Fodor's Expert Review Royalton Park Avenue NYC (Formerly Gansevoort)
420 Park Ave. S, at 29th St., New York, New York 10016, USA See on Map
What’s that old adage? New Year, new … well the Royalton Park Avenue started out 2018 as a handover from the Gansevoort Hotel Group. While nothing has changed quite yet, except for management, this latest property to join the Royalton collection is a sharp spot on the cusp of Flatiron and NoMad that draws in the jet-set. Though there are plans to renovate and refurbish, nothing’s set in stone, so for now the zips of vibrant patterns cutting through the building's sleek lines are here to stay. The hotel has cultivated a VIP reputation with cultural notables often staying here discreetly, making this a slick hideaway for a certain class of people.
room
Perhaps it’s the dark sultry rooms that lured the Royalton to acquire this property—after it shares that in common with the 44th street mothership. But this boutique property with its brown accent wall and flashes of magenta textiles offers grand rooms with luxury accent furniture, including reading chairs and bistro tables. These rooms offer quite the square footage, as well as all the modern technology conveniences. Floor-to-ceiling windows facing Park Avenue somehow block the sounds from below. These distinct rooms look great on the ‘gram as they do in real life.
bathroom
Take a guess about the bathroom’s finish? Marble? Wrong. Granite in hues of slate and cream are the stone of choice for these luxurious bathrooms that offer both tubs and shower. The extra added bonus? L'Occitane bath products.
lobby
Black-and-white marble chevron grounds is the first detail to give away that the Royalton Park Avenue sells the glitzy life. Just wait until you venture further park and see the red sateen tufted Chesterfield couches, or the sparkling tile columns reflect like sequins in the hallways. Or the roaring granite fireplace. Or say, the Murano chandeliers. This lobby is unapologetically over-the-top, and it looks great.
pool
Sure guests can swim laps in this rooftop pool, but really, this is a scenester spot for summertime soirees and showing off the bod. The pool area, connected to the Rooftop bar and lounge, has gorgeous views of the Empire State Building, which on a clear evening is one of the more magical vistas in town.
spa
Exhale is one of the city’s exclusive spa companies, known for their massages, facials and body treatments.
gym
There isn’t just a geared-out fitness center but an exhale spa+fitness, home to the OG Barre method, inside the hotel.
dining
Asellina, a sultry den for Italian fare that has all the makings of hotspot, serves as the hotel’s main dining establishment. Upstairs, at the Rooftop, there’s a more casual fare that also serves as the 24-hour in-room dining.
LOCATION
Getting Around
The Royalton Park Avenue is conveniently located right next to the 28th Street stop on the 6 train.
Restaurants
Where there are bankers, there is good food. Great food even. Try the sumptuous Upland (3-minute walk), where Tuscany meets California from an Il Buco alum. A mere two blocks down (4-minute walk) is Park Avenue which changes its menu and name entirely for its current season. Don’t forget Marta (5-minute walk), hand-thrown pizzas and snazzy cocktails in the Redbury Hotel. And while this isn’t so much as a recommendation, but an orientation: Eleven Madison Park, the wonderfully oppressive $275 11-course tasting menu that is equally beloved and derided by the critics but remains New York’s premiere restaurant is only a 5-minute walk away.
WHY WE LIKE IT
Though it may be a placed loved by bankers and the dates that love them, the Royalton Park Avenue has true New York swag. It caters to a certain class of travelers who care about the finishes in the rooms—and why not? Demanding taste is a very New York trait. Hopefully the Royalton will shape up operations only to leave the overall aesthetic, leaving this slick outpost of serious money off the radar of the paparazzi trail.
QUICK FACTS
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