Echo the Equinox idea. It also has one of the best gyms in the entire city. I go to the gym there often. It has an indoor and outdoor pool too.

Yeah it definitely is a very unique hotel with a great hard product. The biggest negative for the Equinox Hotel is it’s location imo. YMMV.

It is close to the 7 subway, And anyone who can pay for the Equinox can pay for an Uber or some transport. Which is precisely how most of their hotel guests come and go from what I've seen. I've spent a fair amount of time sitting out front waiting for my Uber to arrive. :)

Right, as someone that has sworn off taking public transit in NYC back in high school (for many many many reasons) I just don't think cabbing around NYC is a very pleasant experience. Between traffic and ridiculous road closures (I spent two hours trying to get from the UES to Tribeca on Sunday due to the marathon). For me, the true beauty of NYC is its walkability. If someone values that, the location of the Equinox Hotel is not ideal. I agree that if you're OK with cabbing around, Hudson Yards is fine (though the traffic will be particularly bad in that area).

On the other hand, uber prices have decreased significantly in the city. Earlier in the year, it cost $70 to get an uber from Tribeca to Midtown. Today it costs like $30. YMMV.

My favorite mid tier suite in NY is the Prestige Suite at Baccarat.
Poor views due to hotel's height and location but all else is great. Feels very spacious, airy and bright for a NY property.
French contemporary decor.
I often book it for clients and myself. Stayed for another week in August and the suite is aging well.
Depending on timing, can range from $1,300++/night - $2,000++/night.

Sadly I still stay at the CSH when in NYC. I might try the Aman when it opens.

But the CSH is the best hotel for the area I love to be in in NYC->SoHo. I just have nothing to do north of Gramercy Park.

I'm tempted to try FS Downtown but it's so far in FiDi that it doesn't really appeal to me. Not sure if there's any other hotel in NYC for what my needs are that are worth trying. And yes I've been to the Greenwich and prefer CSH.

Aman NY will truly be something special from a hard product perspective. I think everyone interested in nice hard products should give it a chance after it launches. Looking at the management team, I don't have high hopes for it from a soft product perspective. I am confident it will be excellent by NYC standards but that really isn't saying much.

If you want a nicer hotel south of most of NYC's luxury properties, I also suggest you give the Ritz Carlton NoMad a try whenever it opens. NoMad is definitely north of Gramercy Park but it's still a pretty cool area IMO. One of my favorite bars is in the area and you have some of the best food options in the city. You will definitely like that location more than the Aman NY's location.

I try to avoid Ritzes. But looking forward to the Six Senses...

The Ritz NoMad will undoubtedly be a nicer property than the CSH. It will also command higher prices though so ymmv.

I actually didn't know Six Senses was coming to NYC. The building it's in, The XI, is one I am very familiar with. I looked at apartments there a few times and have worked with the developer directly on deals in China.

As a building, the XI is not within the top tier of the city. It is actually a disappointment they are planting their flag there. Definitely a step-down from the Ritz Carlton NoMad and miles behind the Aman NY.

The location is good but not great. It's in the nice part of Chelsea. Very nice area. 11th ave is inconvenient. Fine for a short trip but I could never live there.

The problem is the service and product re: Ritz. And many other hotels.

I only just realized this... I've stayed at the CSH at numerous points since 2011 and the hotel's interiors have basically been sparkling clean as if the hotel just opened. No sign of wear, and very well maintained. I don't think there are many properties for which I can say that. And it's pretty consistent, in my experience, across the Firmdale group. I'm not sure I could expect the same from cookie cutter luxury that's the Ritz...

To each their own. CSH has clean rooms and, if you're not a fan of cookie-cutter hotels, you probably will not be a fan of the Aman NY either. The CSH is definitely a very unique hotel (though not in a very NYC way tbh). However, I am inclined to believe the Ritz rooms will have less wear and tear on them simply by virtue of the fact that the Ritz is a brand new construction and the CSH is more than a decade old. I doubt you will like the FS Downtown based on your posts here too.

IMO the coolest thing about the CSH is the bar and the location. Personally, I don't consider the rooms to be a strong point for the hotel but everyone has their own tastes/preferences.

Thanks--I am well aware what 'NYC' is given that I lived there for 5 years...

That was just a small part of my comment. CSH is a fine hotel (not really luxury by NYC standards imo) but, given that you started your statement with “sadly” it might be time to try something new. Based on what you wrote here about location and cleanliness, I’m not convinced you will enjoy either the FS Downtown or Aman NY. Six Senses NY might be a good fit for you but given that it’s located inside a mid tier condo, I’m not sure what the hard product will be like.

I agree that walking is great in NYC. Like London and Paris and some other great cities I could name. But just to be argumentative :) I will say that pre-COVID I walked from the Equinox Hudson to an office by Herald Square quite often. It's a nice and easy walk. And once you are there, you have access to so much of New York. And during COVID I Uber'd between Equinox and both downtown and UWS rather often without any serious traffic issues.

And as someone who has spent about 1000 nights in Intercontinental hotels, I am looking forward to trying the new Six Senses and I guess I should try the Crosby Street property too. I hear that those two brands are treating Royal Ambassadors very well. But this is all stated as a hotel junkie. :)

Returning to the OP for the $2000 suite, I might suggest a Premier Central Park View Suite at the MO.

Depends on what you want. Getting from Hudson Yards to Herald Square (which is already unpleasant IMO) requires walking through Penn Station territory, one of the worst parts of Manhattan south of 59th. But even ignoring the crack capital of NYC, that's a 20-minute walk just to get to a hub that requires more walking. I think the most interesting areas by Hudson Yards are south. Walking east is kind of beat until you hit NoMad and Kips Bay IMO (which is about half an hour on foot). The part of HK north of Hudson Yards is fine but difficult to walk through. The nice part of Chelsea is south of Hudson Yards and you could legit do the entire walk on the High Line (guess that's why Related got the city to sponsor the High Line extension into Hudson Yards). Pretty pleasant but not as nice as actually being in Chelsea in general.

No worries. I love to debate things as long as the discussion is grounded in reason. Thank you for being respectful and reasonable.

Overall, I don't think Hudson Yards is the worst area but it's far from the best and definitely not convenient compared to Midtown proper. I think the area will get better as Facebook and Apple clean up the area by Penn Station (hopefully). Also, if I'm being honest, I'm pretty biased against Hudson Yards as a neighborhood. The complex is so sterile (even worse than FiDi) and is so soul-less IMO. I toured many apartments there during my covid RE buying spree but couldn't pull the trigger. While Hudson Yards apartment prices are still inflated, a lot of re-sales are going for a loss in the secondary market rn, which is pretty terrible given that they're a) new construction b) being sold during one of the hottest NYC re markets in history.

Unfortunately, the age of covid no traffic is gone. :( Covid traffic was an aberration in so many ways and I sincerely miss the days where I could get around anywhere in the city in half an hour.

Traffic is actually worse than pre-covid in the city now. I take about 4-5 cabs every day in NYC and have watched things get worse as the city comes back alive. On the bright side, prices are down now. Revel is my favorite for generally having better drivers IME and having a fleet of Teslas. It's cheaper than Uber Black but more expensive than UberX. A nice compromise IMO.

I have never stayed in this suite personally but I have seen it in person. Really beautiful (though on the small size for a suite). My godparents have a pied a terre 3b3.5b in the Mandarin Oriental NY Residences and I genuinely think it is the best hotel in the city for cash stays.