I just spent a night at the 83-suite Aman New York, which opened in 2022, and is located in the iconic Crown Building, on 57th and 5th. This is probably the hotel in the United States that I’ve been most curious about, as it’s certainly one of the most talked about, and also probably the most expensive and well regarded city hotel in the country.
So, is it everything it’s cracked up to be? Yes and no. On the plus side, it’s a physically stunning, intimate property, with massive rooms that have some nice inclusions, an unbelievable wellness area, impressive guest and member-only dining venues, and friendly and well-intentioned service. That being said, the hotel is priced in a completely different league than any other hotel in the city, so this is definitely primarily for those guests where money is no object (and I imagine that’s almost part of the goal).
For what it’s worth, current rates for entry level rooms at Aman New York are $2,400-3,200 per night, including taxes & fees. However, rates include things like the minibar, breakfast, a house car, and more, so at least there are more inclusions than usual.
While I’ll have a full review soon, in this post I’d like to share some initial thoughts. Let me start with an important disclosure — Ford was in New York for a travel advisor event with Aman, and was staying as a guest of the hotel. I tagged along since I couldn’t help but check out this hotel. All opinions expressed are my own.
In this post:
Aman New York has gorgeous design, big rooms
The interiors of Aman New York are stunning, plain and simple. Based on the exterior of the Crown Building, you’d never expect the interiors to look the way they do. The property was designed by Jean-Michel Gathy, who is also behind many other Aman properties, so the design sort of brings an updated Aman aesthetic to a New York city hotel.
While the 14th floor lobby feels rather dark (which makes sense, as it makes the most of the lack of natural light in this part of the building), the rooms have a much brighter and cheerier aesthetic.
One of the primary selling points of the Aman New York is that it’s an all-suite property, with rooms starting at 718 square feet (67 square meters). Our room (which I believe was an entry level accommodation, or otherwise very close) had a very long entryway, with the massive bathroom to the right, a huge amount of closet space to the left, and the rest of the room straight ahead.
How beautiful is this bedroom area? Talk about a hotel where it feels like no expense was spared in terms of design, from the wall finishes, to the fireplace.
The bathroom was probably as big as the main part of the room, with double sinks, a soaking tub, a huge walk-in shower, and a toilet with a bidet.
While Aman New York rates are high, you’ve gotta give the hotel credit for offering a full free minibar, with everything from bottled cocktails, to wine, including champagne.
The room product here gets 10/10, as far as I’m concerned!
Aman New York has an incredible wellness area
Aman New York has a 25,000-square-foot (2,300-square-meter) wellness area, spread across three floors, so it doesn’t get much more impressive than this.
One important thing to mention is that those living in the residences, as well as Aman Club members (which I believe has a $200K initiation fee) also get access to these facilities. So while they remain quiet, they’re not quite as empty as you’d expect based on the room count.
For one, the wellness area has a 65-foot (20-meter) indoor pool… how pretty is that?!
The hotel’s gym is expansive, with a huge amount of cardio and weight equipment from Technogym.
And then of course there’s a full-service spa with a bunch of treatment rooms, a sauna and steam room, etc.
Aman New York has a nice selection of dining outlets
One unique aspect of the Aman New York is that all food & beverage outlets aren’t open to the public. Instead, they’re exclusively open to hotel guests, residents, and Aman Club members… and they’re actually pretty great!
The social hub of the hotel is the Lounge Bar, which is open all day. Talk about a beautiful space!
Then there’s Arva, the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant, open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (aside from breakfast, it’s an Italian restaurant). Again, it’s a well designed space, with both indoor and outdoor seating (and it’s even pleasant out there in the dead of winter when it’s below freezing out there, surprisingly).
There’s also Nama (Aman spelled backwards), the sushi restaurant, open for lunch and dinner.
The hotel also has a jazz club, which I didn’t have the chance to check out.
I found the food to be excellent across the board, and the pricing was surprisingly reasonable, especially compared to the Waldorf Astoria New York. I’ll have a lot more details about the dining in the full review.
Service at Aman New York is good, but…
What I was most curious about with the Aman New York experience is what service would be like. The Aman brand has evolved massively since founder Adrian Zecha sold the brand. The brand has gone from one focused on off-the-beaten path destinations, to one that’s increasingly opening properties in traditional “hotspots,” from New York, to Bangkok, to Los Cabos.
Historically, what has most set Aman apart has been service. If you’ve stayed at Aman resorts in Asia, you know exactly what I’m talking about — you’re never asked for your room number, staff know everything about you (in a non-creepy way), and the service is anticipatory on a completely different level. It’s the service that has ultimately made people Amanjunkies.
The United States isn’t exactly a market known for incredible hotel service, and New York City in particular doesn’t have a reputation for amazing service. So, how was service at the Aman?
To be honest, I thought it was very friendly and well intentioned. However, I can’t say that I found it to be that differentiated compared to other luxury properties in the city. Truly, everyone was friendly, but there was nothing “wow” about the service, and there were even a couple of misses.
