the grand guides: where to stay in nyc

10 downtown hotels (below 34th street) i recommend in new york

it’s officially the perfect time to visit new york.

not too hot, not too cold, the city is alive and thriving—and so i thought i’d share a list of 10 hotels i often recommend to folks who are visiting our lovely + gritty city for a few days. as i live downtown (quite far downtown, actually!), most of my recommendations are around here—though i’ve also included two closer to central park, if that’s more your speed. that said, i highly recommend staying below 14th street, and honestly, staying around here. you’ll be a hop skip and a jump on the subway away from the park and all the museums, but within walking distance to all the best food, coffee, and shopping.

now, it should go without staying that i haven’t stayed in all of these myself.

given that i, you know, live here. but these are the places i’d want to stay if i were a tourist. they’re the beautiful design-centric spaces i droll over, the lobbies i pop into when i walk by, the rooftops i ogle from afar.

so! let’s do this thing.

nine orchard. i have to start with the one that’s right in my own backyard. nine orchard opened earlier this year after nearly a decade of painstaking restoration work, and my oh my, is it a sight to behold. though i’ve not been upstairs/in the guest rooms, i can tell you right now it’s worth the splurge. the hotel is a reimagined century-old bank (a true landmark building in every sense of the word), with restaurants run by michelin starred chef ignacio mattos (of estela, altro paradiso and lodi fame). pictured above is the swan room, housed in the former bank teller’s room and home to sky-high ceilings and pink marble walls. if the hotel is out of your price range, might i suggest splurging on a cocktail at the swan room? the hotel’s restaurant, corner bar, is also excellent (though pricey!).