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HomeUnited StatesNew York CityUpper East Side, Upper West Side & Central ParkThe Lowell
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FILE
UB-NYC-014
SUBJECT
THE LOWELL
REGION
NEW YORK CITY
OPENED
1926
RENOVATED
2017
UPDATED
2026.06.03
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CASE FILE · SUBJECT PROFILE

The
Lowell.

HIGH · CONFIRMED
KEYS
74 rooms
PRICE
$$$$$
ARCHITECT
Michael S. Smith
OPENED
1926
RENOVATED
2017
DISTRICT
Upper East Side, Upper West Side & Central Park
RESTAURANT
Fine Dining
AIRPORT
JFK · 45 min
FEATURED IN 3 MAJOR PUBLICATIONS
The Lowell
EXHIBIT A · NYC · NORTH AMERICA
● LIVE · 46K
The 1926 Upper East Side residence with the only working fireplaces in any New York hotel and a Charles Masson restaurant.EXHIBIT A
FEATURED IN 3 MAJOR PUBLICATIONS
ASSESSMENT
45
RANK#58of 88
UNBOOKABILITY · / 100
DEMAND
50
SCARCITY
60
CRITIC
50
SOCIAL
40
SEARCH
20
GUEST
40
DESK NOTE
The Lowell is one of the few New York hotels that has refused to modernise itself into anonymity. The fireplaces, the Smith interiors, and the residential scale are an argument for a kind of hotel that mostly does not get built any more.
Filed by UB DESK · MENA
3 critic reviews
§ 01 · PHOTO ARCHIVE · EXHIBIT A
The evidence.
@THELOWELLHOTEL · IG EVIDENCE
EX · A
FEED-NYC014 · @thelowellhotel
§ 02 · CRITIC DOSSIER · 3 INDEXED
What they
filed.
3 / 3 · CONSENSUS TIER-4
EXHIBIT · F1
Robb Report
TIER-1 · MAJOR
2019
"Built in the 1920s as an 'apartment hotel,' the Lowell has long been a favorite bolthole for Upper East Siders"
EX · F1READ SOURCE →
TIER-1 SOURCE
EXHIBIT · F2
Hotels Above Par
TIER-4 · WRITER
2026
"The Lowell is an encapsulation of its well-heeled surroundings...a timeless hideaway for the high-end crowd"
EX · F2READ SOURCE →
TIER-4 SOURCE
EXHIBIT · F3
The Week
TIER-4 · WRITER
2020
"It's one of those hotels where everybody knows your name, seemingly from before you check in."
EX · F3READ SOURCE →
TIER-4 SOURCE
§ 03 · THE READ · ON & OFF BOOK
THE READ.
DESK ASSESSMENT · TWO ANGLES
THE OFFICIAL READ

If you want a quiet, residential, fireplace-and-armchair version of Upper East Side luxury, yes, with very few rivals in the city. If you want a scene, a bar, or a rooftop, look elsewhere.

THE OFF-BOOK READ

The Pembroke Room on the second floor serves one of the best afternoon teas in New York: small room, white-jacketed service, no tour buses outside. Reservations are essential and the room holds maybe 30 guests.

§ 04 · ANGLES OF APPROACH · THREE
Three
angles.
REDACTIONS · 0
ANGLE · 01

The Only Wood Fires In NYC

Thirty-three of The Lowell's accommodations have working wood-burning fireplaces. This is the only hotel in New York where that is true, a quirk preserved from the 1926 residential building's original construction. The hotel keeps a stock of custom-scented logs, and a member of staff will build the fire in your room on request. In December and January, the wait list runs long.

FIELD · 001EX · A
ANGLE · 02

Michael S. Smith Did The Interiors

Smith, who designed the Obama-era Oval Office and is the author of several books on traditional American interiors, started with the penthouse in 2006 and gradually reworked most of the property over the next decade. His Lowell is layered, antique-rich, and unapologetically residential: chintz, leather-bound books, fireside reading chairs, and the kind of rooms that look more like a friend's pied-à-terre than a hotel.

FIELD · 002EX · B
ANGLE · 03

Charles Masson's Majorelle Downstairs

Masson, the third-generation maître d' of La Grenouille (one of the last serious French restaurants in New York), opened Majorelle on The Lowell's ground floor in 2017 as the rest of the hotel was reopening. The room has Jacques' Bar with embossed leather walls, a glass-roofed garden with a fireplace and fountains, and Masson's own watercolours throughout. It is the Upper East Side restaurant where ladies who lunch still actually lunch.

