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That certain je ne sais quoi: Allow these New York City hotels to transport you to Europe

    The rotunda at The Pierre makes you feel like you're at Versailles.

    The rotunda at The Pierre makes you feel like you're at Versailles.

    A jet-set trip to Europe may not be within your budget -- but that doesn't mean you can't fulfill your dreams of Europe right here at home. Some of our favorite New York City hotels will make you feel like you're across the pond with their flair for decor, dining, and service. So whether walking through the front door transplants you in a Tuscan villa or gliding down the gilded staircase makes you think "let them eat cake!," below we'll show you the New York City hotels that have that certain je ne sais quoi that will transplant you to Europe.


    The entrance to The Pierre

    The entrance to The Pierre

    Completed in 1930, The Pierre was built with a Neo-Georgian exterior (an American and English architecture inspired by the 17th century Georgian style of the first four British monarchs of Hanover). The upmost floors' exterior, however, was modeled after the Royal Chapel at Versailles with Corinthian pilasters, arch-headed windows, and a copper roof.


    The ceiling in the rotunda

    The ceiling in the rotunda

    During the hotel's 2009 renovations, decor was updated with Asian accents but many French aesthetics remain, like the Rococo-inspired wall murals and the trompe l'oeil ceiling painting of the sky.


    City View Room at The Pierre

    City View Room at The Pierre

    If you want to make your experience feel as European as possible, dine at the hotel's London outpost restaurant, Le Caprice, before tucking yourself in between Frette sheets in the elegant rooms.


    Lobby at The Greenwich Hotel

    Lobby at The Greenwich Hotel

    Co-owned by actor Robert DeNiro, The Greenwich Hotel was designed to evoke the feel of an (exclusive) Italian villa. Non-guests aren't permitted and, when not empty, no photos are allowed in the lobby where terra-cotta tiles moldered by an Italian, family-owned artisanal company cover the floors.


    The Studio Suite at The Greenwich Hotel

    The Studio Suite at The Greenwich Hotel

    Meticulously chosen leather settees, Moroccan tiles, Oriental rugs, and artwork are all placed in rooms constructed of reclaimed woods, hand-applied stucco, and hand-crafted tiles, so they feel more like an old (but very clean) Italian apartment than a New York hotel room. A hand-chosen selection of books, including several newly released art and photo books, fill the shelves of each room.


    View of the courtyard from the Courtyard Room

    View of the courtyard from the Courtyard Room

    The hotel's airy feel is thanks to the Italian piazza-like courtyard, with lush plant growth and plenty of seats for lounging.


    Entrance to The St. Regis New York

    Entrance to The St. Regis New York

    Built in 1904, the 229-room St. Regis combines historic, European-inspired details -- Beaux Arts architecture and butlers on call 24 hours a day -- with modern amenities like blazing-fast Internet and flat-screen televisions that rise from the foot of the bed via remote control. All of the hotel's concierges are members of Les Clefs D'Or, a French society of professionally-trained concierges.


    Front Desk at The St. Regis

    Front Desk at The St. Regis

    Gilded moldings, glistening chandeliers, and rococo-esque ceiling paintings lend the lobby an air of 18th-century French elegance.


    Madison Suite Bedroom at The St. Regis

    Madison Suite Bedroom at The St. Regis

    Warm pastels, chandeliers, and draped beds in the guestrooms are reminiscent of Marie Antoinette-like opulence.


    Lobby at Hotel Elysee

    Lobby at Hotel Elysee

    Built in 1926 and named for the finest French restaurant at the time, Hotel Elysee is designed in the art deco style that originated in Paris at the beginning of the twentieth century.


    Piano Suite at Hotel Elysee

    Piano Suite at Hotel Elysee

    No two rooms at the hotel are the same -- many pieces in the rooms have been acquired piecemeal to lend the hotel more of a European boutique hotel feel. Some beds have brass frames, wooden frames, leather headboards, or draping in the style de la duchesse like the one seen above.


    Afternoon tea at Hotel Elysee

    Afternoon tea at Hotel Elysee

    In keeping with British customs, the hotel serves complimentary tea every afternoon and the elevators are referred to as lifts.