Review: The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad

Why book? 
Out of the many, many hotels in New York to choose from, the The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad offers one of the most serene (yet cool) escapes in Manhattan. The property is walkable to many of the top tourist attractions, and to local-first neighborhoods, all while adding its own sleek contribution to the NoMad area. The rooms are spacious and the service impeccable, but it’s the design and F&B that makes this property shine with the style-set.

Set the scene 
A José Andrés restaurant serving seriously delicious branzino, a handful of hand-blown Randy Zieber light fixtures, and an arboretum’s worth of potted plants all lie behind the large matte-black doors. Spy chic entrepreneurial types sipping old-fashioneds on the green barstools beneath a canopy of shrubbery at the bar. Upstairs, the rooms have cloud-like beds and wide windows with expansive views.

The backstory 
An all-glass, 250-room hotel now cuts into the sky in NoMad, making it one of the most recent additions to the Manhattan neighborhood, opening in July. As part of Marriott’s luxury category, the Ritz-Carlton has a long-standing reputation for its comfortable hotels around the globe, with a focus on service. And while the hotel is certainly comfortable and the service is some of the best I’ve experienced (almost everyone would greet me and my dog by name—from the doorman to the housekeeper), this NoMad location is offering a fresh perspective to the classic brand.

The rooms 
Make sure to request a downtown-facing room on floors 25+ for views that compete with the Empire State Building, but instead of fighting tourists for a photo, you can enjoy it from a king-size bed. A subtle gold-hued color palette is employed in the design of the rooms, with contrasts like a bold chain-link chandelier above the bed and floor-to-ceiling, black-and-white terrazzo tiled bathrooms. Each room has a stand-alone soaking tub and steam shower. Rates from $825 per night.

Food and drink 
Adjacent to the lobby is Zaytinya, a Mediterranean restaurant by José Andrés. Don’t miss the chilled Ouzo shot with a pickled turnip juice chaser and the whole roasted branzino, so fresh it transported me back to sailing along the Turkish coast when our captain would grill the fish he caught an hour earlier over charcoal. The second floor houses José Andrés' Bazaar, a unique dining experience inspired by the 17th-century samurai Hasekura Tsunenaga's voyage. Spanish and Japanese palettes infuse the menu. Head to the atmospheric Bazaar bar in the lobby for a perfectly shaken Monkey 47 martini, or better yet, upstairs to the rooftop cocktail bar, also by José Andrés, Nubeluz. The bar boasts almost 360 sky-high views of Manhattan in a moody space filled with red velvet booths and gold accents.

The spa 
In the subterranean 6,800 square-foot space, therapists give deep-scrub facials in black Italian-marble treatment rooms. The spa offers everything from steam rooms to custom Augustinus Bader facials.

The neighborhood/area 
NoMad has transformed in the past few years, now competing with the Lower East Side and the West Village for the coolest on the island—and the area feels like a perfect combo of the two. Shops like Maison Ten and Thrifty HoG add to its shopping cred, while some of the city’s most anticipated dining establishments are moving in, like chef Markus Glocker's Koloman, which opened in September. But it’s the hotels that really took the neighborhood to the next level. First Ace moved in making it cool, Nomad (which is now The Ned) soon after pushed it to the next level, and now, Ritz-Carlton has come in and adapted its traditional approach to service to cater to this new demographic, solidifying it as a destination all its own.

The service 
They have taken off the white gloves, so to speak, but they haven’t actually removed them. Like mentioned previously, the staff felt incredibly in touch with the guests of the 50-story hotel, creating a personalized experience that is a feat for the size of the hotel. While still donned in a uniform you’d expect from a Ritz-Carlton, and striving to provide an extremely high hospitality standard, the staff were all extremely generous with their time, smiles, and advice.

Accessibility 
The hotel offers accessible rooms, each with a 32-inch-wide entrance. Anyone in a wheelchair can access everywhere in the hotel from the restaurant to the spa to the lounges.

Anything left to mention? 
If you can get club-level access, do it. The food and views provide a perfect pre (or post) dinner cocktail hour. But it's the outstanding design, spacious rooms, and outstanding views that will make you choose the The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad as your Manhattan home base time and again.