Courtesy of Mikiko Kikuyama
Guests can work and play at NYC’s Assemblage.
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New U.S. Hotels That Top Our Travel Wish List
By Jennifer Flowers
08.01.18
From the September/October 2018 issue
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Courtesy of Christian Harder
Detroit’s Siren Hotel has repurposed the 1926 Wurlitzer Building, which had been long abandoned.
These hotels are bringing a fresh vibe to six U.S. cities.
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A wellness oasis in Manhattan. A revitalized landmark in Detroit. A retreat with a cause in Chicago. These new hotels—six in all—are located in some of our favorite U.S. cities, and they’re all at the top of our travel go-list this year. And while they’re vastly different, what each property offers is a fresh perspective on its destination. Take the Proper Hotel, a newcomer to San Francisco that aims to revitalize the run-down Mid-Market neighborhood, with its Kelly Wearstler-designed guest rooms and its buzzy rooftop bar. Or the Sagamore Pendry Baltimore, which took the city’s historic Recreation Pier and turned it into a coveted place to stay. And then there’s the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, which has managed to up the ante on luxury in an L.A. neighborhood already known for glamour. Read on for a closer look at the new U.S. hotels worth putting on your travel radar.
New York City
The Assemblage
The wake-up call takes on a new meaning at the Assemblage Hotel in New York City’s Financial District. Part hotel, part coworking space, the Assemblage tries to help its guests have, shall we say, more profound awakenings. You can book a session with the on-site life coach, join a guided afternoon meditation, or sip a ginkgo-infused concoction from the juice bar. The 79 guest rooms, designed by the New York–based firm Meyer Davis, have kitchenettes and ample seating areas. The vibe of the public spaces feels equally cozy: The greenery-filled Plant Café, designed with blond oak wood and colorful textiles from Peru, serves a family-style, Ayurveda-inspired spread for lunch, and guests bus their own tables. From $28 —Jennifer Flowers
Detroit
The Siren Hotel
The latest sign of downtown Detroit’s renaissance? The Siren Hotel, which is giving new life to the 1926 Wurlitzer Building, abandoned since the 1980s. The 106 guest rooms feature colorful terrazzo showers and custom-made blankets from Maine Heritage Weavers. The lobby channels Detroit’s early 20th-century glory days with velvet sofas, ornate Italian mirrors, and a Murano glass chandelier. At the Candy Bar, locals gather on bubblegum-pink banquettes beneath a giant disco ball to sip craft cocktails. Try the New Gimlet, made with gin infused with kaffir lime. Reservations are required for the on-site restaurant Albena, an eight-seat tasting counter where chef Garrett Lipar pays homage to Great Lakes ingredients. From $139 —Laura Itzkowitz
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Baltimore
Sagamore Pendry Baltimore
Built in 1914, Baltimore’s Recreation Pier has played many key roles for the city: immigration hall, ferry terminal, and now, luxury hotel. The Sagamore Pendry Hotel offers a level of hospitality that was lacking in the cobblestoned Fells Point area. Nautical themes inform Patrick Sutton’s interior design for the 128 guest rooms, all of which evoke a ship captain’s berth. The Cannon Room also feature a cannon found under water during the pier’s restoration. James Beard Award–winning chef Andrew Carmellini created the Italian-inspired menus at the Rec Pier Chop House and the Cannon Room whiskey bar. If a burger or fish tacos are more to your liking, order them by the harbor-facing pool. From $350 —L.I.
Chicago
St. Jane Chicago
The St. Jane is named after Jane Addams, the Nobel Peace Prize winner who pioneered social reform in Chicago at the turn of the 20th century. A biography of Addams sits on a nightstand in every one of the hotel’s 365 guest rooms, and the owners—both female—donate a percentage of their profits to the Jackson Chance Foundation, whose mission is to enrich the lives of babies in the neonatal intensive care unit at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital. Beyond feeling good about where your dollars are going, there are plenty of other reasons to stay at the St. Jane: It’s located in the Carbide & Carbon Building, a 1929 art deco landmark shaped like a champagne bottle; guest rooms are outfitted with large windows and marble countertops; and it’s just five blocks from the city’s Millennium Park. From $269—L.I.
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San Francisco
Proper
A revamped down-and-out hotel has got the Mid-Market neighborhood’s blood pumping again in San Francisco, thanks to the vision of designer Kelly Wearstler. When guests step inside the seven-story Flatiron Building, they’re greeted by Wearstler’s signature pattern-on-pattern-on-pattern aesthetic. Salon-style seating areas, furnished with reupholstered vintage chairs and settees and hung with clusters of paintings, fill the ground floor lobby. The hotel’s main restaurant, Villon, is painted cerulean blue and overseen by chef Mikey Adams, whose fine dining twist on comfort food includes okonomiyaki with prawn kimchi and bonito. On the rooftop you’ll find Charmaine’s, already one of the most popular bars in town, aglow with fire pits. The views of Market Street stretch all the way down to the bay. From $495 —Erin Feher
Los Angeles
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills
In a city known for glamour, the new Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills has upped the ante. French interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon hung custom-made crystal chandeliers in the ballroom and decorated the guest rooms with hand-blown Murano glass. All 170 rooms and suites have floor-to-ceiling windows and private balconies. The rooftop, with its saltwater pool, affords unparalleled views of Beverly Hills; come nighttime, the bar serves ginger margaritas alongside small bites. French American chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten opened his first Los Angeles restaurant here; try his avocado carpaccio pizza at lunch. To go all in on the Beverly Hills lifestyle, reserve an Aston Martin to cruise around town and get a Rejuvenating Platinum Facial in Southern California’s only La Prairie Spa. From $815. waldorfastoriabeverlyhills.com —Kathryn Romeyn
>>Next: Be Our Guest: The Showstopping Hotels Redefining Modern Hospitality
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