Aman for all seasons

Every so often a hotel comes along that is a game-changer, somewhere perfectly in harmony with its locale but that somehow reimagines the local possibilities and serves up the unexpected. 

Opened in August 2022, Aman New York only the second city location for an Aman, the other being Tokyo, is just that hotel. Occupying the upper floors of the 100-year-old Crown Building, which at various times and on various floors has been home to the original Museum of Modern Art, President Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines and his entourage and Playboy magazine, the hotel occupies one of the most expensive mixed-use locations in the United States. Today, the Aman has the highest base rate of any hotel in the city, which is perhaps reason alone why one should know about it.

I’m going to smile a lot during my 24-hour stay at this, New York’s most splendiferous and yet at the same time extraordinarily discreet and understated five-star hotel. The first time is when the charming front desk agent, Samir, whisks me up to my room sorry, my Premier Sanctuary Suite (Aman New York is an all-suites property) and, opening the door, announces, Welcome home. Cue three laughing-my-head-off emojis. If my home were anything like this place, then Bulgari, next door, just became a five- and 10-cent store. 

What a suite. There’s a mirrored dry bar with coffee and tea to the left and upscale snacks and drinks to the right. No dainty china, pinky-raised teacups here the look is expensively rustic, the sort of cups your very talented child might make in pottery class at his or her very expensive private school. (I later discover the chinahas been sourced in Bali by a woman retained by Aman to find pots, vases, artifacts and general tableware for the Aman portfolio.) There is also an electric tea kettle, which looks like a cross between an old-fashioned steam iron and a spaceship, and which, on the first attempt, after waiting 15 minutes, I realize I have failed to turn on. (Another smile.) There are only two buttons to press, but neither works. I’m about to settle for coffee from the Nespresso machine but then think I shouldn’t wimp out and so I give it another try. This time it works, inviting me to input the temperature to which I would like my water boiled. Well, 212° obviously. As for the Earl Grey tea, courtesy of Newby teas of London, it is heady with bergamot. I’ve never heard of Newby teas before, despite being English and loving my tea, always seeking out the best ones. Kudos to Aman for introducing Newby and me.

The bathroom, with its herringbone floor, beautiful, green marble sinks and superb lighting, is separated from the bedroom by a dozen floor-to-ceiling backlit screens, which you can choose to open or close, depending on your comfort-level regarding bathroom privacy. The toilet itself is a space-age Japanese model that, along with its many other manual-labor saving attributes, would probably help you get dressed as well if you asked it nicely, or knew the right buttons to press. An entire football team could shower in the shower stall and still leave room for the coaches and managers. 

Back in the room sorry, suite, is a real flame, glass-enclosed gas fire, and beside it, a corner window seat, which is perfect for watching the 57th Street / Fifth Avenue corner. Bergdorf Goodman is across the way and Van Cleef & Arpels and Louis Vuitton are within spitting distance. 

As for the bed itself, it is quite massive, with the snowiest linen, a headboard of the palest caramel and an ottoman in front covered in the softest eau-de-Nil leather. It doesn’t come classier. New York City may be on your doorstep, but what with the bed, the fireplace and the corner seat, not to mention my new mastery of the tea kettle, it will take a great deal of effort ever to leave this stupendous sanctuary.

When I do eventually descend, I discover the bar and lounge, behind the welcome desk, with its four monolithic circular columns that dominate the space, along with three glass-enclosed fireplaces, one of them with a slender chimney rising like an exclamation point, drawing the eye upwards. It’s a wonderful space, exuding calm and made for contemplation or a quiet rendezvous, although you will need to be limber to sink into the low chairs and couches and stand up again with ease. 

Adjacent to the lobby and lounge bar, the 7,000-square-foot outdoor terrace has retractable windows and lattice screens, which subtly reference Aman’s Marrakesh property. There is an almost profligate disregard for economy of scale, which is, of course, what gives Aman its edge, space at least in New York, being synonymous with luxury. 

Weaving your way through the reception-level corridors and taking the service elevator Do not attempt this yourself; you will need to be escorted brings you directly to the Jazz Club, Aman New York’s very own speakeasy, which non-hotel guests can enter via a private entrance on 56th Street. The intimate club is already home to some world-class bands, like the Tangiers Blue Band, and Saron Crenshaw, the critically acclaimed New York-based jazz and blues musician. Oh, and look out for some extravagant bites here, bluefin tuna with gold leaf, for instance, to go with the moreish cocktails.

If the club is dark and atmospheric (though alas, not smoky) Nama, Aman’s palindromic Japanese restaurant, by contrast, is a beautiful, sun-dappled place by day, its principal design features being blond wood, accented with heavy ship’s rope, a nod no doubt to the sea and the freshness of the product. It is open to nonresidents, as is Aman’s Italian restaurant, Arva, already wowing New Yorkers with its cucina del raccolto, or harvestcooking. 

It is, however, in its Spa & Wellness area that Aman New York truly reaches its zenith. With 25,000 square feet over three floors, the fitness center, run by medical professionals and staffed by some of New York City’s top personal trainers, boasts an Infrared Zone with VacuTherm stepper, treadmill and body roll and a cryotherapy chamber to treat jet lag and muscle ache. Again, I smile with delight. The 65-foot lap pool surrounded by sumptuous chaise longues is the place to while away a wet New York afternoon (or even a dry one). But it is really the two houses actual miniature houses within the spa itself that take pampering to new heights. They are designed for two or four people, and each is complete with daybeds, bathroom, cold plunge, a small garden and a firepit. One offers a hammam (for steam heat); the other, a banya (for dry heat). 

For a unique city break, a memorable Japanese or Italian dinner, a wonderful night’s sleep, the ultimate spa experience and not forgetting a really great cup of tea, why not let Aman New York put a smile on your face, too? 

For more, visit aman.com.