Editorial score of 9.0 of 10, the composite average of the three factors above (Rooms, Service, Location). Method at our methodology page. Affiliate disclosure: booking links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you, and never change our verdict.
Why book The Lowell on the Upper East Side?
The Lowell is worth booking for the kind of quiet, personal luxury that a large hotel cannot manufacture. It opened in 1927 as a residential hotel, the type New York built before the line between living somewhere and staying somewhere hardened, and it still runs on that logic. The 74 rooms are individually appointed in an educated British-inflected style applied to Upper East Side materials: antiques, custom millwork, chintz and bookshelves that hold actual books. Its signature is the working wood-burning fireplace, offered in a selection of rooms and suites and rare enough that no other hotel in the price category matches it. In winter, the fire turns the room from an accommodation into a reason to stay in.
The rest of the property answers the same brief. The Pembroke Room has served breakfast and a well-known afternoon tea since the hotel opened, and the main restaurant, Majorelle, sits alongside a garden room with the small, clubby Jacques Bar off the lobby. At 74 keys the staff learn names quickly and preferences after a second stay, which is the quality that separates a genuine boutique from a large hotel with boutique pretensions. Where The Lowell asks for the right expectation is scale and price. This is a small, formal, expensive townhouse hotel rather than a full-service resort, so there is no destination spa or large pool. For a solo retreat, an anniversary or a discreet honeymoon, that is the point rather than a shortcoming.
What are the best rooms to request?
Request a suite with a working wood-burning fireplace, because it is the amenity The Lowell is known for and the single thing that most changes the stay. A selection of rooms and suites have them, and in the colder months the fire makes the decision to stay in for the evening reasonable and then easy. The 74 rooms are each decorated differently, so no two stays repeat, and the pleasure is in the particular combination of antiques, fabrics and books chosen for the room you draw. Several suites add private terraces over the Upper East Side rooftops, which extend the usable space into the city's airspace and, on the right floors, open a view toward Central Park a few minutes from the door.
The honest caveat is not a flaw but a fit. This is a small, formal townhouse, so the mood is discreet and the scale intimate rather than grand, and guests who want a buzzy lobby, a big pool or convention facilities will feel the absence. Standard rooms, while lovely, are not enormous by suite standards, so if space and a fireplace both matter, book a suite category. Come for the quiet, the fire and the personal service, and there is very little to fault.
Ask specifically for a room or suite with a working wood-burning fireplace when you book, since only a selection have them and they go first in winter. For an anniversary, request a terrace suite and let the Pembroke Room know if you want a quiet breakfast set aside; the small scale means the team can arrange it personally.
What are the restaurants and bars at The Lowell?
Dining is small in scale and precise in execution, which suits the house. The main restaurant is Majorelle, a French room set alongside a garden that gives the space its light and its name, with the intimate Jacques Bar off the lobby for an aperitif or a nightcap. The Pembroke Room, named for the Pembroke tables on which breakfast is served, has been a morning fixture since the hotel opened, and its afternoon tea continues the tradition and remains one of the most civilised on the Upper East Side. The old Post House steakhouse that long held the street level has closed, and the current programme is quieter and more European than the address used to keep.
Does The Lowell have a spa or pool?
No, and it is honest about that. The Lowell is a small townhouse hotel rather than a full-service resort, so there is no destination spa and no large pool, only a fitness offer and the personal service that defines the place. The compensating luxuries are the wood-burning fireplaces, the terrace suites and the immediate proximity of Central Park, the Madison Avenue fashion houses and the Upper East Side galleries, which together make the neighbourhood itself the amenity. If a spa floor or a swimming pool is central to your trip, this is the honest moment to weigh a larger hotel; if the draw is discretion and character, The Lowell has the stronger hand.
Signature amenities
On a quiet Upper East Side block
Upper East Side · between Madison and Park Avenues
What's nearby
- Madison Avenue
Fashion houses1 min walk - Central Park
Fifth Avenue entrance5 min walk - Bloomingdale's
Department store6 min walk - Central Park Zoo
Park landmark8 min walk - The Frick Collection
Museum10 min walk
The rooms, the fires, the terraces
Townhouse
Fireplace suite
Majorelle
TerraceHow does The Lowell compare with the Upper East Side's other hotels?
Against its neighbours, The Lowell is the small, discreet townhouse choice, and the decision comes down to how much scale and scene you want. The Mark, a few blocks north, is the larger, restaurant-led Upper East Side flagship, brighter and busier and a block from the Met. The Carlyle is the old-New-York landmark, home to Bemelmans Bar and a more storied, formal grandeur. Aman New York, downtown at the Crown Building, is the ultra-private, spa-led alternative at a much higher price. The Lowell's own trade is that its intimacy and price mean no destination spa, no pool and no crowd, which for the right guest is exactly the appeal.
| Hotel | Style | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Lowell | Discreet townhouse hotel | Fireplaces, personal service, quiet | Small; no spa or pool; high rates |
| The Mark Hotel | Restaurant-led UES flagship | Dining, energy, near the Met | Busier; less intimate |
| The Carlyle | Old-New-York landmark | Bemelmans Bar, formal grandeur | Traditional; classic rooms |
| Aman New York | Ultra-private, spa-led | Privacy, spa, oversized suites | Very high rates; downtown |
Frequently asked questions
What restaurants are at The Lowell New York?
The Lowell's main restaurant is Majorelle, a French room set alongside a garden and the intimate Jacques Bar off the lobby. The Pembroke Room serves breakfast and a well-known afternoon tea. The old Post House steakhouse that once held the street level has closed.
Does The Lowell have wood-burning fireplaces?
Yes. A selection of rooms and suites have working wood-burning fireplaces, an amenity The Lowell is known for as the rare New York hotel to offer them. They make a winter stay a reason to stay in rather than go out.
How many rooms does The Lowell have?
74 individually appointed rooms and suites, each decorated differently, with several suites adding private terraces over the Upper East Side rooftops.
Where is The Lowell located?
28 East 63rd Street, between Madison and Park Avenues on the Upper East Side, about a five-minute walk from Central Park and steps from the Madison Avenue fashion houses and the gallery district.
Who is The Lowell best for?
Guests who want discreet, personal service in a small, formal townhouse hotel rather than full-service resort scale. It suits solo retreats, anniversaries and honeymoons; travellers wanting a spa, big pool or convention facilities should look elsewhere.
Other luxury stays in New York
#2 · Upper East SideThe Mark Hotel
#5 · Upper East SideThe Carlyle
#1 · Midtown