It was a rough assignment: rubbing elbows with celebrities, lounging around in frette bathrobes, eating Dean & Deluca chocolates from the mini-bar. Rating New York City's new boutique hotels required a connoisseur's eye for mid-century modern furniture and industrial lighting, plus the ability to really understand luxury -- before totally surrendering to it. Difficult, yes. But the boutique hotel is a New York art form and requires close study. We slept around -- so you won't have to. ... Read the story