PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

This romantic gem of a hotel in the heart of Midtown might be easy to miss: It's dwarfed by modern glass towers on either side of it. But that it is so inconspicuous is part of the Elysée's immense romantic appeal. Built in 1926, the hotel has a storied past as the preferred address for artists and writers including Tennessee Williams, Jimmy Breslin, Maria Callas and Vladimir Horowitz (who donated a Steinway, which still resides in the Piano Suite), John Barrymore, Marlon Brando, and Ava Gardner, who once had a tryst here with football legend Paul Hornung. The hotel still retains that sexy, discreet feel and now is run expertly by HK Hotels (The Giraffe, The Gansevoort, and The Library). Rooms were recently renovated and have many quirky features; some have fireplaces, others have kitchens or solariums, and all are decorated in country-French furnishings. Good-size bathrooms are done up in Italian marble and are well outfitted. Off the gorgeous black and white marble-floored lobby is the legendary Monkey Bar and the restaurant, formerly a steakhouse, at press time was closed for renovations to convert the space into a new Asian concept helmed by chef Patricia Yeo (Sapa). On the second floor is the Club Room, where a free continental breakfast is offered daily along with complimentary wine and cheese weekday evenings.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's New York City 2008, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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