5 of New York’s Best Literary Hotels
Written by Niamh Martin
These five New York hotels each have their own story to tell.
“You really ought to read more books – you know, those things that look like blocks but come apart on one side”. Perhaps F. Scott Fitzgerald was aiming for a motivational tone – literature was his livelihood, after all.
He was also a seminal figure in the literature movement that began in 1920’s New York and, over the following decades, took root in hotels across the city. What a “novel” – ha! – idea then to take a tour of five literary hotels in New York, with a favourite book in hand, and view the city from a different perspective.
Table of Contents
The Algonquin Hotel (59 West 44th Street)
The Algonquin is perhaps New York’s most prestigious literary hotel. Its association with the infamous Round Table of the 1920’s has provided it with more connections to literature and the arts than perhaps any other hotel in the city. Outside the hotel, the plaque reads “Here, such acid-tongued wits as Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley and Alexander Woollcott traded barbs and bon mots daily over lunch”. Other literary luminaries such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner and George Kaufmann also found their way to the Algonquin Round Table in the Rose Room (today the Round Table restaurant).
It is impossible to overstate the significance of the daily Round Table lunches. Its participants, often referred to as the “Vicious Circle”, were the most celebrated literary group in American Literature, akin to the influence the Bloomsbury group exerted in London in the early 20th century. The hotel is now the unofficial hangout for fans of Parker and The New Yorker magazine, founded here during the daily liquid lunches. Even now, a copy of the magazine is still left in every guest room.
Today, the Algonquin is a vision of its former art-deco glory. Despite a recent refurbishment, it has retained a sense of its faded glamour, moody atmosphere and quirky sense of style. While the bedrooms are small, all come with writing desks and comfortable queen-sized beds. If you need more space, try the John Barrymore suite with its sunken living room and oversized, luxurious bathroom. However, with Times Square, Fifth Avenue and Broadway on your doorstep, you may not intend to spend too much time indoors. Before you leave though, visit the Round Table restaurant and give the world-class Martini’s a go. This low-lit, atmospheric eatery will serve you a modern take on classic American food, all under the caustic gaze of Parker, Woollcott and friends as they stare down from the many portraits dotted around.
As one of New York’s oldest hotels (1902), it may not be for those seeking ultimate luxury. It is however, a hotel for book lovers and history buffs, latterly recognised for its cultural legacy and designated a USA Literary Landmark in 1996.
Hotel Chelsea (West 23rd Street)
It is difficult to know where to begin with the story of Hotel Chelsea. At its entrance, a brass memorial reads like a Who’s Who of New York’s literary past, listing those who were in residence at one point; Jack Kerouac, Mark Twain, Simone de Beauvoir, Allen Ginsberg, Jean-Paul Sartre. The epic science-fiction novel, 2001: A Space Odyssey was written at the Chelsea by Arthur C. Clarke and, in 1888, Michael Dewey, the inventor of the Dewey Decimal Classification System (for libraries) lived here.
Sadly, the elegance of the original hotel has vanished. The original dining room where many literary luminaries dined in the early 20th century has been turned into a Spanish restaurant, El Quijote. This originally opened in 1930 and continues to serve Spanish cuisine, including staple dishes such as Red Sangria and Paella. The space is smaller, and it is open only for dinner, with many of the original elements being restored, including the original ceilings, flooring and historic bar. There’s also a lively cocktail bar, and a luxury spa is in development.
For guests, accommodation choices range from rooms to suites to apartments, for the longer-term resident. All are sumptuous and come with some ornate marble and antiqued brass furnishings, providing a nod to the hotel’s luxurious and 19th-century origins. It’s not difficult to get drawn back into the 21st century though, with a lively cocktail bar and Spanish restaurant serving all day. In due course, guests will also be able to enjoy a well-earned pampering session at the luxury spa, once it is completed.
The hotel still retains a distinct charm and, in the lobby, you’ll find photos and paintings of some of its more infamous residents, retaining a certain presence. Two writers of the hard-drinking variety loom large in the history of the Chelsea; Dylan Thomas and Brendan Behan – the former passing away after prolonged sessions in a nearby tavern and the latter taking up residence, having been asked to leave the Algonquin hotel after being accused of chasing the chambermaids. So, there may therefore be a good case made after all for the Hotel Chelsea making efforts to move on from its earlier reputation!
The Library Hotel (299 Madison Avenue)
The Library Hotel is a literary hotel of a very different kind. It is not, like others, renowned for its association with any literature greats or significant literary events. It is instead a hotel for bibliophiles. Could you think of anything more delectable for a book lover than to stay in a library-themed hotel?