FIELD · 003EX · C
§ 05 · CAVEATS · FILED UNCLASSIFIED
Real
talk.
UNEDITED · DESK COMMENTARY
△ CAUTION · UNCLASSIFIED
△ CAUTION · UNCLASSIFIED
01POINT · SCALE

74 rooms (47 suites, 33 with working wood-burning fireplaces) since 1926: only NY hotel with real fires in rooms. Younger travellers find aesthetic dated; energy hushed.

02POINT · AUDIENCE

No Instagram signal but Forbes 5-Star plus AAA 5-Diamond plus Michael S. Smith (Obama White House designer) pedigree pulls residential-luxury seekers and Charles-Masson-Majorelle-La Grenouille diners.

03POINT · VARIANCE

74 rooms: garden Suite (800sqft, wood-burning fireplace, full kitchen, 2 private terraces) and Pembroke Suite (fireplace plus library) are the move. Fireplace season Oct-April.

04POINT · COMPETITION

At $$$$$ Upper East Side, Lowell competes with Carlyle (1930 cabaret) and Mark (Grange suites). Wins on only-NY-real-fireplace rooms plus Smith-Obama-residential interiors, not on cabaret or scene access.

§ 06 · WHERE IT SITS · PROXIMITY
The ground,
mapped.
5 ANCHORS · ON FOOT
COORDINATES
40.7657° N · 73.9692° W
DISTRICT
Upper East Side, Upper West Side & Central Park
REGION
New York City
NEAREST AIRPORT
JFK · 45 min
FIELD BRIEF · PROXIMITY
AnchorOn footDistance
Central Park Zoo· Tourist Attraction4 min320m
Louis Vuitton Trunk· Tourist Attraction6 min475m
Roosevelt Island Tramway· Tourist Attraction8 min653m
The Frick Collection· Museum8 min615m
The Museum of Modern Art· Tourist Attraction11 min854m
PROXIMITY PLAN · ON FOOT
CULTURAL ANCHORS · WALKING DISTANCE
§ 07 · SUBJECT BRIEF · FIELD NOTE N°014
On the
record.
1 MIN BRIEFING · LAST AMENDED 2026.05.17
FOUNDED
1926
ARCHITECT
MICHAEL S. SMITH
RENOVATED
2017
KEYS
74 ROOMS
TIER
HIGH
AIRPORT
JFK · 45M
INSTAGRAM
46K
DISTRICT
UPPER EAST SIDE, UPPER WEST SIDE & CENTRAL PARK
◉ FILED · UB-NYC-014
DOSSIER-OPEN
SUBJECT · THE LOWELL
UPPER EAST SIDE, UPPER WEST SIDE & CENTRAL PARK · NEW YORK CITY
CLEARANCE · PUBLIC
¶ SUBJECT BRIEF · OPEN FILE

The Lowell opened in 1926 at 28 East 63rd Street as a residential hotel, and 99 years later that residential DNA is still the entire point. Seventy-four rooms, 47 of them suites, 33 with working wood-burning fireplaces. That last detail is the one that matters: it is the only hotel in New York City with real fires in the rooms, and someone will come up and build one for you with custom-scented logs if you ask.

The current incarnation is the result of a multi-year restoration by Dugally Oberfeld with interiors by Michael S. Smith, the designer who reworked the Obama White House. Charles Masson, the legendary maître d' of La Grenouille, runs the ground-floor restaurant Majorelle, with a glass-covered garden room, fountains, and another fireplace. Forbes 5-Star, AAA 5-Diamond, and the kind of hotel where staff remembers your coffee order on day two.

EOF · SUBJECT BRIEF— THE EDITORS, UB DESK
§ 09 · TRANSMISSION LOG · CHATTER
What came
across the wire.
4 ENTRIES · ROLLING 90-DAY
TIMESTAMPCHANNELENTRY
2026.04.14 · 07:13ZSYSTEMAdded to Unbookable index
2026.03.26 · 00:00ZPRESSHotels Above Par review filed
2020.02.21 · 00:00ZPRESSThe Week review filed
2019.01.01 · 00:00ZPRESSRobb Report review filed
ROLLING LOG · LATEST 5-8 SHOWN · RETAINED 90 DAYS
§ 10 · CONDITIONS REPORT · CLIMATE & DEMAND
On the
ground.
12-MO WEATHER RECORD · DEMAND CYCLE
NEW YORK CITY · SEASON CYCLE

Late April–early May beats Met Gala. First two weeks of September beat UNGA. Anything SepDec needs 60–90 days of lead time.

