She skyrocketed out of obscurity to become designer Hedi Slimane’s long-time muse. Now, model Grace Hartzel has all but conquered fashion’s inner-circle. We catch the NY native – and new face of DKNY Stories – for a chat on robot hotels and why New York is the greatest city on earth

New York is full of endless possibilities.  
And this is mostly due to the people you meet here. It’s buzzing with brilliant people from all over the world, each of whom have amazing stories and ambitions, and are usually doing incredible, inspiring things.

The first thing to do in New York is walk. 
Walk the streets of the city and get a feel for each new neighbourhood. I may be biased, but make sure you get to Chinatown – my favourite place in the city. There are some amazing parks around this area, less busy than Central Park, making them the perfect place to escape New York’s hustle and bustle.

My favourite hotel is staffed by robots.
When in Tokyo, either I’ll research the best available Airbnb, or head straight to the Henn na Hotel (below). It's one of my favourite hotels in the world, and entirely staffed by multi-lingual robots. If you love sleek hotels, karaoke, arcade games, music shows and the occasional temple, then you’ll love Tokyo as much as I do.

The place I’ve never been, but would love to go is...
...India, for the food, the culture, the colours, the experience – it seems like an amazing country!

Being a part of the DKNY campaign was something special.
This was partly because it’s such a classic, iconic brand whose vibe is so rooted in the city I live in, and partly because I love shooting with Greg (Gregory Harris). He’s so much fun and incredibly talented. We shot all over the city – on the lower east side, on a rooftop, by the river and on the streets of Chinatown.

Music and water are my flying essentials.
Before any flight, I always make sure to have plenty of new music queued up to listen to – one of my favourite albums is Gorillaz: Plastic Beach, which is a fantastic listen when walking around NYC. I also make sure to drink lots of water, so wherever I land I feel refreshed. 

I’ve had so many amazing experiences with modelling.
It’s hard to pick just one, however, one of my all time favourite fashion moments was attending the Met Gala (below), dressed in Dior, in New York. That was an incredible experience I won’t soon forget.

What does British Airways mean to me?
It’s knowing that I’ll get to experience luxury and comfort at the same time. It’s also the confidence that I’ll be in for a great, and easy, trip, wherever it is that I’m flying to. 

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This article has been tagged Fashion + Style, Destination