If filmmaker Wes Anderson had been allowed to design a hotel, but then Tom Hanks were charged with running it, you’d get the Whitby. Its décor (actually created by English co-owner Kit Kemp) is a witty, charming, oh-so-chic mishmash—an antique chair here, a riotously colorful wallpaper there, a corner with 20 different hanging lamps just beyond. Everywhere there are whimsical contemporary and modern art pieces. The new building was custom-built for comfort—rooms are capacious, with floor-to-ceiling casement windows (and sometimes balconies), luxe BeautyRest mattresses, and bidet-laden marble bathrooms. A debonair restaurant, cinema, and gym are also on premises. And as for the staff: They are the salt of the earth, a crew chosen from their kindliness and attention to detail. The hotel, a sister property of the Crosby Street Hotel and part of the popular London-based Firmdale Hotels, is the top pick in midtown for fans of contemporary design. Just two blocks from Central Park.