"Excuse me, you can't go any further here," says the bouncer.

Not everyone can walk into the new Aman Hotel on 57th Street and Fifth Avenue and claim to have a booking or an appointment.

When that is clarified, 24 hours begin in another world - and it surprises with silence, in the middle of Manhattan.

The first thing you hear is that you hear almost nothing.

Aman New York wants to be a "resort" in the city, a relaxation hotel, a "new place of peace," according to the promotional brochure.

Upon entering the historic Crown Building, guests truly leave the ubiquitous noise of Manhattan behind.

A not inconsiderable part of the 1.25 billion dollars that the hotel group has invested here must have gone into the superior soundproofing.

Unlike many other hotels, the Jean-Michel Gathy-designed Aman doesn't open onto the street with a spacious lobby.

If you stay here in November, you'll pay $3,400 for the cheapest room, plus $512 in taxes and fees.

Breakfast costs a hundred dollars extra.

For the winter you can still get prices from 2600 dollars without taxes.

The media have already voted the new hotel the most expensive hotel in town.

For comparison: In November you can spend a night at the Plaza Hotel for 1300 dollars, at the Ritz-Carlton it costs 1800 dollars.

For $4,000 and up, the Aman would be reluctant to share a lobby with onlookers and laptop freelancers.

The elevator takes you from the small welcome zone to the lobby on the 14th floor - of course only when accompanied.

Everything very silent

The check-in counter is discreetly located in the hallway.

Nothing should distract you from relaxing in comfortable armchairs in the two-storey lobby.

Here, the ornate chandeliers of typical urban luxury hotels are absent.

The bright space is dominated by a hanging sculpture by Dutch artist Peter Gentenaar, coiled rust-colored paper and bamboo.

The rooms are below this floor, you have to get used to that.

Each of the 83 rooms is a suite, the smallest is 75 square meters.

The guest is welcomed with soft music, his own name greets him on the TV screen, fruit and chocolates are on the table in the seating area.

The fire, which blazes next to a chaise longue set into the window, can be controlled with a click of a tablet.

It goes on and off almost silently behind thick glass.

The tablet also regulates the television, room service or spa booking – and of course the various indirect light sources that the room, which is more than three and a half meters high, also needs to make it feel comfortable.

Movable, illuminated screen-style partitions separate the sleeping area from the bathroom.

Beige, gray and white are the dominant colors, the motto is calm.

A free-standing, circular bathtub overlooks the fire and the empty but brightly lit Bergdorf Goodman department store on 57th Street in the evening.

The huge TV screen can be lowered completely into the wooden sideboard with a click, then the view of the wall is undisturbed: the muted tones on the wall paintings on washi paper soothe the eye.

They are inspired by the masterpiece "Pine Grove Portrait",