The Gramercy Park Hotel

The Gramercy Park Hotel is located in a quiet, tree-lined neighborhood alive with legend and history. Astors, Morgans, Rockefellers, and Roosevelts all lived here, and their elegant townhouses are still part of the neighborhood’s unique charm.

One of the country's earliest examples of city planning, the Gramercy Park neighborhood was created in the 1830s with a garden surrounded by stately townhouses at the foot of Lexington Avenue. The charming area, which is just steps away from Manhattan’s most bustling shopping districts. This is the area many well-known people look to make their homes; among them have been John Barrymore, Oscar Wilde, James Cagney, John Steinbeck, Thomas Edison, Uma Thurman, Winona Ryder, Jimmy Fallon, and Rufus Wainwright.

Gramercy Park is New York’s only private park and a quiet refuge for those who step inside its gates. Guests staying at the hotel can have access to this park. This tranquil, tree-lined oasis is the perfect place to find peace and quiet, read the paper, or reflect on the neighborhood's rich history. Here, Cyrus Field conceived the Trans-Atlantic Cable, Mark Twain played pool, and an 8-year-old John F. Kennedy chased the squirrels.

The legendary Gramercy Park Hotel has always been, and still is, the place to be for actors, artists, writers, intellectuals, and fashion designers. With a prime location adjacent to Manhattan's only private park, Gramercy Park, this landmark NY hotel has been a home to creative minds from around the world for nearly a century.

The origins of the 18-story Renaissance Revival Hotel can be traced to one of 66 swampy lots parceled out in the 1830s to draw potential residents "uptown." Gramercy Park gets its name from the Dutch krom moerasje, which eventually derived into "Gramercy" and means "crooked little swamp." But what was formerly a marshy expanse of land gave way to rows of charming townhouses, the neighborhood's namesake park, major arteries like Lexington Avenue, and of course, the Gramercy Park Hotel.

The stately New York Hotel, designed by Robert T. Lyons and constructed by famous developer brothers Bing and Bing, was built on the site where Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Edith Wharton was born and where flamboyant architect Stanford White lived. It opened its doors in 1925, and a year later, Humphrey Bogart married his first wife, Helen Menken, on the hotel's rooftop terrace. Not long after that, a young John F. Kennedy lived here at the age of eleven. Joseph Kennedy and his family lived at the Gramercy for several months. and Babe Ruth became a regular at the New York Bar.

Later, big-name musicians began passing through the lobby or staying for months at a time, giving the New York Hotel its rock and roll edge. In the sixties, the Rolling Stones resided there after their first American tour, and Bob Dylan, the Beatles, the Clash, and Bob Marley were all known to spend time in the NYC hotel. In the seventies, Blondie's Debbie Harry and Chris Stein lived in room 501. And in the eighties, then up-and-comers U2 were long-term guests.

For eight decades, the New York Hotel remained much the same until art collector and real estate developer Aby Rosen took it over. In 2006, he enlisted artist and Oscar-nominated film director Julian Schnabel and British architect John Pawson to renovate the space in a way that would maintain the NY Hotel's unique history while giving it bold, modern flourishes. The renovation was extensive—the entire second floor of the lobby was ripped out to make way for 20-foot ceilings, and Schnabel designed or curated many of the furnishings, paintings, and sculptures that fill the space today.

It’s not uncommon to catch a glimpse of notable names in Hollywood as Gramercy Park Hotel continues to be a gathering place for musicians and celebrities—be they guests, revelers, or performers. Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Kanye West, the White Stripes, Scarlett Johansson, Keith Richards, and Daniel Craig are all counted as fans.

Gramercy Park Hotel's on-site restaurant is New York’s acclaimed Italian trattoria Maialino from restaurateur Danny Meyer's celebrated Union Square Hospitality Group. The elegant eatery, whose name means "little pig," captures the warmth and style of Rome's traditional trattoria from its rustic oak panels to its tiled floors to its centerpiece, the cucina, which features a salami, cheese, and antipasto station on one side and a coffee, dessert, and bread station on the other.

The restaurant is helmed by Executive Chef Nick Anderer, who draws inspiration from classic dishes found throughout Rome and sources fresh, seasonal ingredients from the Greenmarket and local farms. The menu offers everything from light antipasti to robust entrees, including Carpaccio di Polpo (Octopus and Heirloom Tomato Salad), Carciofi Alla Romana (Braised Artichokes), and one of the house specialties, Malfatti alla Maialino (Suckling Pig Ragu). The menu also features specialty cocktails and a carefully curated all-Italian wine list with hundreds of selections from exceptional producers and vintages. Hotel guests can speak with the concierge about last-minute reservations or arranging a table during their visit.

Maialino is open throughout the day, serving breakfast, lunch, weekend brunch, and dinner. Bar Maialino pours local coffee in the morning before it transforms into a lively wine bar throughout the afternoon and evening. A private dining room offers family-style, multi-course feasts for up to 22 people.

Maialino's Executive Chef, Nick Anderer, has also assembled a menu full of unique twists on American classics and comfort foods for dining in-room or at The Rose Bar.

Serving as both a hotspot for the city's most fashionable, talked-about events and a low-key escape for A-listers looking for a quiet cocktail, Manhattan's most prominent tastemakers flock to the exclusive Rose Bar. It is home to Fashion Week after-parties, celebrity book launches, and, on any given night, world-renowned DJs spinning their custom playlists.

In addition, the lounge's intimate music showcases, known as the Rose Bar Sessions, offer guests exclusive performances from artists like Axl Rose, Dave Navarro, Rufus Wainwright, and Liza Minnelli.

This grand space with soaring ceilings is like none other in the city. It features custom furniture from Oscar-nominated director Julian Schnabel, a one-of-a-kind Maarten Baas billiards table and a rotating display of bold artwork from 20th-century masters like

Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Richard Prince, and Damien Hirst. But the space also maintains a sense of intimacy and warmth from its solid walnut bar, a 25-foot-long tufted banquette of silk velvet, a hand-carved limestone fireplace, and Douglas fir columns.

In the small alcove just off the Rose Bar, the chic Jade Bar provides a welcoming space all its own. With views of residential Lexington Avenue, velvet-upholstered seating areas, verdant walls, and, like the adjacent Rose Bar, stunning works of modern art, the Jade Bar offers a calming, intimate spot for guests to enjoy coffee and breakfast at the start of their day. Later in the afternoon, both bars begin serving exotic cocktails, classic aperitifs, and dishes from Maialino's Executive Chef, Nick Anderer.