The Fifth Avenue Hotel: A Modern Icon With Gilded Age Flair

The Gilded Age is over—or is it?

Tucked away on a quiet corner in New York City’s NoMad neighborhood, only a few blocks east of Penn Station, The Fifth Avenue Hotel is single-handedly bringing back the decadence of the era, one handblown Murano glass chandelier (and personal butler) at a time.

From the moment you step through its automatic doors, you’re transported into a perfumed wonderland, complete with curio-filled glass cabinets, tasseled furniture and a more than 500-piece art collection. The hotel’s dedication to offering the best of, well, everything doesn’t stop there. This is the kind of place where you can expect to be greeted by name and pampered with extras like complimentary garment pressing. At the end of your stay, the building’s warm yellow glow will beckon you like a lighthouse, begging you to come back soon—and you’ll absolutely answer the call.

With past lives as an art gallery, the home of a 19th-century socialite and, in its earliest days, a bank, The Fifth Avenue Hotel’s design scheme honors the building’s roots while ceding ground to a more modern interpretation of Gilded Age luxury. A brand-new 24-floor glass tower with 110 guest rooms (plus 43 suites) breathes fresh life in a 19th-century brick-and-limestone mansion.

Walking through the hotel’s wallpapered halls feels like tiptoeing through your wealthy, well-traveled aunt’s sprawling estate. You won’t find guests clacking away on their laptops in common areas here. Instead, they’re perched on gem-colored couches while sipping cocktails at The Portrait Bar.

At your door, expect to find a butler with a warm hand towel and a seasonal welcome refreshment in hand (think: grapefruit, cinnamon and ginger with a blood-orange garnish). Should you want anything else during your stay, you can reach your butler from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. every day.

Even in one of the world’s top dining destinations, the hotel more than holds its own. The on-site restaurant, Café Carmellini, is led by well-known chef Andrew Carmellini and offers elevated French-Italian plates. At dinner, the flavors are bold, from the oysters à la pomme with green-apple sorbet to the Meyer lemon scallops—even the sticky toffee pudding is soaked for 24 hours and comes with a punch of rum so strong you may want to take a cab back to your room.

After hours at The Portrait Bar, visitors and guests nibble on bites of yuzu-cucumber tuna tartare and crispy oysters among a crowd of first dates, debriefs and business meetings. With its velvet chairs, roaring fireplace and book-lined walls, the bar feels like the personal library of a distinguished professor—albeit one whose shelves include titles such as Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” and Britney Spears’ memoir, “The Woman in Me.”

The cocktail lineup and the music selection are inspired by destinations around the world, including the Oaxaca (an unexpected blend of hibiscus, chocolate, lime sherbet and gin) and the Cebu Island (a clarified cocktail with rum, scotch, bay leaf and Midori).

For a hotel where themes of exploration and global travel permeate the halls, it’s the perfect way to toast your stay.

The Room

Attention to detail isn’t lavished only on the hotel’s shared spaces. All 153 guest rooms (110 rooms, 43 suites) are filled with touches of the hotel’s whimsical design and Candy Land-esque color palette. The rooms vary in configuration and size, from the cozy NoMad Twin to the large Terrace King.

The suite to beat them all, though, is The Mansion Suite, which has a dedicated sitting area (the couch transforms into a pullout bed), a glass chandelier dripping with jewel-toned pendants and a dramatic Palladian-window room divider that separates the sleeping and sitting areas. Though it’s neither the hotel’s biggest nor most expensive suite, it’ll check every possible box from your wishlist, and it’s super spacious—you can comfortably watch Netflix in the bedroom while your partner works remotely from the couch in the living room.

At the end of a busy day in New York City, this hotel is a great place to retreat. You can have a piping-hot bath in a bathroom where flowers are replaced every day. And with triple-paned glass windows, handcrafted DUXIANA beds and Italian cotton sheets, you’ll sleep so well here you might miss your morning alarm.

The Features

Take a peek into the two large “Cabinets of Curiosities” in the lobby, both filled with items from founder Alex Ohebshalom’s world travels.

Don’t miss: The lobby’s curiosity cabinets. The Fifth Avenue Hotel’s contemporary take on the centuries-old tradition includes a labeled assemblage of items from founder Alex Ohebshalom’s private collection, such as a postcard inscribed by the Truman Capote and a cheeky blown-glass sculpture of a Goldfish cracker in a bag.

Favorite features: The dramatic room partition in The Mansion Suite, a teal-blue riff on grand Palladian windows. It emphasizes the untraditional room layout, which places the seating area next to the window rather than the bedroom, and distinguishes the living and sleeping spaces without closing them off from each other.

Can’t stop thinking about: The bathroom, where the hotel cements its commitment to fulfilling every anticipated guest need. Fresh flowers are replaced daily, the marble alcove tub has a back pillow for lounging and there’s a Dyson blow-dryer beneath the sink.

The Lowdown

Catch up over globally inspired drinks in the cozy Portrait Bar.

What’s on the speakers? An eclectic blend of Brazilian funk, jazz and blues to match the international vibe at The Portrait Bar, and soothing neo-soul and R&B from Amy Winehouse and Erykah Badu on the dining room floor of Café Carmellini.

What are people drinking? The Kolkata. A mix of mango, coconut and rum, this is the drink to order if you want to be temporarily transported to a beach somewhere, sipping a rum punch.

Are guests staying in or going out? The Portrait Bar and Café Carmellini can go bite-for-bite with the city’s hottest spots, including nearby Eleven Madison Park, Gramercy Tavern and Koloman—meaning you’re in good hands no matter where you dine.

The book to read before you go: Pick up Erika Owen’s “The Art of Flaneuring” to ensure you’re taking enough time to slow down and observe the bustling city.

The souvenir you’re bringing home: The secret star of the hotel is its scent, a custom blend of sweet ambrette, earthy cedarwood and black currant. You can purchase the candle version at the front desk if you’re aching to create your own luxurious sanctuary back home.

Just like the rest of the hotel, the walls in The Portrait Bar are filled with art.

Fast Facts

• Number of rooms: 153
• Fitness center? Yes, plus partnerships with nearby gyms and studios.
• Spa? No
• Salon? No                                       
• Number of bars/restaurants: 2
• 24-hour room service? Yes               
• Childcare and kids club? No

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