TOURIST DEMAND BY MONTH
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
LowShoulderPeak
WEATHER IN NEW YORK CITY
101010121111131110109114°5°9°15°21°26°29°28°25°19°12°7°JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC
RAIN · DAYS/MOAVG HIGH · °C
JAN-FEBLowCold value window

Demand drops to 45-50 across January and February as overnight lows fall to -4°C and Manhattan visitors thin out for the post-NYE stretch. NYC Restaurant Week in January and NY Fashion Week (Fall/Winter) in February provide cultural anchors, but the broader calendar runs unusually soft for a major destination. Hotel rates fall noticeably below peak across most categories, and properties that rarely discount run winter promotions during NYC Hotel Week in mid-January. For travelers tolerant of single-digit cold and willing to layer, this is when New York runs as a working city without the visitor compression of every other month.

MAR-APRShoulderSpring transition

Demand climbs from 60 in March to 75 in April as temperatures rise from 9°C to 15°C and outdoor New York becomes physically possible again. The St. Patrick''s Day Parade (March 17) compresses Midtown for a day; Easter weekend and MLB Opening Day drive booking pressure across Manhattan and Brooklyn in April. Lead times for Very High-tier properties (Baccarat, The Bowery Hotel, Wythe Hotel) sit at 3-4 weeks outside the parade and Easter compression dates. April second half is where temperature, daylight and pricing align before the Met Gala / Memorial Day events trigger May''s peak structure.

MAY-JUNPeakEvent-driven spring peak

Demand jumps to 90 in May and 85 in June, driven by an event calendar that compresses inventory across distinct one-week windows rather than spreading evenly. May compresses around Met Gala, Frieze NY and Memorial Day weekend; June stacks NYC Pride, Tribeca Festival and Tony Awards in the back half. Temperatures climb from 21°C in May to 26°C in June, before the July humidity locks in across Manhattan and the East Coast. Lead times for Very High-tier properties (Baccarat, The Twenty Two, Gansevoort) tighten to 6-8 weeks during event compression weeks and 3-4 weeks otherwise.

JULShoulderSummer heat dip

July demand drops to 65 as Manhattan residents flee the city for the Hamptons, Hudson Valley and the Jersey Shore, opening inventory across central neighborhoods. Highs hit 29°C with 20°C overnight lows, with humidity and 13 rain days producing reliable afternoon thunderstorms across Manhattan. Independence Day week pulls one short demand spike (fireworks over the East River, July 4 weekend), but the broader month runs as a value window for non-residents. Wildflower Farms (Auberge, Hudson Valley) and Wythe Hotel (Williamsburg) absorb spillover travelers seeking summer atmosphere with lower August-style booking pressure.

AUGLowSummer slump

August demand bottoms at 55, the softest reading for any month outside February, as the city empties of residents and business travel pauses. Highs hold at 28°C, similar to July, but the absence of resident and business demand opens the cleanest direct-channel inventory window since February. US Open Tennis begins in the last 10 days of the month and pulls demand into Queens (Flushing Meadows) and Midtown hotels with USTA partnerships. Outside the US Open weeks, August reads as a value window for travelers willing to work around the heat-and-humidity combination.

SEPPeakAnnual maximum

September is the year's annual peak at demand 100, driven by the simultaneous arrival of UN General Assembly and NY Fashion Week into the same compressed two-week window. Midtown specifically locks down as UN diplomatic delegations, security shutdowns and Fashion Week buyers converge; Baccarat, The St. Regis and The Twenty Two require 8-12 weeks of lead time. Highs hit 25°C with 10 rain days, physically agreeable for outdoor Manhattan activity, but the booking pressure cancels the comfort entirely. First two weeks of September (before UNGA) are the only soft window: late August into early September captures fall weather without the diplomatic-event compression.

OCTPeakFoliage and Comic Con

October demand stays at 90 as Hudson Valley foliage pulls weekend trips upstate and NY Comic Con (mid-month) compresses Midtown across a four-day stretch. Highs drop to 19°C and rain holds at 10 days, the autumn weather window that foliage-trip operators and Hudson Valley packages plan around. Booking discipline matches September''s: 60-90 days lead time at Very High-tier, longer for Comic Con weekend specifically (Wythe Hotel and Brooklyn properties absorb adjacent demand). Wildflower Farms in Hudson Valley peaks here as the foliage destination of choice for travelers blending NYC and upstate; book by August.

