Chambers New York

Class: Deluxe

Style: Cutting edge

Rooms: 77

Chambers bills itself as a Soho hotel with a Midtown address, and truth be told, that’s not far off the mark — up here in the Fifties, off the main shopping drag of Fifth Avenue, the last thing one expects to see is a small boutique hotel with loft-style guest rooms and fashion-forward, subtly Eastern interiors. Yet that’s precisely what Chambers is, and its uniqueness has made it something of a hit, miles from both the stuffy high seriousness of the midtown luxury hotels and the relentless whimsy of the youth-market boutiques. Oversized wooden doors and a towering fireplace open up a surprisingly spacious lobby, remarkable given the limitations of the compact space the hotel has to work with. Upstairs each floor’s landing and corridors are individually designed by a different artist — some are upbeat and sunny, others darker and moodier. Not at all dark or moody, however, are the guest rooms, fashioned after downtown artists’ lofts, all open space and rough-finished concrete walls, hung with contemporary artworks and fitted with stylish modern furnishings. Platform beds are piled with fine linens, flat-screen televisions and DVD players are standard, and the sleek modern bathrooms are stocked with Bumble and Bumble bath products. Some of the pricier suites come with private terraces, offering sublime city views — these are perfect for entertaining, and sizeable enough for bigger functions if need be. The mezzanine and lobby lounges are a modern midtown meeting point, and outside? If you can’t find what you’re looking for within five blocks of 56th and 5th, it probably doesn’t exist.