Making your mark: Living the Manhattan dream | The CEO Magazine

New York is full of luxury hotels that trade on hushed exclusivity. The entrances are discreet and guarded, their guests whisked inside without so much as sullying their soles on the surrounding streets.

But checking into The Mark, I feel instantly immersed in the elegance and style of the Upper East Side neighborhood.

Striped, black and white sun umbrellas are strung above tables on the footpath, where diners sit with glasses of wine and plates of oysters.

Immaculately dressed doormen greet guests and passers-by with warm smiles, locals stroll past on their way to do a bit of shopping on Madison Ave, while Harry, The Mark’s resident hot dog maestro, works the streetside cart, dishing up haute hot dogs – the distinctly New York flourish every grand hotel secretly needs.

From past to present

Originally opened in 1927 as the Hyde Park Hotel, The Mark is one of New York’s most recognizable luxury hotels. Designed in the Renaissance Revival style and located on East 77th Street, it reflects the elegance of the neighborhood near Central Park and Museum Mile.

The property changed hands several times over the decades, before being comprehensively reinvented in 2009, when French designer Jacques Grange got his hands on the building, transforming the pre-war landmark into a modern beacon of high-style and Paris-infused luxury.

Applying his signature eclectic approach, Grange stripped away the building’s dated 1980s interiors and went boldly maximalist, with striking color contrasts, custom-designed furniture and art-filled spaces that feel closer to a private Upper East Side residence than a conventional hotel.

The fashion-forward rebirth received no bigger validation than when it was chosen as the staging ground for the Met Gala, the annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, just around the corner from the hotel.

The lobby makes an immediate impression, with Grange’s geometric black-and-white marble floor a defining – and very New York – feature. A cozy bar occupies the street frontage, while tucked behind is The Mark Restaurant by Jean-Georges, helmed by acclaimed French-American chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

The rooms are currently undergoing a careful refresh, with the hotel restoring rather than reinventing Jacques Grange’s original design, keeping the classic look while bringing everything back to pristine condition.

Checking in

In a city where abodes are notoriously snug, my 46-square-meter Seventy-Seven King room feels positively palatial, with a proper entrance foyer, stacks of storage space, elegant furnishings in ebony, sycamore and nickel, and a spacious black and white bathroom with a double vanity, separate rain shower and a deep soaking tub.

The bed is wrapped in plush Italian linens, and I have a window view over the comings and goings on the busy street below.

A catalogue in my room showcases The Mark keepsakes, available for purchase from Le Shop on the ground floor. Among the offerings are The Mark’s signature Jurassic Flower candle by Frédéric Malle, an Alessi corkscrew, branded tennis caps, the hotel’s Assouline book, and a range of accessories and treats for pampered pooches (like many luxury North American hotels, The Mark is very pet-friendly).

Indulgent as it is, my room is nothing compared with the higher levels. The Mark houses three penthouses, one of them billed as the largest penthouse in the United States: a five-bedroom, six-bathroom behemoth sprawling over two levels and more than 900 square meters, with a skylit atrium leading up to a private rooftop terrace overlooking Central Park, multiple fireplaces, powder rooms and wet bars and a private gym and steam room.

The custom-designed furniture (by Jacques Grange, naturally) is all one of a kind, while artworks and objects were commissioned from an impressive roll-call of names, including Karl Lagerfeld and Todd Eberle.

I get lost on my guided tour, unable to find my way out of the warren of lavish bedrooms and lounge areas. A grand piano holds court in the enormous living room, which has eight-meter high ceilings and can be transformed into a full-sized ballroom.

It’s less a hotel suite than a full-blown Manhattan fantasy apartment. And it can be yours for a mere US$100,000 a night.

Neighborhood connection

The penthouses may be beyond the reach of most guests, but The Mark’s greatest luxury is far more democratic: the way it plugs you straight into Upper East Side life.

The concierge desk can open doors across the city, arranging private, before and after-hours tours of The Frick Collection and Met Gala exhibitions. A partnership with Bergdorf Goodman offers guests special access to a personalized shopping experience and dedicated stylist at its flagship Fifth Avenue store.

During the warmer months you can charter The Mark Sailboat, a 6.5-meter, restored historic vessel, for a two-hour cruise through New York Harbor and past the Statue of Liberty.

Or spend half a day exploring Central Park, which is basically the hotel’s backyard. Concierge can arrange a custom picnic with a curated menu from Jean-Georges, complete with a custom Mark blanket and all the trimmings.

I’m in the mood for something slightly more active, so I borrow a Mercedes-Benz e-bike to zip around the park, stopping by the pond to take the helm of a remote control sailboat for half an hour (complimentary for hotel guests).

Central Park is always one of my favorite New York spots – gorgeous in all seasons – and I know I’ll always find new areas I haven’t seen before.

My cycling excursion works up an appetite, so I meet a friend for dinner at The Mark Restaurant. There’s a noticeable absence of stiff formality in the dining experience, which works perfectly with Jean-Georges’ polished, Upper East Side comfort food.

We start with a clever egg caviar dish, with soft scrambled eggs served inside the egg shell and topped with vodka-infused whipped cream, alongside a generous portion of Petrossian caviar JG Select.

The crispy salmon sushi meanwhile is so moreish we order a serve to accompany every course. Main courses are wide-ranging and approachable, with everything from prime beef tenderloin to Maine lobster to Faroe Islands salmon and parmesan-crusted roast chicken.

The Mark signature cheeseburger comes with black truffle dressing and Brie, and there’s even a selection of pizzas, underlying the refreshing lack of pretension.

Live well, forever

If there’s one thing lacking, it’s a dedicated day spa, but that’s about to change, as the hotel prepares to unveil a new wellness and longevity center in collaboration with luxury skincare brand Augustinus Bader, founded by the German biomedical scientist whose work centers on stem cell biology and regenerative medicine.

In the meantime, guests can request in-room wellness treatments, including facials and massages.

Ultimately, what I love most about The Mark is the way it manages to feel inseparable from the city around it. Central Park is your backyard, The Met is around the corner, Madison Ave runs past the door, and Harry is still serving hot dogs on the footpath.

Not so much an escape from New York as a way to feel part of it.

For more information, go to themarkhotel.com