FFG Travels: The Signature Suites at the Loews Regency New York

In 2014 I stayed in 49 hotels. That's nearly a new hotel visit every week. I say this because it's pretty important when it comes to this particular piece. After you've stayed in a certain number of hotels, whether for review or for project work, they all seem to run together. You start to notice patterns and you truly begin to understand why a star rating exists and how it is that some hotels will always just be chains, while others are more like unique palaces. The Loews Regency New York, my latest adventure abroad, is a palace, truly. 

There's a reason you see countless celebrities in the lobby of Loews Regency, just as there's a reason you'll never hear about them being there. This is New York's hidden gem hotel and you get the feeling you are in on an incredible national secret from the moment you check in. There's is no pomp and circumstance involved here. It's just an establishment that quietly supersedes everything else around it. It does so with innovative design (following a $100 million recent renovation) and excellent customer service that goes above and beyond what's required. 

Here's just one example. In my over three dozen stays in New York in the past five years, I have always started by mornings with a jog in Central Park. When I checked into the Loews Regency New York, I knew not much would change there, seeing as the hotel sits just blocks away from the Park itself. Every morning I'd venture out on the hunt to stay in shape and every morning I'd come back looking like a can of tomato soup - red from top to toe - and so out of breath that I was pretty sure the doorman thought he would be calling an ambulance at any moment to attend to what must be a severe asthma attack. Nope, that's just this out of shape diva trying to keep up with the Central Park runners. But, in my over three dozen stays in New York, no doorman has done what the doorman at Loews Regency New York did for me every morning. As I would leave he'd wish me luck on my journey, calling me out by name. Upon my return, he would be there waiting with a towel and bottles of water to hand me as I made my way to the lobby. Such a small gesture, but one that left a massive impression. This was only the beginning of the niceties that were discovered in my three night stay with the property. And while I could go into all of them here in detail, I'd like to leave them for you to discover and enjoy for yourself.

The one thing I won't hold back on, however, are the Loews Regency Signature Suites. Talk about an impressive setup, people. There are six suites in total, designed by the country's most prestigious interior designers, which make for some pretty incredible interiors inspo. While I had a chance to tour all six, and have included a few highlights in pictures below, I actually stayed in my favourite suite of them all - the Glamour Suite. Seems appropriate, keeping in mind my connection with the world of fashion and all that jazz. The suite was designed by Lauren Rottet and imagined as a space that Marilyn Monroe would have called her own in the late 1940s. Yes, I could definitely see Marilyn living here and calling this home on Park Avenue. The views alone were stunning, but the interiors created with the wide open windows make this space heaven on the 16th floor. 

The Glamour Suite at the Loews Regency is a room all about texture, from the shearling pink pillows to the grey and white soft carpeting. Even the marbled bathroom speaks of nothing but an elegant and refined lifestyle. For three days I lived in an apartment-like suite that so far exceeded my own dreams of a New York abode that I actually felt I was living in a parallel universe - one where I am much more elegant and have more money than I can count. 

Of course only half the fun is had in the newly designed signature suites at The Loews Regency New York. The new renovation means the return of the famous Power Breakfast in The Regency restaurant on ground level, the opening of a state of the art spa and salon, the introduction of a sweet little coffee and pastry shop that will have you wondering why you ever even considered Starbucks on your first morning there, and also the reintroduction of amazing staff ready to cater to your every request. 

Next time you are in New York, put this on the list of places to check out for a possible stay. I'll be really honest here in admitting it's hard to imagine staying anywhere else now for fashion week. Dear Loews Regency New York, I've fallen hard. Staying elsewhere in New York now would be like cheating on the love of my life! Thank you for amazing stay.

Now, onto what you came here for... the pictures!

A look at the other signature suites:

And here's a look at the food while in residence:

Fashion Foie Gras was a guest of the Loew's Regency New York.