Royalton New York

Perched on West 44th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, Royalton New York occupies a block known as Club Row, once lined with private gentlemen's clubs, a five-minute walk from Grand Central and the New York Public Library's main branch. The four-star property suits business travellers and theatre-goers wanting a Midtown base without Times Square's crowds.

Rooms keep a minimalist, dark-wood aesthetic dating to the hotel's 1988 Philippe Starck redesign, one of the first boutique overhauls of a Manhattan property. The lobby's round-bed suites remain a design-world reference point still discussed in hospitality circles.