Kitano New York Hotel Rating: 4.0 Pearls

Gramercy and Murray Hill, Manhattan, New York City

Bronze dog sculpture in the lobby

Opened in 1995, the Japanese-owned Kitano was formerly the Murray Hill Hotel, owned by the Rockefellers. Mr. Kitano overhauled the property and transformed it into a hotel that balances Western design with Eastern hospitality. Oriental decor is kept to a minimum -- only the hotel restaurant, Hakubai, has bamboo furniture and shoji (paper windows) -- but it's in the service and ambience that Japanese sensibility is prevalent. The wide, open lobby is hushed, save for the light strains of classical music. The staff speaks in soft tones and is very polite. Symmetry and serenity are the overarching themes of this hotel, making it a peaceful and modern retreat in midtown Manhattan.

Art is an integral element of the Kitano. In the middle of the lobby sits a bronze sculpture of a dog by prominent sculptor Fernando Botero. Its tongue is tarnished from countless guests who have rubbed its tongue, which is believed to bring money. "It's our hotel mascot," the management explained. "It's the first thing that came into this hotel when it was built." Mr. Kitano curates the art around the hotel, and he changes the hallway exhibits at least once a year. When I was there, photographs from a variety of New York City artists were featured.

The hotel's website features an endorsement from tennis star Maria Sharapova, but this is by no means a celebrity-hotspot hotel. The mellow scene is more catered to business travelers, families, and wedding groups. The Kitano offers extensive business services, including a complimentary morning shuttle to Wall Street. The large suites are ideal for big groups, and occasionally wedding receptions are held at the 18th-floor banquet hall. Wednesday through Saturday, a live jazz band plays at the lounge, and this brings in older locals in the neighborhood.

Full-service concierge

The Kitano staff has obviously been trained in Japanese hospitality, as everything I asked for was not only brought in five minutes, but it was done so with reverence and care. When the Ethernet cable in my room wasn't working, an engineer came up to my room. He was quite apologetic about the situation, and he thanked me for alerting the hotel about the problem. When I complimented the coffee that came with my breakfast, the room service attendant brought me a small pack of Lavazza coffee to take home.

One of the principles behind Asian service is to remain invisible but always attentive. The bellman at the corner of the entrance is a good example of this. The bellman remains unobtrusive, and you won't notice him until he comes around to help with your bags.

There is a full-service concierge fluent in both Japanese and English. As this hotel gets wedding groups as well as business travelers, concierge services range from making salon appointments to contacting a notary public, and getting Broadway tickets isn't a problem.

View on a Larger Map

The Kitano is in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Manhattan. It's centrally located, south of Midtown East, so reaching downtown and Midtown is relatively easy. This makes it a solid choice for business travelers, especially those needing to reach offices in Midtown.

Directly beside the hotel is Scandinavia House, which has exhibits, film-screenings and design products from Scandinavia. The indoor café, Smorgas Chef, is quite popular and worth a visit. Across from the hotel is a Catholic church and apartment buildings. Apart from the other upscale hotels nearby, such as 70 Park Avenue and the W Tuscany, this is a particularly quiet section of Murray Hill.

The hotel is three blocks from Grand Central Station which connects to the 4,5, 6, and 7 subway lines, as well as the shuttle to Times Square. Cabs can also easily be hailed right in front of the hotel.

There are numerous restaurants nearby, especially on Madison Avenue (one block west). Curry Hill, a small subsection of Murray Hill, is a three block stretch of, you guessed it, Indian restaurants and shops.

New York City has three nearby airports: JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark (in New Jersey). Flying into JFK or LaGuardia is typically easiest and the least time-consuming. From JFK, it's a (one-hour) $45 flat-rate taxi ride to anywhere in Manhattan. From LaGuardia, it's about a (30-minute) $40 metered cab ride to Midtown Manhattan. Rides from Newark cost at least $40 (plus tolls), and can take more than 90 minutes. Don't forget to tip your driver 15-25 percent.

To save some cash, try the group shuttles that are available at all three airports for about $14/person. For more information on the shuttles, go to Super Shuttle or New York Airport Service. You can also take public transit from any of the airports for as little as $7 per person, but travel can take up to two hours and involve a lot of lugging bags up and down stairs. For mass-transit directions right to the hotel, check out HopStop.com.

The Superior Room

Standard rooms are 305 square feet, which is about 50 percent larger than most standard rooms in New York City. Maybe I'm buying into the stereotype, but the rooms seemed to be designed with a Japanese sensibility, with the placement of every piece of furniture thought out carefully. There are no unusual corners or misuse of space -- even rooms in the back of the hotel get a lot of natural light, and the bedroom is situated a good distance away from the door to ensure quiet and privacy. On the side of the work desk there is a series of available power outlets. Inside the closet, there is a shoe brush and a shoe horn. And in the bathroom, there's a towel warmer!

The bed is firm and comfortable, with a down comforter and pillow-top mattress. Soundproof windows shut out any outside noise, which isn't much in this residential neighborhood.

The marble bathrooms are spacious and immaculate. There's a tub, shower, and -- in case you missed it the first time -- a towel warmer! Incredible!

