Downtown Digs

Conrad, the sophisticated Hilton offshoot, is an all-suite luxury hotel residing in a 16-story glass tower. Located in a relatively quiet section of lower Manhattan, close to Wall Street and the Hudson River recreation path, the property is owned by Goldman Sachs and happens to be across the street from their offices. The hotel features a rooftop bar, fine dining and a ballroom where the award ceremony for the Tribeca Film Festival was held. A 14-month makeover costing $75 million has turned the former Embassy Suites hotel into a spectacular 21st-century space in Battery Park City, embracing the growing  neighborhood- not just a work turf anymore- surrounded by three Danny Meyer restaurants including Shake Shack.

NY-based and internationally acclaimed architects Kohn Pedersen Fox gutted the hotel’s interior and worked with Herve Descotte’s L’Observatoire International to create ever changing lighting throughout the atrium and hotel, spreading light in seven colors which makes the hotel come alive in the dark. Imported from India, green marble lines a grand staircase that lures visitors and guests to the hotel’s stunning entrance. Inside the lobby, a Sol Lewitt Loopy Doopy mural and hanging sculpture by Monica Ponce De Leon titled Veils wows, while a collection of contemporary art showcasing works by Julian Schnabel, Ross Bleckner and Ellsworth Kelly- curated with the help from New York’s Public Art Fund- is as impressive as museums in some small cities. Toronto-based interior designer Jill Greaves laid out the tasteful rooms with ample space and amenities to spare. The Loopy Doopy Rooftop Bar is now a regular stop for locals to get looped after work or on those warm summer nights. When New York eventually thaws out, of course.  www.conradnewyork.com