This blog post was updated on July 31, 2018.
When it comes to finding a hotel in New York City, the options are as endless as the skyscrapers. From dumpy places to ritzy spots it seems only celebrities could afford, the common man or woman faces a conundrum.
Many of us want those complimentary amenities that a chain hotel provides such as free WiFi and complimentary breakfast, but we are also looking for a unique hotel experience.
HK Hotels fills that void for travelers arriving on flights to New York City, especially those looking for all of the consistencies of a chain hotel with the individuality of an inn.
Owner of four of the city’s top ranked luxury boutique hotels, Henry Kallan presents a collection of hotels in the capital of the world, all with consistent complimentary amenities but with their own unique style. With each stay, guests receive free breakfast, free passes to the New York Sports Club, free wireless Internet access and a free wine reception each evening. While the room rates come loaded with amenities, this small chain of hotels sweetens the deal with its stories and settings. On your next hotel search for New York City, consider three of HK Hotels’ most unique boutique accommodations.
Hotel Elysée: Tennessee Williams fans probably already know Hotel Elysée. The author lived and died here. He wasn’t the only one. The classic, old world New York hotel has welcomed the likes of Marlon Brando, Joe DiMaggio and Tallulah Bankhead. Built in the 1920s, Swiss owner Max Haering sought to bring a European style hotel to New York. Haering achieved such a goal as the loud chatter of Italian businessmen can almost always be heard in the hotel lobby.
Located in midtown Manhattan at East 54th and Madison Avenue, the concourse for the wealthy and weird can be any traveler’s playground, for a price of course. If you are afraid of antiques and crystal chandeliers, this might not be the place for you. Each room holds its fair share of old furniture, transporting you back to the days of old in New York City. Be sure to also monkey around the Monkey Bar, one of New York’s most esteemed drinking and eating holes.
Library Hotel: If you hated to spend time in the library as a kid, the Library Hotel will make you regret detesting those shhs from librarians and smell of old books. The Library Hotel checks in at 41st street and Madison Avenue, just steps from the New York Public Library. In fact, some rooms have a view of the mother ship. What was once an old turn of the century office building is now a hotel with a decidedly literary theme.
Enter the lobby and you might think you have entered a library with its floor to ceiling just-for-show library card catalog. Each floor is dedicated to one of the ten major categories of the Dewey Decimal System. And every room holds books pertaining to its designated category. The theme continues to the second floor Reading Room where breakfast and the wine reception are held. On top of the building is the Poetry Garden and the cozy Writer’s Den. Guests curl up with a good novel in rooms that feel like the insides of books with wallpaper similar to that of antique pages and mahogany cabinetry.
Casablanca Hotel: It is all about location at the Casablanca Hotel, that and extreme Moroccan glamour. Just steps from the buzzing Times Square, the Casablanca Hotel clearly takes its inspiration from the classic movie Casablanca. From do not disturb cards with Bogart and Bergman pictured saying, “Shh, we’re in hiding” to Rick’s Café, where breakfast and the wine reception take place, Casablanca Hotel is not your typical Times Square sleep. While the rooms could use a bit more of the Casablanca flair of the lobby and hallways, the service and location prove to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Have you stayed in any of these boutique sleeps?
Leave a Comment