Many Japanese guests stay at the Kitano, so the hotel does its part to provide for their needs. The 37-inch flat-screen TV has premium cable (including HBO), as well as Japanese channels. The complimentary newspapers delivered to the room are USA Today and Asahi, a Japanese daily. Japanese green tea is available in the room, along with a small water heater. The bath products are a combination of luxury products from the East and West. There's luxury brand Gilchrist and Soames from England, and the arguably more luxurious Shiseido from Japan. Likewise, the mini-bar offers Kirin beer ($5) as well as Budweiser (also $5). And while Japanese radio stations don't broadcast in New York, there's a Sony Dream Machine CD player beside the bed. The updated Suites have an iPod dock.

Internet TV is available in the rooms (that's what the keyboard on the desk is for), but even the front desk staff doesn't recommend it. The problem, they told us, is that Web sites aren't formatted to fit a 36-inch TV. It's easier to rent a laptop from the front desk.

There are 11 other room types, ranging in size from 305 square feet to 968 square feet. For large groups, the suites are very spacious and have a separate living room. There's only one Japanese-style suite that has tatami mats, futons and shoji doors. All the other suites have a Western design similar to the standard room. Smoking rooms are available on four floors: 7, 8, 14, and 16.

Private Business Center

The hotel caters to a lot of business travelers, so it provides a myriad of business services. Wi-Fi and hard-wired Internet is available in the rooms, for a fee of $10/24 hours. A complimentary shuttle leaves for Wall Street every morning at 8:15 a.m. -- reservations must be made with the front desk the night before. The business center is a private work space that can be rented out for $8/15 minutes. This 24-hour office includes a PC and a printer, though laptop rentals are also available. Guests can ask the concierge for services ranging from booking airline tickets to contacting a notary public. The front desk will also fax or copy documents by request.

On the 18th floor, there are meeting rooms that also serve as banquet halls. The beautiful rooftop terrace featured on the hotel website is not accessible to hotel guests unless they are attending a conference or a wedding reception on the 18th floor.

There is no on-site fitness center, but the hotel offers complimentary passes to New York Sports Club on Madison Avenue and 36th Street, about a five-minute walk away. This is a better option than any hotel gym, as this massive 2,500-square-foot space has four aerobic studios, circuit training, weights, saunas, tanning booths, and massage rooms.

Last but not least, there's the gift shop. A Japanese establishment isn't complete without novelty items like this fabulously kitschy, rhinestone-embedded dishwashing glove. At only $38, it's a steal!

At 305 square feet, the double superior room is good for a family of four. For a larger clan, the suites are perfect. There are six different suite types, ranging from 522-968 square feet. These are impressively big hotel rooms, especially for New York City. The Townhouse suite has a living room the size of most New York City apartments, and it comes with plush couches and a flat-screen TV. A lot of wedding parties book here because of the amount of space.

The hotel offers a family package that includes breakfast and a complimentary cot. Roll-away beds are available at $25/night, but they do not fit in the standard (superior) room; all other room types can accommodate them. Cribs are complimentary, and baby-sitting services can be arranged through the concierge.

Typical kids' food isn't available in the hotel, unless your kids are into sushi. Try taking them next door to Smorgas Chef, the cafe inside Scandinavia House. The Swedish meatballs and lingonberry might ignite their love for Scandinavia. For American sandwiches, walk one block over to Lexington Avenue, where there are many delis and sandwich shops.

The neighborhood is a safe and particularly affluent residential area. Sidewalks are wide enough for nannies and their double strollers. Most of the kid-friendly museums (the Museum of Natural History, Hayden Planetarium, the Children's Museum of Manhattan) are farther north and west of Central Park. Getting there means at least one subway transfer at Times Square.

Everything about this hotel is kept in perfect order, including the flower arrangements. The hotel was renovated in early 2007, and the fixtures have held up well.

Breakfast at Garden Cafe

Nadaman Hakubai, the hotel's restaurant, is very daunting. A traditional, multi-course $150 meal is beyond what most people would pay for dinner. Even the New York Times calls this restaurant "very expensive" and warns that "unless you are an extremely adventurous eater, you will probably not like every dish you are served."

I'm all for culinary adventures, but for a safer, less bank-breaking meal, there's the Garden Café. This sky-lit restaurant is still on the pricey side, with entrées averaging $30, but at least it's not too far off what a nice dinner costs in most parts of Manhattan. The three-course dinner (soup/salad, entrée, and dessert) is only $35 -- a fraction of Hakubai's kaiseki cuisine.

The bar lounge is the most interesting of the hotel's dining options. Located on the second floor, overlooking the lobby, the bar is filled with guests and neighborhood regulars. There's live jazz Wednesday through Saturday, which draws in a local scene. The menu goes beyond regular bar fare: There's crispy duck leg confit ($26), niçoise salad ($25), and grilled beef scallion rolls ($12). Diners can also order select sushi rolls from Hakubai. The drinks list includes sake, rare malt whiskey, and champagne.

In-room dining is available from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., and the room menu draws from the three restaurants. The breakfast options are mainly Western, such as omelets and pancakes. A plate of fruit and yogurt for breakfast costs $22. For an alternative, check out Bloom's New York Delicatessen and Café on the corner of Lexington Avenue and 40th Street (two short blocks away).