Sick as a dog in the bustling city of NYC, I found the perfect urban oasis to take a weekend-long nap and resuscitate my mind and body. In a sound-proof suite with a custom-made king-size Duxiana bed worth US$10,000, I can asseverate that the elements of luxury and comfort are delivered to please the most fastidious of Manhattan’s elite at The Quin. Admittedly, I don’t have a wealth of knowledge when it comes to vehicles, but what I do know is that Bond, James Bond, drove Aston Martins, which happens to be the pseudo name that the DUX bed goes by. Envision the most plush handmade mattress backed by serious Swedish science – specifically by the Nobel Prize winning medical university, The Karolinska Institute – covered in the finest Egyptian cotton woven in Italy by Sferra linens. Ah, the life of the privileged – no wonder 007 can undergo all that physical hardship which comes with assassinating evil – it’s all in prioritising a good night’s deep sleep. If it’s good enough for a secret spy, it’s good enough for an avid tourist.

But aside from the state-of-the-art bed that I grew a very strong affinity with, leaving me with near-unachievable mattress dreams slash a business idea to export Duxiana into New Zealand, there’s a few other eye-widening things that the Quin brings to the table. The ensuite bathroom, for one, boasts a well-lit marble vanity, a glass-enclosed wet room with a rain shower and a deep-soaking bathtub that came to good use with a bottle of Piper Heidsick and a large serving of macarons. Literally feverish in my Frette bathrobe and slippers, I depended on Seamless for all of New York’s best fried chicken and (super average) pho to be delivered to the door. Despite the miserable chills, these kinds of astoundingly convenient customer-orientated services made the never-knew-I-needed-this-in-my-life aspects that I picked up in NYC. If anything, the concept of making everything available at the tap of a finger is something that is of true priority in a regular, and most likely very time-deprived, New Yorker’s quintessential lifestyle.
Speaking of one-touch-away convenience and a serious appreciation for the finer things in life; The Quin’s guestrooms have Bergdorf Goodman and Tiffany & Co.s’ personal shoppers available on speed dial. An offering that I unfortunately couldn’t take up due to the fact that I’m not part of the 8 million households in America that own over $1 million in financial assets – nor am I an escort who’s been swept off her feet with a $250,000 ruby and diamond necklace by Richard Gere. I may be young but I’ve learnt that life is unfair like that. Adding to the impressive list of A-class services is the concierge team who can curate a tailored itinerary revolving around Manhattan’s best in sophisticated culture – think art, design, theatre, fashion and dining. For a not-so-common and less ‘obvious’ excursion, The Quin offers a specially designed tour of street art where you can visit various murals, installations and sculptures; cleverly dubbed the “He(art) of New York”. Seemingly hoity toity at first, having a cultural attaché create a themed itinerary while travelling can be incredibly useful for art/fashion/music/theatre geeks who are pressed for time.

Situated smack bang in the middle of Manhattan on the corner of Sixth Avenue and West 57th Street, The Quin is conveniently positioned at the intersection of art, music and high-end commerce. Two blocks away from Central Park in the North, a skip and a hop away from Fifth Avenue for regular shopping bag drop offs and a 5 minute stroll to MoMA with Carnegie Hall just around the corner; its prime location is hard to beat. However, you really don’t need to go far for The Quin itself is a landmark destination for art. Created in partnership with Curator DK Johnston, the Quin Arts program engages with international artists to exhibit paintings, photographs, musical performances and receptions to provide an interactive and immersive experience for the guests. More importantly, the culturally significant pieces and intimate meet-and-greets with artists ingrains a memory for world travellers to take home as an abstract souvenir.