The NoMad Hotel | ザ・ノマド・ホテル

Source: Tablet Hotels

That stray capital M is a nod to the neighborhood; fairly recently a no-man’s-land, the district North of Madison Park is a Manhattan renewal success story in the making, and with the arrival of the NoMad Hotel it’s moving up a notch or two on the luxury scale. There’s a pronounced European accent to what’s got to be the most Haussmannian building on Broadway — and of course the architectural ministrations of the Parisian designer Jacques Garcia only intensify the effect.

Even the smallest rooms are a touch larger than you might expect from a New York–Paris hybrid, and the bigger rooms find space for freestanding claw-foot tubs. The richness of the materials — from leather chairs to reclaimed hardwood floors — makes them feel authentically cozy, and the eclectic design sense (and the thoughtfully quirky artwork) lends a residential aspect, especially in the suites, which present a sort of artistic/aristocratic fantasy that’s unique in New York hotels.

What pushes the NoMad from stylish pied à terre to grand-boutique status, however, is the restaurant — not a single space, but a single menu spanning a variety of rooms, including a cavernous atrium, a private fireplace alcove, and even a handsome two-story library, a little heaven on earth for the epicurean bibliophile. Just don’t expect to have the place all to yourself: your hosts for the evening are Daniel Humm and Will Guidara, famous for the nearby Eleven Madison Park — they’ve got a built-in following and a reputation to maintain, so you might as well pull up a chair and sample the buzz for yourself.