The best hotels in NoMad

The obvious top pick of the NoMad neighborhood is this eponymous hotel with its darkly sumptuous interior, private rooftop, and Parisian-inspired rooms featuring custom-designed furnishings like French writing desks and claw-footed bathtubs. This Beaux-Arts beauty with soaring ceilings will seduce you with its dizzying array of craft cocktails served in a Byzantine sequence of fire-lit lobby bars including the library bar, which after 5pm, is open only to guests who want to indulge in the hotel’s innovative cocktails minus the scene. The cocktail menu changes seasonally, and starting mid-November you’ll find citrus-y summer drinks replaced with warmer autumnal and decidedly festive concoctions such as eggnog and mulled wine cocktails. The famous duo of Eleven Madison Park that runs the critically acclaimed restaurant situated in a glass atrium is temporarily a trio thanks to the pop-up menu from celebrity chef Wylie Dufresne, formerly of WD-50.

This super stylish vintage hotel housed in a historic 1904 building has a distinctive industrial-retro vibe with an eclectic assortment of rooms that range from Loft suites with curated touches like acoustic Martin guitars, to the smallest rooms with two bunks and plain white decor. The lobby is a haven for freelancers glued to their laptops and wired on caffeinated drinks from the hotel’s in-house Stumptown Coffee Roasters. At this uber-hip hotel, you’ll soak up the creative energy of this city that never sleeps, and probably feel like a slacker for not starting that Great American Novel you always meant to write. Diehard carnivores will adore the bi-level Breslin Bar & Dining Room, which serves a full English breakfast, blood pudding, and 40-day dry-aged rib-eye steak.

This oasis of loveliness right on the eastern fringe of NoMad is elegant, sleek, and slender as a giraffe. You’ll find spacious rooms draped in seductive shades of burgundy and taupe, with French doors opening onto Juliet balconies affording spectacular views of Park Avenue. The giraffe theme, perhaps more appropriate for glamping on a safari, is downplayed in favor of a 1920’s jazz era feel with Art Moderne (late Art Deco) decor. The nightly happy hour in the orchid-festooned lobby is a class act, with jazz tunes played on a piano, complimentary wine, Prosecco, brie, and snacks. A rooftop garden and bar open seasonally features more burgundy decor, exposed brick, a red maple and Giraffe sculpture. Room service is provided by Bread & Tulips, the onsite restaurant that makes a killer Tuscan Kale salad, not to mention tasty pies baked in the authentic pizza oven imported from Modena, Italy.

Guests rave about the spacious rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows and equally transparent showers at this stylish contemporary newcomer straddling Chelsea and NoMad. Rooms come with free WiFi, a bluetooth connectivity panel, Nespresso coffee machine, rainfall shower-head, and a free minibar. No, we’re not talking a bottomless supply of top-shelf liquors, but you will find complimentary sodas, juices and water. This modern urban hotel also features luxury in-house dining, a popular happy hour, and a fitness center to burn off all those added vacation pounds so you won't feel self-conscious in the see-through shower.

Get ready for knock-out views of the Empire State Building in all the Queen rooms at this industrial chic hotel on the northern edge of NoMad. In the modest lobby, you’ll find millennials mulling around, quotes from Paul McCartney emblazoned on the walls, and even a vending machine dispensing iPhone chargers and adaptors. The uber-trendy bar with burnished tin ceilings serves as a good gathering spot for guests, or you can head up to the new rooftop bar in warmer months for more glorious views of the Empire State Building. If you’re up for a splurge, book the Terrace King room and throw a party like a local on your own private outdoor garden terrace.

Most rooms at this modern, spacious, and affordable hotel have views of the Empire State Building. While there’s no restaurant or bar, they do offer free Starbucks and continental breakfast. Who needs to eat in when you’ve got 20,000+ restaurants to choose from in Manhattan alone? And their valet laundry and dry cleaning service means you can actually pack light for once and have your clothes laundered while you kick back at the bar or take a nap before a night out on the town.