The Upper Stories at Thompson Central Park are essentially the hotel’s club-level floors, which come with all-day access to a beautiful 2,000 square foot lounge that includes complimentary breakfast, plus snacks, desserts and a self-serve bar throughout the day. Many of these Upper Story rooms have peek-a-boo views of Central Park. Booking in the Upper Stories costs about $200 more per night (or $300 extra for a suite) than standard room categories. More importantly, they still have that new-hotel-room smell, which is always hard to quantify. Here’s a quick look around.
One of my favorite things about this hotel is the Burger Joint, which I didn’t discover until my fifth day at the hotel. That’s because it’s totally hidden (not kidding). It’s a hole-in-the-wall burger bar that originally opened in 2002 inside the Parker Meridien, and it’s the one thing the Thompson kept it intact. Look for the velvet curtains in the lobby, then make your way down the adjacent hallway, where you’ll notice a simple neon sign in the shape of a burger. That’ll be your only clue.
There’s also a modern Indian restaurant in the hotel, next door technically, but I didn’t get a chance to check that out on this visit. Next time! It looks like this hotel will be my home base for most of my visits to my new company headquarters.
Rates from $750 (at least $200 more for the Upper Stories); 119 W. 56th St., New York, 212-245-5000, thompsoncentralpark.com
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