November 8, 2018

The Best Hotel Experiences in the USA: City Edition

Where are the best hotel experiences in bigger cities with all the touchpoints of design, details and service, plus a great location?
Our City Hotel Edition picks up where the national best of list leaves off:

  1. The Greenwich Hotel, NYC
  2. Crosby Street Hotel, NYC
  3. The Bowery Hotel, NYC
  4. XV Beacon, Boston
  5. The Battery, San Francisco
  6. Hotel St. Cecelia, Austin
  7. Soho House, Chicago
  8. Shutters on the Beach, Los Angeles
  9. Rosewood, Georgetown, Washington DC

 
The Greenwich Hotel, NYC:
A NYC hotel that immediately envelopes you with privacy and exclusivity. It’s a high-touch, detailed luxury hotel that feels laid-back-cool, comfortable, and approachable. And there are jars of free candy in your room (the good kind, not off-brand crap)—free snacks are a sure way to our hearts.
Crosby Street Hotel, NYC:
Yes, another in New York, but it’s New York. This is a high-touch, quality gem hidden in plain sight in Soho. Hard to drive to, easy to walk.
The Bowery Hotel, NYC:
And still one more in NYC. This hotel is still a great place to hang out in the lobby lounge, especially since the “scene” has migrated on to another spot. And they always make sure to secure a place for hotel guests. Tip: The corner rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows are the ones to get, and beware of the wine drinking teddy bears.
XV Beacon, Boston, MA:
Best location in Boston, they leave chocolate-dipped strawberries in your room, and they have a house car—helpful to get to your dinner res in the Seaport area or South End. Sold.
The Battery, San Francisco, CA:
We’d been struggling finding a favorite spot in San Francisco until we found this guy. It’s a private club that now rents hotel rooms. They have a “no-phone, no-social-media” policy in the common areas, well-appointed rooms, and all the gathering spaces you need under one roof. Bonus: It’s close to the Ferry Building.
Hotel Saint Cecilia, Austin, TX:
In Austin’s South Congress neighborhood, hipster-cool meets intense-luxury and best-in-class service. Of this entire list, it was one of our favorite hotels to just hang out in the outdoor courtyard.
Soho House, Chicago, IL:
Soho House is hotel and club with locations around the world, but also happens to be one of the best new choices in Chicago. Every inch of the hotel is comprised of engaging common areas to hang out, socialize, engage, lounge, work, or be entertained, and the transitions between those are seamless.
Shutters, Santa Monica, CA:
An enviable beach location close to LA. It’s one of the only hotels in the area not trying too hard to be cool in its design.
Rosewood, Georgetown, Washington, DC:
Like San Francisco, we struggled to find a favorite in DC, which is filled with business hotels. The Rosewood blends quality and service, with a nice rooftop overlooking Georgetown.
 
Coming up with Number 10 was hard.
Should it be Soniat House in New Orleans? We love the service, the hot biscuits for breakfast, and that it drips with New Orleans charm, but it’s a little tired. Should it be the Nomad LA? The Nomad NYC?  Love the location and hotel, but the service has dropped off a bit.  Both are cool properties (and LA has  great common areas), but the service level is spotty. Should it be the South Congress in Austin? We like it, but do we like it enough?
Should it be The Setai, The Villa, or The Edition in Miami? It’s tough to put any Miami hotel on a Top 10 list, because they are not experiences. Let’s face it; Miami is where people go for a scene, weather, and water.
In short, there wasn’t a tenth for the list just yet. We like the idea of keeping it open—it means we never have to stop searching.