NOV-DECPeakHoliday corridor

November holds demand at 80 with NYC Marathon and Thanksgiving Day Parade, and December climbs to 95 on Rockefeller Tree, holiday markets and NYE pressure. The corridor compresses inventory across all sub-regions, but Midtown specifically locks down for Rockefeller Tree visitors, Times Square holiday-window shoppers and NYE pressure. Lead times extend to 60-90 days minimum at Very High-tier; The Bowery Hotel and Ace Hotel see 4-month leads on the week between Christmas and NYE specifically. Overnight lows hit 0°C in December with single-digit daytime, but the festive infrastructure (markets, lights, store windows) is the explicit draw.

§ 11 · LEAD-TIME INTEL · ENTRY WINDOW
Plan the
approach.
DEMAND CYCLE · BOOKING-LEAD INDEX
HIGHTHE LOWELL

Book 6-8 weeks ahead for Met Gala spillover and holiday season; weekday and January stays open up inside three weeks.

DESTINATION DEMAND · 12-MONTH
PROPERTY PRESSURE · AWAITING DATA
PEAKHIGHSHOULDERLOWOFF
NOW
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
PEAKHIGHSHOULDERLOWOFF
CHECK AVAILABILITY
§ 12 · KNOWN OPERATIVES · 3 FIELD NOTES
Tradecraft
briefing.
3 OF 3 · DESK-VERIFIED
OPERATIVE · 01UB-NYC-014
BEST ROOM.

The Garden Suite is the one to book: 800 square feet, wood-burning fireplace, full kitchen, marble bath, and two private terraces (one for drinks, one for dinner) overlooking East 63rd. For a full residential experience, the Pembroke Suite has the fireplace and a separate library.


  • GARDEN SUITE 800 SQFT
  • WOOD-BURNING FIREPLACE
  • TWO PRIVATE TERRACES
OPERATIVE · 02UB-NYC-014
THE WORKAROUND.

Fireplace season runs roughly October through April, with the suites with working fires booked first. Reserve four to eight weeks ahead for any winter weekend. Outside fireplace months, ask for an upgrade to a fireplace category at a discounted rate.


  • FIREPLACE OCT–APR
  • BOOK 4–8 WEEKS WINTER
  • UPGRADE OFF-SEASON
OPERATIVE · 03UB-NYC-014
LOCAL TIP.

From JFK, allow 50 to 70 minutes by taxi to East 63rd. Central Park is two blocks north, Madison Avenue's blue-chip galleries (Acquavella, Gagosian uptown, Skarstedt) are within five blocks, and Bergdorf Goodman is a 10-minute walk south.


  • 50–70 MIN FROM JFK
  • CENTRAL PARK TWO BLOCKS
  • MADISON BLUE-CHIP GALLERIES
§ 14 · DEMAND INTELLIGENCE · THE SIGNALS
What the
signals say.
4 OF 9 SIGNALS · LIVE · REFRESHED 1D AGO
FIRM ON BOOKING · FIRM ON SOCIAL · FIRM ON CRITICS
INSTAGRAM DEMAND
46K
FIRM
followers on file
CRITIC CITATIONS
3
FIRM
reviews on file
BOOKING DIFFICULTY
55/100
FIRM
availability pressure
GUEST SCORE
4.0/10
MODEST
from guest reviews
§ 15 · COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT · 6 DIMENSIONS
How it
stacks up.
#58 OF 88 · NEW YORK CITY
#58IN NEW YORK CITY · OF 88
#251GLOBALLY · OF 405
Room Demand
5/10
TOP 50%
Booking Difficulty
6/10
TOP 57%
Search Demand
2/10
TOP 92%
Critic Score
5/10
TOP 69%
Guest Score
4/10
TOP 77%
Viral Reach
4/10
TOP 61%
PERCENTILE COMPUTED LIVE · 405 ACTIVE PROPERTIESMETHODOLOGY · /HOW-WE-RANK
§ 19.7 · SIGNAL MONITORING · PAST MONTH
Signals
holding.
18 SNAPSHOTS · DAY 18
Composite Unbookable Score · 17-day trace
45 0from 45
Room Demand
5 0
Booking Difficulty
6 0
Search Demand
2 0
Critic Score
5 0
Guest Score
4 0
Viral Reach
4 0

Signal stable — composite holding within ±2 points over 17 days (currently 45). No single dimension moved more than the rest.

§ 18 · FILE CLOSED · UB-NYC-014
Final
assessment.
CONFIRMEDDESK SIGN-OFF

File closes at HIGH. Book direct six to eight weeks out for Met Gala spillover and holiday season. Skip if you want a scene; the Lowell trades on residential calm and uptown discretion.

FILED BY V. BRANSON · UB DESK · NEW YORK CITY · 2026-05-17
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§ 19 · ALSO ON FILE — NEW YORK CITY
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