Hotels of New York: the good, the bad and the ugly (Part II)

In this series of posts, I will be giving my view on a number of New York City hotels in which I stayed in the last 12 months (in chronological order, these were the Roosevelt Hotel, The Renwick Hotel, City Club, Chambers Hotel, Gild Hall, Bryant Park Hotel, the Renaissance New York Midtown, the Marmara Park Avenue, the Park Lane and (last but definitely not least) the Knickerbocker. I am ranking these hotels in a top 10. The three worst (10, 9 and 8) were tackled in my previous post, covering the Roosevelt Hotel, City Club and the Park Lane. Now things are starting to get better: in this post I will review numbers 7 and 6 on the list, the Bryant Park Hotel and The Marmara Park Avenue.

Hotels of New York: the good, the bad and the ugly (Part I)

In a city of such renown, it’s surprisingly difficult to find a decent hotel. I traveled to NYC very frequently in the last 12 months as I was working on a major deal for a client. My hotel budget was around 300 USD per night. In most European cities, I would be able to stay in a pretty plush hotel for that money. In New York unfortunately you can end up in places for which I would not even pay a fraction of that amount in Europe. Many big NYC hotels are a bit like the main NY airport (JFK), i.e. in a rather shabby condition. They know people are coming to New York anyway so why bother investing money in keeping it up-to-date.

In this series of posts, I will be giving my view on a number of hotels in which I stayed (in chronological order, these were the Roosevelt Hotel, The Renwick Hotel, City Club, Chambers Hotel, Gild Hall, Bryant Park Hotel, the Renaissance New York Midtown, the Marmara Park Avenue, the Park Lane and (last but definitely not least) the Knickerbocker.

Devonshire Club, London

Staying in a London private club that describes itself as “unashamedly luxurious” seemed like an opportunity that I could not miss. Obviously such a statement sets high expectations. Were they met? Read below my honest review of a one night stay in one of the Devonshire Club’s standard rooms.

Dear Hotel, Madrid, Spain

The Dear Hotel in Madrid is a tasteful, yet very affordable option in the center of Madrid, located on the always bustling Gran Via and the Plaza Espana. It’s a great base for a short weekend trip to Madrid. There is a roof terrace with a (rather tiny) pool but with magnificent views over the city.

Totem Madrid, Madrid, Spain

This über-cool design hotel is located in the very posh “Salamanca” neighborhood of Madrid. Vintage style furniture, quirky details, high ceilings… this hotel is pushing all the right buttons.

Hotel des Galeries, Brussels, Belgium

I try to stay in this little gem of a hotel whenever I am in Brussels. I am simply in love with the design. It is so understated, yet at the same time so elegant and refined.

The location is right in the center, it is close to the Brussels central train station and the Grand Place and it is quite unique: you are staying in the Galéries Royales Saint Hubert, which is a combination of three beautiful glazed shopping arcades, dating from 1846. Yes, this is a very touristy area, but the hotel itself does not feel “touristy” at all. It is actually very quiet, having only 26 rooms.

Hotel Skeppsholmen, Stockholm, Sweden

Staying in a city hotel has never felt so zen and relaxing. This hotel is within walking distance of the city center, but at the same time located on a quiet green secluded island, with lots of trees, almost no traffic and beautiful views on the city.

VP Plaza Espana Design, Madrid, Spain

If you like a modern, brand new and high-tech luxury hotel, this is your place to stay in the center of Madrid, located on the very busy Plaza Espana and close to the even busier “Gran Via”. When you are looking for something more special or with a bit of local charm or history, look further. This is a 214-room chain hotel, not an edgy independent boutique hotel. If you are looking more for the latter, read my post on Totem Madrid.