Hôtel Plaza Athénée

Hôtel Plaza Athénée Review

It's easy to be seduced by this luxurious hotel, positioned unobtrusively by Central Park on the Upper East Side, and it's even more of a draw now that the rooms have undergone a renovation that includes refined decor in muted tones and enlarged bathrooms—some tricked out in marble with soaking tubs. There are also two massive 2,000-square-foot presidential suites and a glam spa with four treatment rooms that opened in May 2010. Service is stellar, with a personal sit-down check-in to the side of the lobby, and extravagant room service. The hotel may seem stuffy to younger visitors. To others, touches like the lobby tapestries depicting forest scenes will be a welcome old-school luxury. The Bar Seine is a dark and secretive hideaway, one of the best bars in the city, and surely the only one with a floor made of leather. Arabelle is a much-touted, if not particularly well-loved restaurant in need of a menu face-lift or celeb-chef infusion.