Despite being a favorite haunt of the likes of Humphrey Bogart and Babe Ruth, who frequented the bar here, the Gramercy has been known as a low-key spot since its opening in 1925. When hotelier Ian Schrager gave the place a major overhaul before reopening it in 2006, he managed to make improvements without turning it into yet another trendy boutique property. The lobby now boasts impressive smoked-wood beams, a 10-foot-high fireplace and Moroccan checker-tiled floor. Rooms are decorated in rich reds, royal blues and other jewel tones instead of de rigueur minimalist neutrals. Velvets, leathers and tapestries adorn Julian Schnabel-designed furniture, and shawls are strewn throughout the room in case you get a chill. The Rose Bar is lined with paintings by Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Schnabel himself. But the prettiest perk is something even lifelong New Yorkers never see: keys to the exclusive and elegantly landscaped Gramercy Park, an honor normally reserved for residents of the 39 buildings that surround the oldest private park in the country.

Gramercy Park Hotel Amenities:

• 184 rooms. Wireless Internet access. Restaurant, bar. Fitness center. Spa. Business center.