Manhattan has no shortage of five-star hotels in which to hole up and escape the frenetic din of the city that never sleeps. Still, the latest opening from luxury hotel group Aman promises to offer a true urban retreat, joining the upper echelons of New York City’s hospitality scene.

Welcoming its first guests on 2 August 2022, the Aman New York represents a new chapter for both the hospitality group and Manhattan’s landmark Crown Building. Designed in partnership with esteemed architect Jean-Michel Gathy of Denniston (the creative mind behind the Four Seasons Bangkok and Cheval Blanc Randelhi), the opening of Aman New York marks the hospitality group’s third state-side location and its second city retreat.

“Following the success of the multi-award-winning Aman Tokyo, our strategy to bring the coveted Aman lifestyle to urban destinations continues apace,” says Vlad Doronin, Chairman and CEO of Aman. “The hotel introduces an entirely new concept to the city through expansive and unmatched amenities… delivering a guest experience like no other.”

Set on the corner of 57th Street and Fifth Avenue, overlooking Central Park, the opening of Aman’s latest urban sanctuary is the culmination of a large-scale transformation for New York’s Crown Building. Finished in 1921 as the original home of the Museum of Modern Art, and once owned by Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, the Beaux-Arts building was designed by architectural behemoths Warren & Wetmore – the influential designers behind Grand Central Station and the Helmsley Building. Over the past few years, it has undergone extensive renovations by Gathy to create a range of guest and public spaces imbued with the peace and serenity Aman’s hotels have become known for, while also returning the building to its original grandeur without tarnishing the historical integrity of the landmark.

The result is 83 guest suites and 22 private residences (including the Jala Penthouse, which sold to an anonymous buyer earlier this year for an impressive $74.34 million) many of which are among New York’s largest suites. Each spacious guest suite features a functioning fireplace – a first for the city – as well as opulent bathrooms complete with marble rain showers, double vanities and sizeable free-standing bathtubs.

Interiors, meanwhile, take their cues from the flowing architecture of Aman’s Southeast Asian properties, with large windows overlooking Manhattan’s famous skyline complemented by muted tones, and natural materials. Elsewhere, the use of bespoke double-pivot doors to create central partitions allows guests to transform their suite, switching between airy open-plan layouts and more secluded, intimate spaces. Each suite also boasts a large-scale mural by contemporary Japanese artist Ryoko Adachi. Printed on delicate rice paper and inspired by Hasegawa Tōhaku’s acclaimed 15th-century masterpiece Pine Trees, each mural acts as a focal point for these artfully adorned living spaces.

Spanning floors 7-25 of the Crown Building, guests are welcomed into the Aman New York via a grand double-height atrium on the 14th floor. Acting as a central point for an array of communal spaces, a highlight of this area is a wraparound Garden Terrace featuring firepits, reflective pools and a retractable glass roof that allows for year-round use. Alongside an extensive wine library, dining options include lively Italian eatery Arva, and Nama, Aman’s take on gourmet washoku dining – complete with a Japanese Hinoki wood counter for omakase-style fine dining. The hotel also offers a Jazz Club, which will host live musical performances and act as a high-end new destination for Manhattan’s famed nightlife scene.

Elsewhere, the hotel is home to a flagship Aman Spa. Sprawling across three storeys, the 2,300-metre square spa – centred around a 20-metre indoor swimming pool bordered by daybeds and firepits – offers an extensive range of wellness treatments and facilities. For those looking for an exceptional experience, two Spa Houses, available for private use, encompass double treatment rooms, Banya and Hammam rooms as well as private outdoor terraces with hot and cold plunge pools, daybeds and fireplaces, recreating the feel of Aman’s most remote retreats.

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