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Prince with interiors by Dorothy Draper, and was named, at the developer's daughter's suggestion, for Thomas Carlyle. It went into foreclosure within two years. Robert Dowling bought it in 1944 and made it fashionable, adding Bemelmans Bar in 1947 and the Café Carlyle in 1955. Bobby Short sang at the Café for decades; the corner outside is now Bobby Short Way.

Presidents from Truman to Clinton have stayed, and Kennedy kept an apartment on the 34th and 35th floors. The papers called it the White House of Manhattan, and the staff kept their counsel: one man who worked the lobby for four decades refused to tell stories about people until they had died. Its nickname is the Palace of Secrets.

Bobby Short sang at the Café for decades; the corner outside is now Bobby Short Way.

What to expect: rooms that feel like apartments, because many of them are, and a staff that has often been there for decades. Why we like it: it has been the right answer on the Upper East Side since 1930, and it has never needed to raise its voice.

Coco Chanel made it her home on her first visit to New York. J. Paul Getty bought it in 1938. Audrey Hepburn celebrated her Oscar for Roman Holiday there, and Elizabeth Taylor bought an apartment the year she married Eddie Fisher.

The room to see is the Rotunda, whose trompe-l'oeil murals were painted by hand by Edward Melcarth in 1967. Valentino held couture shows at The Pierre in the 1970s, and Karl Lagerfeld said he discovered New York from it. Al Pacino danced the tango in Scent of a Woman in its Cotillion Room. It has been a city landmark since 1981, and IHCL, the Taj group, has held it since 2005.

What to expect: a grand Fifth Avenue hotel that still dresses for the Met Gala every May.

What to expect: a grand Fifth Avenue hotel that still dresses for the Met Gala every May. Why we like it: the park is across the street and the history rewards a long breakfast.

William and Marianne Claridge expanded it into the five buildings next door in 1854 and gave it their name in 1856. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited, and it became a retreat for the heads of state and royalty of Europe. Richard D'Oyly Carte bought it in 1893 and rebuilt it, and the Art Deco lobby and the ballroom followed in the 1920s.

It is a hotel of stories that happen to be true. At Churchill's request, suite 214 was declared Yugoslav soil for a royal birth. Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn and Audrey Hepburn stayed. The Fumoir is a small Art Deco bar from 1929, and afternoon tea is served in the Foyer and Reading Room.

Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn and Audrey Hepburn stayed.

What to expect: a Mayfair hotel that is, in its own words, born there, and has never seen a reason to leave. Why we like it: it is the London address that needs no explanation, which is the most useful thing an address can be.

It is a member of the Comité Colbert, the association of French luxury houses. It has a garden of about 1,200 square metres at its centre, which on that street is a rare thing.

The restaurant is Epicure, three Michelin stars since 2009. Éric Fréchon led the kitchen for twenty-five years, and since 2024 it has been Arnaud Faye's, whose arrival Michelin described as a velvet revolution. The hotel is also known for its resident Burmese cat. Fa-Raon was the first famous one; Socrate succeeded him in 2021.

What to expect: a room on the right side of the Eighth, a garden for breakfast.

What to expect: a room on the right side of the Eighth, a garden for breakfast. Why we like it: it is the Paris hotel for people who would rather not be seen trying.