The Surrey

Set in a landmark 17-story Beaux-Arts-style building on Madison Avenue and 76th Street, the 190-room hotel reopened in 2009 following a $60 million top-down restoration led by award-winning designer Lauren Rottet. The result? An aesthetic nod to uptown swank (the Bar Pleiades has beige-quilted walls that were inspired by a Chanel handbag) mixed with contemporary accents (a striking six-foot tapestry of Kate Moss greets guests in the lobby). Spruced-up rooms and suites—in shades of gray, cream, and white—have Duxiana beds, Pratesi bathrobes, and amenties by diptyque. Other tony features: a 2,200-square-foot, private rooftop garden; a deluxe room service menu from Café Boulud; and the Cornelia Spa.