New York City



The Experience

When it opened five years ago, the slim, compact City Club brought a much-welcome dose of 21st-century glamour to slightly staid West 44th Street. Almost hidden among higher-wattage and more historic hotels -- from the Algonquin to the Royalton -- the City Club's chic conversion from a 1904 gentleman's club into a sleek boutique proved that New York truly is the city of reinvention. Overseen by charming owner Jeff Klein -- and his Paul Smith–clad staff -- and decked out in the subdued interiors of fashion-world designer Jeffery Bilhuber, the City Club is the antithesis of the grand Gotham hotel. There's no real reception per se, or barely a sign gracing its front door. This is a hotel where the rooms, the service, an exquisite restaurant and cozy lounge more than speak for themselves.

The Rooms

The City Club's 65 rooms display designer Bilhuber's knack for making a grand impact on small spaces. His tones are muted -- cream-colored furniture, pale-brown fabrics, light-blue bedding. And he's good with tromp l'oeil, cleverly hiding TV sets behind mirrors. Bilhuber also clearly has an eye for bathrooms, here crafting them from dark marble and shiny chrome, poshed up by British Bigelow products, thick robes and even TV speakers. There are a trio of duplex suites whose size, grandeur and detailing -- including towering Palladian windows and original 20-foot ceilings -- are exceptional for the price. Just stay away from 44th Street–facing rooms, which can be noisy, especially on lower floors.

The Service

With its small size and stylish guests and staffers, service at the City Club is both friendlier -- though more informal -- than at many conventional Midtown Manhattan five-stars. This means concierges and bellboys with ever-present smiles, though not necessarily immediate answers to every request. It's service that's unobtrusive and slightly hands-off, but exacting at just the right moments.

The Highlights

Complimentary Internet access and free (nonalcoholic) goodies from the minibar are welcome extras, but the focus here is on the restaurant. Along with the hotel itself, it was DB Bistro Moderne that immediately made the City Club an instant must-visit destination. Another feather in celeb-chef Daniel Boulud's culinary fedora, the hotel pioneered the luxury hamburger with its now infamous foie gras–infused, $29 patty. DB is still a Midtown mainstay, and -- fortunately -- it provides the City Club's 24-hour room service.

-- David Kaufman

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