Hotel Plaza Athenee New York

From the Hideaway Report

September 2011 Hideaway Report

I have long recommended the lovely Hotel Plaza Athenee, located between Madison and Park avenues on New York’s Upper East Side, but as it underwent a multimillion-dollar refurbishment last year, I decided to make an incognito inspection on a recent trip to New York.

The hotel’s overall aesthetic remains that of a European townhouse, with a black-and-white marble floor in the lobby, patterned carpets and paneled walls. All of the rooms have been refurbished in two color schemes: cinnamon and yellow, and gray with touches of beige and mint. The Grand Deluxe Rooms are the most desirable, with an average of 450 square feet. (Lower categories are significantly smaller.) These have attractive mirror-fronted closets that provide ample space, and generous marble baths that have been enlarged to provide soaking tubs, rainfall showers and dual sinks. Suites are individually decorated and vary in size from 675 square feet to 2,453 square feet for the duplex two-bedroom penthouse. Some feature glass-enclosed terraces with glamorous city views.

The Bar Seine is a particularly inviting spot for a cocktail, with a décor reflecting influences from Asia and Africa, while the hotel’s restaurant, Arabelle, now reminds me of nothing more than the lovely Le Cirque when it occupied its original home in the Mayfair Regent Hotel at 65th and Park. It is a quiet, sophisticated space with a gold barrel ceiling, dramatic sconces, paneled cream walls, crystal chandeliers and elegant, solicitous service. The menu offers inventive American cuisine, with the standouts from our dinner being a flavorful heirloom tomato risotto, and coriander-seared salmon with chili-glazed bok choy and jasmine rice.

Unlike some comparable East Side hotels — The Mark, for instance — the Plaza Athénée now offers a small spa with four large treatment rooms, one of them for couples. The renovated gym is small but well-equipped with treadmills, StairMasters and LifeCycles, along with free weights.

The location of the Plaza Athénée, one block from The Lowell, invites a comparison. Certainly, the overall aesthetics are different, The Lowell being evocative of a country house, while the interior of the Plaza Athénée displays a European urban chic. Rooms are of comparable size. The suites at both are spectacular, but most at The Lowell have the wonderful extra of woodburning fireplaces. In terms of dining, I give the edge to Arabelle at the Plaza Athénée over The Post House steak restaurant in The Lowell. Forced to choose, I personally would opt for The Lowell, but others will disagree, and I can understand why. What is certain is that the millions lavished on the Plaza Athénée have been well spent.

From our Readers

Amenities

Special Offer

Hotel Plaza Athenee - Spring Family Suites

Confirm a One-Bedroom Classic Suite for your family and receive the connecting room at a 50 percent savings.

Also Includes:
Andrew Harper benefits, as well as the standard inclusions: Wi-Fi in public areas; and access to the spa, fitness and business centers.

Offer is valid for new reservations only, for travel by June 30, 2013, based on availability. Offer is not applicable on other suite categories, is only for family bookings and not combinable with any other promotions.