiration from the ’80s music and club scenes; think cassette-player boomboxes and Rubik’s Cubes in every room, as well as the classic Atari and board games available for rent. From $99
Targeted to what it’s calling “urban explorers,” the 96-room Bernic will be keeping plugged-in millennials in mind when it opens June 1. Look for in-room Apple TVs and iPads that act as concierges — along with a nightly complimentary wine hour slated to attract a loyal following of young, cash-conscious guests, too. From $199
FOR THE MODERN CLASSICIST
That sultan of soigné interiors, Jeffrey Beers, has taken on design duties at Marriott’s just-opened 348-room Renaissance Midtown, which sits on West 35th Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues. Beers mixes high and low, placing polished marble, say, beside exposed cement. The hotel also combines traditional Marriott hospitality with a dose of the 21st-century, not least of all in interactive digital installations that are both artful and informative. From $309
Next up for the traditionally minded is the Four Seasons New York Downtown, opening adjacent to the World Trade Center this summer. Champion of classical American architecture Robert A.M. Stern designed the hotel’s 82-story tower, with Yabu Pushelberg finishing the interiors of its 185 large-windowed rooms, public spaces and spa — featuring a 75-foot indoor lap pool — in soothing pastels and earth tones. If you like your stay enough, feel free to move right in: The building also houses 157 apartments, with prices starting at $3.65 million. From $549