There’s a lot that’s unprecedented about Aman New York.
The new incarnation of the 100-year-old Crown Building at 57th and Fifth is the most hotly anticipated hotel opening the city has experienced in the past decade.
Aman is a brand whose expansive resorts command more than US$2,000 per night in any destination. So great is the faith in Aman’s ability to raise New York’s already high standards of luxury that locals ponied up US$100,000 initiation fees to become founding members of its world-first Aman Club during a pre-opening period.
The sign-up cost has since doubled and doesn’t include the US$15,000 annual dues.
Then there are the nightly rates. If it seemed the new Ritz-Carlton NoMad, with its maximalist design and José Andrés restaurants, were pushing a limit by charging US$1,400 per night for an entry-level room, Aman is blowing past.
The hotel’s humblest rooms aren’t even sold on their own. At Aman New York, the 340-square-foot studios can be booked only as an adjoining option for US$20,000 per night corner suites, to make them bigger.
Although the hotel says officially that prices for those rooms start at US$3,200 per night, they’re currently going for US$4,200 per night for most weeknights and up to US$5,500 per night on weekends through the end of 2022.
That’s not because of their size. A similarly proportioned suite at the recently-renovated Carlyle commands less than half the price on the same dates. This is a product of Aman’s cachet and devoted following.
The brand appeals to those who value its take on discreet luxury. It tends to fill architecturally important buildings such as summer palaces in Beijing and monumental Venetian palazzos and make them feel like ultra-private residences for the few guests who can call them temporary homes.
