The Crosby Street Hotel is located in Soho, one of New York City’s most vibrant downtown neighborhoods, known for its artists’ lofts, designer boutiques, and many of the city’s best restaurants, such as Balthazar and Fanelli Cafe. The Crosby Street Hotel is within walking distance of all of these destinations, yet tucked one street over from the main thoroughfare of Broadway, contributing to that same signature mix of vibrancy and peace. The theme continues inside the restaurant, where on the ground floor a public restaurant is accompanied by a private library bar, which is reserved only for hotel guests. The bar is quiet compared to the restaurant’s bustle, which made it the ideal place to read in the mornings, take a brief work meeting, and enjoy a drink from the honor bar at night with a friend — all watched over by oil paintings of dogs hanging on the charming striped wallpapered walls. This whimsical yet sophisticated design is a hallmark of the Crosby, and indeed all Firmdale Hotels. The design was done by English interior designer Kit Kemp, who is also a co-owner, and feels like being in a very elegant yet unstuffy British townhouse. Color is used more than in many luxury hotels, and yet the effect of the blocked prints and color is sophisticated and calm, rather than distracting.

My room was a knockout. Replete with a decorative fireplace, velvet sofa, linen dressmaker’s form, and fresh flowers delivered on every room service tray, life inside my room at the Crosby was so nice that I found myself cancelling excursions with friends and inviting them up to my suite instead. Up on the 14th floor, my room pulled off an exceedingly rare trick in New York City: which was to give me an awe-inspiring vista of the city’s skyline without any of its attendant noise. Indeed, elegant floor to ceiling windows panned out high over the streets of Soho, but not so much as a taxi horn could be heard. Again, this twin sense of beauty and calm was defining my stay at the Crosby. The room also had exceptional amenities, with a deep soaking tub, an extremely soft mattress and bedding, and elegantly appointed desks and tables for catching up on emails and work in between meetings and events.

The food and beverage program is also excellent. In addition to eating at the wonderful the ground floor restaurant, I opted for room service for both dinner and breakfast, and was treated to an expertly done cheeseburger for the former and a bracingly good green juice and omelet for the latter. Again, the balance between pleasure and peace was perfectly calibrated. But perhaps the most exceptional element of my stay at the Crosby Street Hotel was the service. Every person I spoke with, whether behind the front desk, helping me with my bags, hailing a taxi, or simply saying good morning, exuded sincere kindness and thoughtfulness, along with a desire to make my stay both memorable and seamless. It was raining when I had to check out and leave for the airport, and a doorman walked me to my cab with an umbrella over me and my bags. “We’ll see you soon,” he said, before gently closing the door behind me – and it took me a minute to realize this hadn’t been phrased as a question. To stay at the Crosby Street Hotel is to already need a return: all the better to truly appreciate the incredible city around it.