The Escape
The entrance of the Times Square Edition is almost eerie. At the 452-room hotel, which hospitality pioneer Ian Schrager opened in March, you walk through a dimly lit concrete corridor toward a glowing green orb on the far wall, until a thin streak of white light reveals the elevator. Soon you’re being whisked 10 floors above the fray of Midtown Manhattan, to a lobby with an ivory bar on one side and an ebony lounge on the other. Immediately, a sense of calm overcomes you as you forget about all the flashing neon and Elmo impersonators outside.
The Rooms
Up a few more flights, you find your own little nest, a private hideaway decorated in more shades of beige than you ever thought imaginable. Yes, a corner of Times Square is visible from the floor-to-ceiling windows, but why bother with the view when you can wrap yourself in the beige (fawn) faux-fur throw, snuggle into the beige (ecru) leather armchair, and revel in the sound of nothing?
The Food
Chef John Fraser oversees four restaurants and bars, each with a unique identity. For breakfast, have maple custard French toast at the beautiful ninth-floor Terrace Restaurant, which abounds with lush ferns. Two stories up, at 701West, the Champagne trolleys give notice that you’re about to have a truly fine-dining experience—one that recently earned a rave three-star review from The New York Times. Set aside at least two hours for the three-course menu, and be sure to order the sweet potato baked in seaweed bread, which elevates the humble spud to unexpected heights.
The Party
Well, not everything about this hotel is quiet. Paradise Club is the latest nightlife experiment—part cabaret, part dinner theater, part dance party—from Schrager, who first rose to fame as a cofounder of Studio 54. Here, he collaborates with the performative Brooklyn nightclub crew House of Yes to create a show during which you can nosh on caviar and sip martinis while contortionists, aerialists, and break-dancers get down. It’ll wow you in a way that nothing happening eight stories below could. From $443, editionhotels.com
