Forbes Travel Notes – Reviews, features & travel notes

At the very beginning of the twentieth century construction started on what was to be one of the finest hotels, not just in New York City, but the world – the St. Regis New York City.

John Jacob Astor IV, the real estate and financial entrepreneur from the eminent Astor family, wanted a property to rival the legendary NYC Waldorf Astoria. Open in 1904, this glamorous hotel stayed in the Astor family until the late fifties.

Now this iconic luxury hotel has reopened this month after a staggering 90 million dollar renovation. This is the property’s third major refit, but by all measures this must be the most impressive.

Original architectural features have been restored including opening up oval windows above the front desk in the lobby of The St. Regis New York which were part of the original design of the hotel. In addition an art program, with emphasis on New York City photography by Janet Arsdale and Hampton Hall, is part of every guestroom and suite.

The iconic King Cole Bar, Manhattan’s most storied meeting place, will see expansion into the King Cole Bar & Salon, where an extensive lounge will feature a dramatic open fireplace. Uptown sophistication meets downtown chic in this reimagined space where The St. Regis will also debut a new culinary partnership with renowned New York chef and restaurateur, John DeLucie.

The guestroom floors now have swish, black-lacquer painted doors, textured fabric walls, and marble tiled entryways, rich colour schemes, luxury fabrics and leather details. Each bathroom in the entire hotel has been updated to create a spa-like atmosphere paired with the latest technology.

St. Regis New York is the flagship of Starwood Hotels and Resorts’ luxury St. Regis brand, which was created in 1999 and now is made up of 31 hotels in 14 countries. I have stayed at a few, and can’t wait to experience more! You can read about my experience at the St Regis Bali here.