Hotels are subjective, but some stand head and shoulders above the rest. Rosie Paterson explains why The Mark hotel in New York's Upper East Side deserves its place at the top.
The first time I visited New York, in my early twenties, I was completely bowled over by the city’s grit, its relentless energy and noise, and the sheer scale of everything. In a previous piece for a print edition of Country Life, I described the city skyline as ‘one skyscraper next to another soaring skywards in a sort of vertical arms race’.
I’ve grown to love New York, obsess over it even, but I still find myself drawn to the green respite of Central Park whenever visiting. And I like the hotels that stud its boundary walls: The Lowell, The Carlyle and The Mark. Emblems of the type of old school New York glamour that, as a child, I hungrily consumed in books and biographies and film, and one day imagined trying to replicate.
So back to The Mark, a single block away from Central Park (tick) — all old-school glamour (tick) with bags of personality (tick).
The rooms
The 141 rooms and suites, including The Mark Penthouse, are more understated than the communal areas — don’t worry, there’s still plenty of monochrome and marble, especially in the bathrooms — a calming cocoon to retreat to after a busy day in New York’s busiest borough.
Upgrade to a three- or five-bedroom suite if, for whatever reason you need the space and your own kitchen. They come with their own privates terraces, as does The Mark Penthouse (main image).
The design is very much old-money — Italian bed linen; wonderfully impractical, soft neutral tones; lots of carpet — that cleverly avoids straying into old-fashioned territory.
Eating and drinking
There are two restaurants, The Mark Restaurant By Jean-Georges, which is as sophisticated as it sounds, and Caviar Kaspia at The Mark, New York’s version of the Paris institution (there’s something undeniably French about the bowl of branded matches at the front desk).
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the key ingredient used here is…caviar. And it’s on everything from blinis and jacket potatoes, to tuna tartare.
Lauren Santo Domingo, New York style doyenne and the founder of Moda Operandi, was once quoted as saying that: ‘with the exception of Caviar Kaspia, you’ll rarely find me at a trendy restaurant’. And if it’s good enough for her…
Furry friends are equally well catered for with their own, in-room ‘Spoiled Dog’s Menu’ (spoiler alert: it includes pet-friendly puddings).
How they’ll keep you busy
There’s a fitness centre, a hair salon and a carefully considered wellness menu which includes in room lymphatic massage and IV drips.
In the warmer months, The Mark can organise chic park picnics and private charter trips aboard their own, 70ft Herreshoff sailboat (one of the last in existence).
What else to do while you’re there
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim and Frick Museums are all in walking distance, as are the shops on 5th and Madison Avenues. Look out for the flagship Ralph Lauren store (on weekday mornings, parents doing school drop off and dog walkers bound for the park queue up for caffeine at the perennially popular Ralph’s Coffee outpost), La Ligne (for striped cashmere jumpers) and Ludivine (for designer womenswear)
Click here to read our complete guide to Manhattan, New York.
Who is it for?
The majority of people staying when I was there were couples in their mid-40s and upwards.
However, I (early-30s) was travelling with my Mum (early-60s) and it was utterly perfect. Planning a spoiling trip with some girlfriends? Stay here.
What gives it the ‘wow’ factor
The hotel’s fun touches that prevent it from all becoming a bit too serious and grown-up.
Look out for the branded stationery, plates and toiletries — especially the white and orange make-up bags that Travel Editors whisper about to one another with hushed reverence (the line drawings are by French artist Jean-Philippe Delhomme) — the Assouline bookshop on the ground floor and the Mark ‘Haute Dog Cart’ that’s open daily, weather permitting.
Think gourmet, organic chicken and grass-fed beef hot dogs, exclusive to guests of the hotel and neighbourhood friends.
The one thing we’d change
Honestly, nothing.
Obviously hotels are subjective and if you prefer to sleep tight somewhere minimalist and modern then The Mark isn’t for you…but more fool you.
Rooms from $1,295, excluding tax. Visit www.themarkhotel.com for more information and to book.
