otels are the new nightclubs. Just ask Studio 54 co

elevate
TREND
How cool Manhattanites have
taken over the city’s chicest hotels
B Y P E T E R D AV I S
Photograph by Myrna Suárez
exclusivley for elevate
otels are the new nightclubs.
Just ask Studio 54 co-creator
Ian Schrager, the Pied Piper
of the pretty people, who
recently debuted The New
York Edition on once-desolate
and semi-sketchy Madison Square Park. Now,
I’ve practically moved into The Edition’s lobby.
Where else can I double kiss fashion VIPs such
as Iman, Linda Fargo, Adam Lippes, Fern Mallis,
Max Osterweis of SUNO, Mazdack and Zanna
Rassi and Jenne Lombardo? Not to mention
Rosario Dawson, Stefano Tonchi, Marilyn
Minter, Curtis Kulig and more willowy models
I’m also buddies with Ben Pundole, who makes
“After I
get a trendy trim at Rudy’s
Barbershop next door, I fight
for my right to party in The
Ace’s massive, perfectly
antiqued lobby,” the author says.
ace is the place
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the right faces. Tip: Befriend Ben.
Right now.
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T
he Edition is just one
stop on Manhattan’s
hot, hot haute hotel
social circuit. When
I want to hobknob
with the hipoisie, I
camp out at The Ace.
And when my movie star friends are in
town, they’re always chez The Mercer—
slipping out the side door to avoid
the pesky paparazzi on Prince Street,
hungry like wolves for a money shot of
Karl Lagerfeld strolling avec Pharrell.
Another chum of mine, Sean
MacPherson, has practically cornered
the market on hotel chic. Sean owns
The Jane, The Maritime, The Bowery,
The Ludlow and The Marlton, where
the front lobby is like the living room of
your most stylish friend. During Fashion
Week, the comfy chairs around the
fireplace are prime real estate occupied
by the likes of Waris Ahluwalia, Parker
Posey and assorted Vogue editors, their
Birkin bags bursting with invitations.
lobby. Be brutal—kids (meaning under
30) with bushy beards and Pendleton
shirts tap on iPads as if they work in
mission control (but are really just
updating their Tinder profiles). And
the mission at The Ace is to look cool
while doing absolutely nothing. The
long tables, where you can pretend to
work, and worn-in couches are never
empty. Who needs a job when you can
just hang out and look cool?
Near the Ace is The NoMad,
which feels like the spoiled-rotten,
designer-label-obsessed cousin of
The Ace. Designed by the legendary
Jacques Garcia, there is a distinctly
fancy French feel to The NoMad.
Think soaring ceilings, shiny gilt
detailing and embroidered raw silk.
When my Euro friends want to meet
up, the NoMad is my go-to for potently
sweet cocktails and great prettypeople-watching. Last time I was
there, I sat between Chelsea Clinton
and Brad Goreski. Talk about a mix.
During Fashion Week, The Marlton’s
comfy chairs are prime real estate
occupied by Vogue editors, their
Birkin bags bursting with invitations.
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I absolutely adore both Standard
hotels. The Standard, Highline, is like
Disney World for scenesters, replete
with multiple attractions, from the
Biergarten to the Boom Boom Room,
which unquestionably is the bestlooking nightclub in New York City. In
the winter, I skate on the pop-up rink
outside the entrance, then sip spiked
hot cocoa under heat lamps outside.
And the Standard Grill is reliably
yummy and dependably fun. Make sure
to get a booth to see and be seen. The
man to know is Joey Jalleo. Start by
following and flirting with Joey on social
media: His handle is @Stan D’Ard.
Handsome hotelier André Balazs also
runs The Standard, East Village, in
Cooper Square. The mood is a teensy
more East Village grunge-glam—Purple
editor Olivier Zahm, controversial
photographer Terry Richardson and
model/singer Karen Elson all can be
found in the lush garden of the eatery
The ludlow, s’il vous plaÎt
The Ludlow—and its sizzlin’ restaurant,
Dirty French—reside in the cooler-by-themillisecond Lower East Side.
SUSAN GATES
The best part of hotel-hopping? You
don’t need to book a room. Just follow
my lead and join the club.
The New York Edition is the latest
cool kid on the block. The sleek, whiteout minimalist chic of the long lobby
bar is grand and glam and big and bold,
with a ’90s kind of vibe—and I mean
that in the best way possible. The ’90s
were a blast, right? Like all Ian Schrager
projects, The Edition employs a very
sexy staff—perfectly matched to the
PYTs who lounge around the lobby as
if they own it. Just search photographer
Billy Farrell’s site to see party pics of all
the boldfaced names that party there,
from nightlife queen Susanne Bartsch
to art star Daniel Arsham.
No, Dorothy, you’re not in Portland
anymore. You’re in hipster heaven,
a.k.a. The Ace Hotel. After I get a
trendy trim at Rudy’s Barbershop next
door, I fight for my right to party in
The Ace’s massive, perfectly antiqued
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The New York Edition (TOP); Ace Hotel
(ABOVE); The NoMad Hotel (OPPOSITE)
all shimmer in wait for Gotham’s coolest.
Tilda Swinton is sipping champagne
with fashion designer Maria Cornejo.
Does it get chicer than that?
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Bushwick), all MacPherson’s spots have
very social scenes. I love bumping into
rock star friends like Courtney Love at
The Bowery when she’s tearing through
town like a fabulous tornado.
Speaking of famous friends, The
Mercer is the monarch of movie stars—
and also the original gangster when it
comes to glam hotels. The lobby scene
is very private (they sometimes ask
people if they’re staying in the hotel
when ordering a cappuccino, so act like
you live there, which Karl Lagerfeld
does when in NYC). Look! There’s
Marc Jacobs with Grace Coddington,
having high tea. And Tilda Swinton
is sipping champagne with fashion
designer Maria Cornejo! Does it get
chicer than that? Mais non! For a similar
scene, stroll down to Tribeca and grab
a leather chair at The Greenwich.
Robert De Niro owns the joint and
the drawing room is like hanging out
in a movie mogul’s loft, gargantuan art
books and movie stars such as Michelle
Williams included. Like The Mercer,
The Greenwich is très privée. It’s as if
the hotel slipped a “Do Not Disturb”
sign on the front door to keep out the
riffraff—or anyone who doesn’t have an
Oscar on their mantelpiece.
DOUGLAS LYLE THOMPSON (ACE HOTEL); BENOIT LINERO (NOMAD)
the beautiful rooms are empty
Narcissa, which is naturally pictureperfect for those very important
Instagram moments. Honestly, people,
if you don’t Instagram your chicness,
it’s like it never happened.
Another new joint is The Ludlow,
MacPherson’s hotel in the cooler-bythe-millisecond Lower East Side (LES).
Like his other properties, The Ludlow
has that artfully executed, well-worn
patina that tricks your eye into thinking
the place has been around for decades,
when it actually opened last year. The
restaurant Dirty French is delish, and
the Moroccan-inspired outdoor patio
is ground zero for reed-thin models in
Acne jeans chain-smoking. The brand
new penthouse bar is the holy grail of
the whole building. Always be photoready. MacPherson’s wife, Rachelle,
runs the party site Guest Of A Guest
and no one wants an unflattering photo
floating around the Internet. If the
LES seems as far away as Seattle (or
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