Where is it? Reinvented by trendsetting hotelier Ian Schrager, the new Gramercy Park Hotel occupies what was once a Renaissance revival-style edifice completed in 1924 by architect Robert T. Lyons. It's next to Gramercy Park and is a short walk from Manhattan.
Contemporary or classic? The hotel's aesthetics evoke an artist's home. The soaring lobby stands behind an exterior carved from Indiana limestone and anchored by reclaimed cypress-wood beams and columns of Douglas fir. There are black and white Moroccan tile floors, 2.5-metre-high limestone fireplaces and an imposing hand-blown Venetian glass chandelier. An art collection, which changes periodically, has included works by Cy Twombly, Andy Warhol, Jean Michel Basquiat, Damien Hirst and painter and filmmaker Julian Schnabel.
What's so different about it? Gramercy Park represents a bold departure from hip minimalism for Schrager, here collaborating with Schnabel and ushering in a type of haute bohemia with a rock 'n' roll attitude. Its 18 storeys feature sensuous bespoke furnishings designed by Schnabel and custom-made mahogany drinks cabinets stocked with crystal glasses and snacks from gourmet purveyors Dean and Deluca and Balducci's. Oversized LCD flat-panel televisions and fully loaded iPods with docking stations discreetly blend into each room.
Who should visit? Artistic types, fashionistas and well-heeled European tourists comfortably mingle with local hipsters. A clubhouse for high-society for more than 80 years - Humphrey Bogart was married on the roof and Mick Jagger was known to cruise the bar in the early 1980s - the hotel continues to bask in an avant-garde aura. Apart from 185 loft-like rooms, it has six speciality suites, a penthouse suite, the sprawling 1,500-square-foot Terrace Suite and a private rooftop club.
What is there to do? Guests can while away the hours in Gramercy Park, a private manicured oasis in which Manhattan's elite have found refuge since 1831. An eight-year-old John F. Kennedy chased squirrels there and Mark Twain frequently found inspiration within the park's imposing wrought-iron gates. Others might head to Aerospace, the on-site hi-tech fitness facility, which offers boxing-inspired workout programmes from celebrity exercise guru Michael Olajide Junior.
What's on the menu? Michelin-starred chef Alan Yau is making his first foray into the Manhattan dining scene with Park Chinois, which serves high-brow Chinese cuisine. Room service is a revelation, with a 'best of' selection of dishes from New York's most acclaimed chefs, including Mario Batali, Tom Colicchio and Nobu Matsuhisa. Hotel watering holes Jade Bar and Rose continue the bohemian-chic design scheme.