Located fittingly on a small street section known as Library Way, named for its proximity to several of New York’s finest libraries, this hotel is a real treat for all types of book geeks and eggheads. In a digital world gone mad, I took a great degree of enjoyment from the use of the Dewey Decimal Classification to categorise each of the 10 different floor levels in the hotel. The hotel holds over 6,000 books (in the Dewey System of course!) for guests to browse through.
Each room on all 10 floors is designed around a genre found in the category of that floor. I stayed on the 8th floor, the Literature category. Here you’ll find genres relating to Fairy Tales, Mystery, Poetry and, my room, Classic Fiction. I spent a very lively evening rummaging through over 150 books in my room, trying to decide on my bedtime read. Perhaps I would have been better served by choosing the sixth floor, Technology, which offers less stimulating genres for me, like Manufacturing, Management and Computers!
The hotel tries to match guests with one of their top three preferred room themes. I don’t think however that guests will be disappointed with wherever they lay their head. All rooms are very well appointed and there are some lovely extra facilities available to all guests, including the Reading Room on the second floor, where you can choose from even more books while dipping into bottomless refreshments. For the ultimate bibliophile’s thrill, be sure to head to the rooftop bar for uninterrupted views of the New York Public Library standing majestically beside Bryant Park, while you sip on signature cocktails like the Great Gatsby or the Harper Lee.
The Library Hotel is a sumptuous mix of contemporary elegance and old-school charm and is a good choice for all types of travellers, especially if you enjoy the allure of a book in a setting that provides modern amenities and excellent service.
Hotel Elysee (East 54th street)
The Hotel Elysee is another New York hotel famous for being a playground for the rich and famous in the early 20th century. The fate of one particularly famous resident sealed the hotel’s reputation as a literary legend when, in 1983, Tennesse Williams died in the hotel’s Sunset Suite, where he had lived for the previous 15 years. His final play, “A House Not Meant to Stand” was written here in his final years, although not published until 2008.
The hotel also became the home of choice to many celebrities and literary stars from the golden ages of Broadway, movies and sports, including Harold Robbins, Marlon Brando and Joe Di Maggio.
The rooms themselves are evocative of a time past and the Hotel Elysee has maintained each room uniquely true to its European style and grandeur, perhaps a little too much for a New York hotel? On the second floor, a Club room offers respite in antique armchairs with a view onto 54th street and complimentary coffee, pastries and fresh fruit available all day. In the evening (5-8pm), the fare on offer changes to Prosecco and cheese.
By evening time however, I was more inclined to try the hotel’s legendary Monkey Bar, which opened during the Depression of the 1930s. It maintains a great romantic old-world quality, with its booths of plush fabric and fine linens. The infamous wraparound Monkey Bar mural by Ed Sorel includes writers with an association to the historic hotel and projects a whimsical jazz age style, providing the perfect backdrop for a memorable dining experience at the restaurant. My simple vegetarian palate was overjoyed with the intensity of the Truffle Tagliatelle, while my carnivore partner wept for his Gorgonzola aged Prime Rib, but that may just have been when he saw the price ($100).
Its literary connections may not be as current or as obvious as other hotels in the city, but like the Library Hotel, it is owned by the Library Hotel Collection. This provides some confidence that there is a commitment to maintain the literary associations with a bygone era. As a place to stay, it is conveniently located in between Madison Avenue and Park Avenue, close to Central Park, Broadway and some of the best shopping in NYC.
The Plaza (5th Avenue)
Unlike other hotels in this list, the Plaza Hotel’s association with literature is its use as a setting within some of the most iconic novels of the 20th century. Most famously perhaps, is its association with F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, specifically the famous quarrel when Tom confronts Gatsby about Daisy which took place in a suite at the hotel.
Another multi-million best seller, Eloise by Kay Thompson, was also set at the Plaza. Although this book holds a near reverent status in the USA, it is probably less well-known elsewhere. More commonly known on the global stage however is the author Truman Capote who, in 1966, threw what the New York Times dubbed “the best party ever” in the Grand Ballroom of the Plaza. More than 500 of his most famous, glamorous and literary friends were in attendance at this black and white ball, photos of which still adorn parts of the Plaza. Located on Fifth Avenue at Central Park, this chateau-styled hotel first opened in 1907 and remains as decadent as ever. Must-do activities include Afternoon Tea in The Palm Court, grazing in The Plaza Food Hall and indulging in a Red Vine Barrel Bath in the Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa. I have just an inkling that should Capote return to the Plaza today, he would be rather pleased that it has maintained its high-end quality standards.
