A look at 5 NYC hotels, each with something special to offer

The Beekman hotel opened just last year at 123 Nassau St., but its Temple Court restaurant and bar has already become one of Lower Manhattan’s most popular after-work spots. It’s located in a landmarked 1881 building that was vacant for years before the hotel’s painstaking historic restoration brought it back to life.

New York has hundreds of hotels, located in different neighbourhoods, with different styles and amenities.

But a hotel is more than just a place to rest your head. Many hotels have something truly special to offer, and often those features can be experienced even if you’re not staying overnight. Stop in for a drink, for dinner or even just take a peek inside the lobby or the bar.

Here’s a quick look at five Manhattan hotels and what’s unique about each of them.

BEST HISTORIC RESTORATION

The Beekman hotel opened just last year at 123 Nassau St., but its Temple Court restaurant and bar has already become one of Lower Manhattan’s most popular after-work spots. It’s located in a landmarked 1881 building that was vacant for years before the hotel’s painstaking historic restoration brought it back to life. The building’s star attraction is a glorious nine-story atrium surrounded by decorative wrought-iron balconies. In the lobby, antique oriental carpets suggest exotic adventure, while Edgar Allan Poe’s portrait connects the site to an even earlier incarnation as the Mercantile Library Association, frequented by Poe and other 19th-century writers.

MOST PLAYFUL

Moxy hotels are part of the Marriott chain, but they were designed to appeal to millennials and they have the look and feel of fun, chic boutique hotels. The Moxy Times Square, which opened in late September at 485 Seventh Ave., has already become a playground for the city’s 20somethings. It’s hosted everything from a graffiti master class to a pop-up shop with an “embroidery bar” offering personalized designs. But it’s the Moxy’s Magic Hour rooftop bar and lounge that’s the killer attraction, with a view of the Empire State Building, live DJs, a carousel, a minigolf course called Foreplay and topiary bears in naughty poses. You can even order up a $99 crash pad from the cocktail menu.

COOLEST COWORKING SPACES

Hang out with the cool kids on the Lower East Side in the coworking spaces at the Public hotel, 215 Chrystie St. It’s got everything from stadium-style seating to long white sofas, along with spots for food, coffee and cocktails. Bring your laptop, sketchpad or notebook and come up with the next big idea. There’s also a small, tranquil park with a picnic table just out front, a sleek rooftop bar with great views and a groovy escalator lined with neon-like lights. The hotel opened earlier this year and is the brainchild of Ian Schrager, co-founder of the legendary 1970s disco Studio 54 and the businessman credited with creating the concept of boutique hotels.

BEST THEME

There are 6,000 books in the Library Hotel. You’ll find books in the lobby, in your room, at the rooftop bar and in the hotel’s reading room. Located at 299 Madison Ave., it’s a block from the grand New York Public Library building with those famous stone lions out front. You can even see the public library from some of the guest rooms. But the really clever thing about the Library Hotel is that it’s organized according to the Dewey Decimal System, which uses numbers to classify books by subject. Every floor is themed on a different Dewey Decimal category—for example technology, social sciences or literature. And each room is themed with art and books on a topic within that category. Looking for a romantic place to spend the night? On the philosophy floor, there’s a room themed on love.

MOST LUXURIOUS LOOK

You may know the name Baccarat from the company that produces some of the world’s finest French crystal. But you may not know that there’s a Baccarat hotel, open since 2015 and discreetly located at 28 W. 53rd St. across from the Museum of Modern Art. If you can’t afford an $855-a-night room here, how about a $42 cocktail called La Belle Epoque? As you walk to the bar, take in the crystal chandeliers and candelabras, the sparkling stemware and bowls, the white sofas and bouquets of perfect, bright red roses. It’s not just bling. It’s a sumptuous look that simply defines luxury.