For example, we tried to order ice to our room. After about 25 minutes, it hadn’t been delivered, so we called again, figuring they had forgotten it, as that can happen. They were apologetic and said they’d expedite it. The ice then arrived 30 minutes later, 55 minutes after the initial order. And the person delivering it wasn’t even apologetic, and clearly didn’t realize there was even a delay. Given the rates the hotel is charging, you’d expect a bit better.
It’s possible that was an isolated incident, because otherwise we found service to be friendly and professional, but again, I don’t think it had the traditional Aman touch. That’s sort of what I was expecting, because I didn’t think Aman levels of service could be executed in New York.
Bottom line
Aman New York is probably regarded as the best (and certainly most expensive) city hotel in the United States. It is indeed a remarkable property, particularly in terms of design, average room size, amenities, and dining.
When I stay at a new hotel, I of course come in with expectations (either good or bad), and I’d say Aman New York is a property where the experience basically matched my expectations.
As I view it, this is a very, very good city hotel, and while it’s expensive, the idea is that the room size, amenities, and inclusions, make it worth considering. That being said, if you’re looking for a traditional Aman resort experience, you probably isn’t what you’re looking for (not that you’d expect to find an Aman resort experience in Midtown Manhattan!).
If you’re looking for the best hotel in New York regardless of price, or if you’re curious what the hotel is like and can swing it, by all means give it a try.
As I’ve often explained, if you’re someone who likes to splurge on ultra-luxury properties, it can be hard to justify expensive city hotels, since most people don’t actually spend that much time on property when visiting a place like New York. So if you were to splurge on just one Aman, I’d definitely consider one of the brand’s Asia properties over this one, purely in terms of getting the true experience that Aman is known for.
But I also recognize the target audience for this hotel is those who just want the best and don’t care whether they’re spending $1,000 or $3,000 per night, and there are plenty of people like that visiting New York.
What’s your take on Aman New York?
How would you compare this property/ stay to the Palace Hotels in Paris?
Ben, 1990, etc, etc.
One the subject of NY hotels, would anyone care to share their experience of The Peninsula, please?
Looks beautiful, and I would love to try it one day. Did you notice the sound insulation in the room Ben? That's been one of the high points Ive read.
Japanese style seems cliche at this point.
Ben, IMHO you really shouldn't be reviewing a comped hotel stay, even if it was comped to your husband and not you. Just hard to trust. Usually you are so good about this kind of thing!
Not sure if I agree. The review clearly says it’s comped. I enjoyed reading the post and enjoyed looking at the pictures.
What I still don’t understand is why airlines and hotels seemingly don’t add some VVIP status to Ben’s reservations so he would receive the best possible service. It’s not like Ben is traveling under Fake Names to disclose his identity.
Not sure if I agree. The review clearly says it’s comped. I enjoyed reading the post and enjoyed looking at the pictures.
What I still don’t understand is why airlines and hotels seemingly don’t add some VVIP status to Ben’s reservations so he would receive the best possible service. It’s not like Ben is traveling under Fake Names to disclose his identity.
While this is a fair comment, he was quite transparent about it, and provided what seemed to me to be a very balanced review. I've been curious about Aman, and I'm glad he reported so that I can now feel good about not staying there!
I disagree. He can still tell us about his experience, show us the hotel, and write a good review even if he didn't pay for it. I feel like out of anyone Ben would be a good person to do that in an unbiased way (as much as that can be done).
The rooms are spectacular (so quiet, beautiful fireplace, supersized bed); feels like Tokyo/Kyoto in there. Only downside (new hotel, so low water pressure; shower is like a mist). For food, Nama is excellent. I really enjoyed the Jazz Club when we stayed there; it's far more intimate than the Carlyle (though, they get bigger names). Spa was just alright; pool was cool though. Glad you tried it, Ben! (And, thank you, as always, for visiting the best city on Earth!)
Please send me a check.
"That being said, the hotel is priced in a completely different league than any other hotel in the city, . . . " I would disagree. The price and size of suites at other properties in the mid to upper East side are roughly the same.
Welp, maybe it's been a while for you, because you're wrong, Fred. Most five-star hotels are $1,000-1,500/night starting; think Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula, Carlyle, Baccarat, etc. Aman NY is priced well-above all-else (like $2,500+/night). By the way, I live here, and I've never heard anyone refer to it as "mid" East Side before; we either say "Midtown" or "Upper East Side"...
This hotels base room is a 700 square foot suite. Your comparing with hotels where base rooms are not suites at $1500
NYC service can be exceptional. I would expect flawless execution at $3,000/night. Sad the hotel fell short.
Imagine paying $2000 for a room, and the hotel can't even deliver ice in less than an hour. Would be unacceptable at 10% of the price. Insane. No service recovery?
My go to luxe hotel in my ex home town of NYC is still the 4 Seasons. Fortunately, I rarely have to stay in hotels when I return for visits.
Which one? Midtown FS reopened; I prefer Downtown, personally.
the value proposition isn't in the room size, or the service, or the square footage. it's in the exclusivity itself. people who choose this property and have no issue with it aren't people who are "splurging," it's people who can book this without batting an eye. for us mere mortals who assess whether it lives up to its "value"...well, it most definitely won't, because we aren't the target clientele.