Jumeirah Essex House jumeirahessexhouse.com 160 Central Park South; 212-247-0300
The property: Perched in the middle of Central Park South, the hotel is completely fresh-faced after a $90 million renovation, with 368 rooms and 141 suites (from $329 to $4,500), a full-service spa that offers treatments for jet lag, two restaurants and a variety of unique guest programs, such as iPod walking tours of Central Park and an in-house art collection. The rooms have been updated with modern conveniences such as flat-screen televisions and mood-enhancing LED light modules, while the new furnishings echo the original art-deco design scheme. South Gate, the critically acclaimed new restaurant, serves such delicacies as seared foie gras with rhubarb coulis, kumquats and pistachios ($21).
Petro-appeal: The Essex House Hotel was recently purchased by the Dubai-based Jumeirah Group, owner of such famous destinations as the sailboat-shaped Burj Al-Arab Hotel. With this acquisition, Jumeirah brings its service-intensive approach stateside to one of New York’s major statement hotels. Travelers from the Gulf will feel especially at home; many staff members speak fluent Arabic. It’s one example of Jumeirah’s thoughtful approach to hospitality in a global age, and a selling point for sheikhs in search of a luxury property to temporarily call home.
The Carlyle thecarlyle.com 35 East 76th Street; 212-744-1600
The property: This iconic Upper East Side hotel made its debut in 1930 and quickly gained a reputation for its residential-style service and the comfort of its 121 rooms and 60 suites (from $755 to $15,000 a night). Almost 80 years later, its art-deco esthetic continues to draw a fashionable crowd, including a slew of monarchs and the designer Tom Ford, who makes it his home while in New York. Its understated interiors are host to two historic venues: Bemelmans Bar—famous for its signature Old Cuban ($19), a champagne mojito with a bitter twist—and the Café Carlyle, which plays host to a rotating cast of musical legends, including Eartha Kitt, Elaine Stritch and Woody Allen’s jazz band.
Petro-appeal: The Carlyle is managed and operated by the Rosewood Group, an American hospitality brand that was born in Texas, America’s oil center. Founded by Caroline Rose Hunt, an heiress to the Hunt Oil fortune, the company has gained attention for offering a sophisticated version of Southern hospitality that places the guest front and center.
The St. Regis starwoodhotels.com/stregis/ 2 East 55th Street; 212-753-4500
The property: Located in one of New York’s most famous Beaux-Arts buildings, the hotel was built in 1904, and for more than a century has catered to business potentates and international heads of state. Its 171 rooms and 66 suites (from $995 to $13,500) are a seamless mix of high-tech and tasteful excess: silk wall coverings, polished marble, brass fixtures and Waterford crystal chandeliers mingle with touchscreen room remotes and hydraulically operated flat-screen TVs. The hotel’s King Cole Bar (the birthplace of the Bloody Mary) features a famous Maxfield Parrish mural, while Alain Ducasse’s latest creation, the winecentric, casually elegant Adour, pairs rare vintages with dishes like glazed pork tournedos with boudin noir ($36).
Petro-appeal: Oil barons make up a big portion of the St. Regis’s clientele, including Arab leaders of state, wealthy sheiks and Russian petro-oligarchs. They appreciate the hotel’s opulent design and, accustomed to being waited on hand and foot, take full advantage of its impeccable butler service, which can be summoned with the touch of a button.
