Lotte New York Palace
Daily price line
Upcoming nightly rates
Review
Character and identity
Behind wrought-iron gates on Madison Avenue, the Lotte occupies the historic Villard Houses, six 1880s Stanford White brownstones wrapping a courtyard, with a 55-storey glass tower rising from their centre. The 909 rooms split between Palace (floors 9 to 36) and the premium Towers (floors 41 to 55), with 113 rooms taking in St. Patrick's Cathedral directly across the street. Drinking is the strong suit: the Gold Room serves shared plates and a martini list under gilded vaulted ceilings, while the 25-seat Rarities salon pours rare Champagnes and whiskies. The spa is on the eighth floor, and service runs white-gloved and old-school.
Who's it for
Best for:
Couples and design-minded travellers who want a brush with Gilded Age New York, a Midtown East address within walking distance of MoMA, Rockefeller Center and Saks, and a cinematic courtyard arrival. Cocktail enthusiasts will get the most out of the public rooms. Families are catered for with the Little Royals package and an FAO Schwarz tie-in.
Should look elsewhere:
Anyone hoping for a serious destination restaurant will find the food offer thinner than the setting suggests, and room interiors, while neutral and well-kept, read as slightly dated. Travellers wanting downtown energy or boutique-scale intimacy should look further south or smaller.
Bottom line
The reason to book here is the building itself: the courtyard, the preserved Stanford White interiors, the Cathedral view, and a bar programme (Gold Room, Rarities) that makes full use of them. Spring for a Towers room on a Fifth Avenue line to catch St. Patrick's mint green roof, and use the house Mercedes car service for the 20-block drop-off radius.