By invitation only: inside the world’s first Baccarat Hotel, home to 15,000 pieces of crystalware

If you love all things crystal, in particular Baccarat crystal, there’s probably no more immersive holiday experience than a stay at the historical French brand’s eponymous hotel in New York City.

In this debut column of “By Invitation Only”, in which STYLE magazine is your exclusive guide to the world’s most luxurious spaces, we step inside the Baccarat Hotel & Residences, a member of the Legend Collection from Preferred Hotels & Resorts.

With more than 15,000 pieces of crystalware on the property, including 17 custom-made chandeliers, walking through the hotel premises is almost like strolling through Baccarat’s museums in Paris and its historical headquarters in Baccarat, about 2 ½ hours outside the French capital.

The Baccarat Hotel and Residences in New York City is the brand’s only hotel in the world, although plans are underway for new ones to open in Rabat, Morocco, Dubai and Doha in the near future.

It was a cool autumn morning when STYLE arrived at the hotel. Sitting just across from the iconic Museum of Modern Art on W 53rd Street and 5th Avenue, its understated corrugated glass façade and no obvious signage made it almost easy to miss the dimly-lit entrance. However, a crackling fireplace extended a warm welcome to step in from the outside chill.

As if not wanting the sunlight to detract from the glitter and gleam of the crystalware, the reception area on the first floor is also bathed in warm soft light.

Formalities were quickly dealt with and we were shown our room. After a slight hiccup – the air-conditioner was acting up – we were quickly moved to another slightly bigger room.