The Whitby Hotel
What We Love
- Posh yet playful interiors designed by one of London’s arbiters of style
- Having a cocktail at the handsome bar, decorated with myriads of hanging baskets made in Britain
- Being steps away from 5th Avenue and Central Park
- The hotel’s 130-seat private cinema, which shows classic movies every weekend afternoon
What To Know
- Standard rooms are quite spacious for New York City, starting at 330 square feet
- There’s a small but well-equipped gym open 24 hours
- Kid-friendly property offering cribs, rollaway beds, and entertainment in the form of children’s books, board games, and DVDs
Overview
The Lowdown
The second New York City property from trendsetting UK hoteliers Tim and Kit Kemp is as chic as expected. Their hospitality group, Firmdale Hotels, includes some of London’s most Instagram-worthy addresses. Ms. Kemp, an accomplished interior designer, is known for her smart layering of boldly colored textiles, wallpapers, and artworks, creating atmospheres that are both cozy and theatrical. The Whitby’s 86 individually styled rooms, some with large private terraces, have warehouse-style massive windows framed by patterned curtains and are furnished with curvaceous upholstered headboards, rolled arm settees, and handpicked framed art. If you’re feeling extra indulgent, book the spectacular Whitby Suite on the 16th floor, which comes with two master bedrooms, a spacious living room, and two elegantly appointed terraces overlooking Midtown’s skyscrapers. Common areas display a distinctively British décor, especially the ground-level bar and restaurant, where a myriad of woven baskets from England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland hang over a 30-foot pewter counter. Afternoon tea is served all day long at the adjacent orangerie, a present-day version of an Edwardian salon.
In the Area
Located on West 56th Street at Fifth Avenue, The Whitby is just three blocks away from Central Park. A few steps north of the nearest entrance is The Pond, an idyllic body of water that includes an island inhabited by birds and turtles, as well as seasonal flower displays. After this dose of nature, get a culture fix at MoMA, one of the world’s top museums, home to a collection of 200,000 must-see works of modern and contemporary art. Then head to nearby Bergdorf Goodman, the city’s most luxurious department store whose top-floor BG Restaurant offers stunning views of the park and tasty American and French classics. Book lovers shouldn’t miss Bauman Rare Books, a time-honored, gallery-like store featuring tomes dating back to the 15th century. Come nightfall, feast on one of New York City’s famous steaks at Quality Meats, a stylish restaurant designed by the award-winning firm AvroKO.
How to Get There
Reviews
The rooms are very cozy, super clean and the service is great. If I had to be super picky the service in the restaurant is slow. The bathrooms are spacious, the sheets and towels are super soft. Highly recommend.
This is one of the most remarkable hotels I have stayed in for work in NY.
It’s a lovely boutique hotel from
The quaint lobby with the fun grandfather clock to fun art in the elevator. BUT the rooms are bigger than any regular hotel in NY. The bathroom was is super modern. Mine had dual sinks. A walk in shower and a bathtub with a TV in the wall. It also had towel heaters! Nice touch.
The service in the hotel was exceptional and the staff was kind and accommodating.
I would stay here again and again!
Fabulous. Was a great visit, delicious food, lovely staff, the decor and art is amazing. Highly recommend to anyone who is visiting New York and wants a beautiful boutique hotel. The location is also great, though some of the rooms are slightly small and look out to a wall.
My Aunt and I just spent 5 wonderful days at the whitby. My daughter joined us for 2 of the days as well. I have no complaints what so ever. The hotel is beautiful, spotless and it feels like home away from home. Every staff we came across in reception, the doormen, the waiters concierge and so on were all super lovely. They all seemed genuinely interested in our family and made us feel welcome.
I was nervous about the location being so close to trump tower, however, there were no issues. I usually stay downtown at their sister hotel The Crosby, but we were pleasantly surprised at how convenient this location was. There is a lot of shopping and great places to eat on your doorstep.
We stayed in a junior suite which is very spacious with a walk-in closet and huge room and bathroom with tub and bidet! For us this was a special treat, it will be hard to go back to regular room next time.
I would not hesitate to stay here again.
Our stay at the Whitby Hotel was supurb. It was an easy walk to our several plays. The rooms are fantastic and clean, the food , bar, and service are all to notch. Even the hotel manager greets guests.