Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin A one-bedroom suite The Benjamin was always something of a sleeper hit among Manhattan luxury hotels. It stayed under the radar. It never had the swagger of Ian Schrager’s 1990s boutique hotels, nor the pedigreed signatures of today’s heavyweight-branded hotels.
But it had something harder to pin down: discretion, timelessness, a focus on comfort without the big splash. And now, just a couple of years before its centennial, it has a new look that’s bringing it firmly into the 21st century. It also has a new brand affiliation—and a mouthful of a name, the Benjamin Royal Sonesta New York —as part of the Sonesta group of more than 1,000 hotels across North America.
But even with the new flag, it has its own classic identity: something like a residential-style members club that’s steeped in history. After the $25 million renovation, the hotel is graced with a new lobby—a small, discreet space to receive guests with a reception desk that’s detailed like a cigar box—and a new look for the 209 guest rooms and suites. (Phase 2, including a new restaurant, is expected by the spring.
) As before, those rooms are residential in style and well above the city’s average in size, starting at around 300 square feet, mixing old-school elegance with contemporary details. Or, as general manager Simon Chapman describes it, “timeless pied-à-terre allure.” A suite's terrace To understand the current-day hotel and its ren.