Elle UK - 09.2019

Words: Susan Ward Davies, Kenya Hunt, Tom Meredith. Photography: Nikolas Koenig, Annie Schlechter.

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ELLEExplore

IN THE CITY

Industrial details

meet elegant design at

The Ludlow Hotel

The Whitby Hotel

The Ludlow Hotel

The Whitby Hotel

The Whitby Hotel

The Ludlow Hotel

Best for... people- watching

If a hotel has Maison Margiela trompe-

l’oeil bath mats, you know it’s going to be

special – and this former factory-turned-

boutique-hotel is exactly that. The Ludlow

Hotel may have been open for five years

now, but its industrial-chic look is still a

hit with high-ranking editors, stylists and

celebrities, who love the arty use of

wood and brick, the original casement

windows and the limestone fireplace in

the laid-back lobby lounge (definitely our

favourite spot). The 175 loft-style rooms

come with four-poster beds and sheepskin

throws over the chairs. Have a negroni

(or three) in the candlelit courtyard before

taking your seats under Julian Schnabel’s

impressive French flag painting in bistro

restaurant Dirty French. Here, chefs Rich

Torrisi and Mario Carbone keep a

fashionable crowd happy with their take

on French classics, such as brook trout

with sesame and apricot, or duck à

l’orange with ras al hanout. Doubles

from £199, room only (ludlowhotel.com)

Best for... culture vultures

Never one for minimalism, Firmdale

Hotels founder/designer Kit Kemp’s

second Manhattan outpost is a riot of

colour and texture, and is always heaving

with the fashion pack. The 87 spacious

bedrooms are spread over 16 floors,

some with freestanding baths and

terraces. As with all Firmdales, the hotel is

a showcase for art: sculptures by Stephen

Cox, a loom by Hermione Skye hanging

from the ceiling, plus wallpaper designed

by Kit Kemp herself. If you open the violin

case in the Drawing Room, you’ll hear the

sound of seagulls from the town of Whitby,

Yorkshire, for which the hotel is named.

The culture fix doesn’t end there: you can

borrow books from the hotel’s library,

watch a film in the screening room, or just

head to the bar for some fashion-folk-

watching. Doubles from around £695,

room only ( firmdalehotels.com).

Getting there... Virgin Atlantic

has return flights from London Heathrow

to New York JFK Airport. Prices from

around £39O (virginatlantic.com)