This Iconic Manhattan Hotel Reopened With a New York–Themed Cocktail Menu—and an $80,000 Suite

The Afar take

Housed in an iconic I.M. Pei building in Midtown, the Four Seasons Hotel New York has long been a benchmark for luxury hospitality in the city.

After closing to visitors in March 2020 during the COVID pandemic, the hotel offered medical workers free accommodation for a time before closing fully for a revamp. Initially slated for 2023, the hotel reopened on November 15, 2024, with refreshed dining options, updated interiors, and better technology. The hotel, owned by businessman Ty Warner, spent millions on new lighting and AC, and more than $8 million on elevator upgrades.

Checking in for a staycation from my apartment in Harlem, I was immediately taken by the beauty of the iconic building that houses the hotel: Designed in 1988 by Chinese American architect Pei, who also designed the Louvre Pyramid, the 52-story art deco building features marble floors and a 33-foot ceiling. The hotel’s Les Clefs d’Or (Golden Keys) concierge team greeted me with smiles and a welcome at the top of the steps, and I wound my way around a corner to the reception desk. A live pianist played in the background, and within four minutes, I was checked in.

Around me, the lobby hummed with activity—elegant but not stuffy. “When you combine the incredible design and aesthetics of this building along with the service, that’s where it comes together,” hotel manager Yogesh Juneja told me.

Who’s it for?

Hotel visitors who love a classic without too much fuss, fanfare, or surprise, as well as Four Seasons loyalists who return to the brand for its dedication to service.

The location

Located on Billionaire’s Row—a collection of ultra luxury skyscrapers—the hotel is between Madison and Park avenues on East 57th Street. This makes it a mere five minutes on foot to the beginning of Central Park at 59th Street, 10 minutes to Rockefeller Plaza, and virtually around the corner from Fifth Avenue shopping. The Museum of Modern Art is also 10 minutes by foot.

Courtesy of Four Seasons

The rooms

The Four Seasons New York has 219 accommodations, including 138 junior suites, 59 standard suites, and 5 signature suites. Rooms range in size from 500 square feet to 4,300 square feet for the largest suites—some of the largest rooms and suites in the city—and have either skyline or Central Park views. At the top of the offerings is the 4,300-square-foot Ty Warner penthouse suite on the 52nd floor. The result of a seven-year collaboration between Warner, Pei, and architect Peter Marino, it features—among other things—four glass balconies, a private elevator, 360-degree city views, a master bathroom in onyx, hand-lacquered walls with mother of pearl inlay, and a canopy bed made of Thai silk (the cost: $80,000 a night).

My 700-square-foot Central Park suite had a king bed, Tai Ping wool carpets, an oak desk, and plush armchairs; the city-inspired reading options are hand-selected by management, Juneja said, and speak to New York’s rich literary history. (On my bedside: a biography of J.D. Salinger, born in Manhattan.) While the decor and fixtures have been given a facelift, regulars will appreciate that the light-touch design and views remain the same.

One of the best features of the Four Seasons is its feeling of light and openness; its color scheme is predominantly tan, cream, and white, and views out the large windows—in both the bedroom and living area of my suite—were accessible with the touch of a button. This meant that without leaving bed, I could see views of Central Park and the Hudson River.

My bathroom, in brown and white Breccia Oniciata marble, had both a walk-in shower and deep soaking tub, plus toiletries from Spanish skincare brand Natura Bissé. As an avid bather, this was perhaps my favorite feature: A number of hotel staff told me the bathtub would fill up in 60 seconds and that they often had to warn guests not to turn on the tap and leave it, because it would overflow quickly. I tested their time, and true to their word, within one minute, it was ready.

Photo by Alex Staniloff

The food and drink

With the reopening of the Four Seasons comes two refreshed food and beverage concepts: the Garden Restaurant and TY Bar, both curated by executive chef Maria Tampakis, who previously worked at Jean-Georges in New York City and London’s Heddon Street Kitchen as executive chef under Gordon Ramsay.

Open for breakfast and lunch, the Garden Restaurant offers Northern Italian–inspired dishes with locally sourced ingredients, including lemon ricotta pancakes with pistachios and butter from upstate dairy farm Ronnybrook. On the morning I visited, I opted for a “Madison Avenue” (selection of pastries and freshly squeezed juice) and a bowl of pudding-like polenta scattered with crispy foraged mushrooms and cradling two perfectly poached eggs, with amber yolks the color of pooling sunrise when I cut into them. Shaved aged Parmesan and Valencia orange gremolata topped the whole thing off. The pastries, meanwhile, were so perilously flaky that I was still brushing crumbs off my sweater hours later (a risk worth taking).

No matter what you order, it’s hard to beat the ambience of the restaurant, which has views of both the bustle on 57th Street and the hotel’s grand lobby. Deceptively real potted acacia trees and plush green velvet seating give the whole space a feel of a garden oasis. The restaurant is expected to begin dinner service in mid-2025.

Across that very grand lobby is TY Bar, which has a decidedly different look and feel from its culinary counterpart. Done up in scarlet and black, TY Bar at once feels opulent and intimate. Some of the hottest pieces of real estate in the bar are seats at the table filled with dried roses from Japan and the couches in front of the fireplace, but on my visit, I opted to sit at the bar itself to better watch the bartenders shake and mix cocktails. Drinks are designed as a journey through New York City’s last century—think swank supper clubs of the 1940s and the excess of the 1980s. Channeling my inner Carrie, I opted for a 5th Avenue Cosmo, which arrived perfectly chilled and set apart by housemade limoncello and orange flower water. Light bites like deviled eggs topped with caviar and sesame-crusted gougères are available, as is heavier fare like beef Wellington and lobster Thermidor.

Staff and service

Juneja, who has worked for the Four Seasons company for 18 years across four different continents, told me that the Four Seasons New York has a return visitor rate of 60 percent—which is “unheard of” in the business, he says, pointing out that the company’s usual benchmark is 30–35 percent repeat customer at any property. He told me that staff are often cited as a key reason, and it’s easy to see why: The service was attentive but not overbearing and, most importantly, intuitive. When my bowls of papadums and olives were nearly empty at the bar, Olga—who has worked at the Four Seasons for 30 years—delivered a new set. When I was finishing my iced coffee at breakfast and asked for the bill, my waiter asked if perhaps I’d like to have a fresh one to bring to my room.

Accessibility

The hotel’s common areas are fully accessible, and there are wheelchair elevators to the lobby and restaurants. The business center, gym, and meeting and ballroom areas are also accessible, as are several guest rooms—including a two-bedroom Central Park suite on the 31st floor. All accessible guest rooms feature a 34-inch doorframe, lowered peepholes, flashing light for an alarm, marble bathroom with roll-in shower, and toilet grab bars.

Some of the carpeted areas in the hotel might be more difficult for those with mobility issues, but the staff was always eager and willing to accommodate.

Spa and wellness

The Four Seasons has a gym on its bottom floor, and it is amply stocked with exercise balls, weight machines, and treadmills; a personal trainer is also available upon request.

A spa will open in 2025 on the same level.