• Sherry-Netherland

  781 Fifth Ave.; 212-355-2800

  When it comes to a one-night stand, forget the cool downtown boutique hotels and head to the landmark Sherry-Netherland on Fifth Avenue. Few think of this historic building as having 48 spacious hotel rooms (and suites), and therein lies its charm: Despite the small number of rooms, there are frequent vacancies. The staff is discreet, and because the Sherry-Netherland doubles as a stately apartment building, it’s not a place where you’ll be easily found. The lobby, modeled after the Vatican library, is hushed and intimate. The rooms, starting at $499, aren’t cheap, but when you’ve got only one chance to score, you should do it right. There’s no deadline for checking in, as long as you check out by noon, so feel free to start the night late.

From the 2007 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine