Before I tell you about The Mark, I’m going to take New Yorkers back to a time we rather forget. Remember last year when Hurricane Sandy came through and pretty much stopped The Big Apple? Lower Manhattan was without power and water for what seemed like nearly a month. Now everyone knows that’s where SoHo, LES, Greenwich Village, TriBeCa, Meatpacking are all located – aka the home of most NY based celebs. Did you know, during that time The Mark Bar was packed to the brim with so many “IT” celebrities it was like walking through a very exclusive, invite-only party.
Now that you have an idea of what sort of crowd The Mark attracts, let me tell you and show you, why.
With 100 rooms, 50 suites and 6 floors dedicated to private residences, The Mark caters to their clientele’s needs. Accommodations are equipped with Bang & Olufsen HD LCD flat screen televisions, five fixture bathrooms with deep soaking tubs, separate showers, double sinks designed in floor to ceiling Italian marble as well as a full functioning kitchens and laundry rooms in certain suites. Throughout my tour their seemed to be a constant fashion influence. There is Karl Lagerfeld commissioned art work throughout, books on Chanel, Dior, Marc Homand customized “bath and body amenities” by La Bottega Dell’albergo. Who also happens to create bespoke pieces for Jo Malone, ETRO, (Malin + Goetz), and C.O. Bigelow – just to name a few.
Just a quick elevator ride downstairs, you’ll find an even more amazing experience in The Mark Restaurant by Jean-Georges (oui, c’est lui!) and The Mark Bar, where the ageless come to enjoy a drink, or two. Jean-Georges brought his knowledge of food and Jacques Grange brought his expertise of design to create an experience for both hotel guests and locals to enjoy. The open dining area atrium, copper and glass wine wall displaying their vast collection of global wines and the continents so smartly outlined on the bars’ lounge furniture provide such a diverse environment, each section welcomes a certain audience depending on their dining preference.
To put it plainly, every hotel has its niche. The Mark’s niche has the ability to say they are luxury, cater to a certain lifestyle, and show it without even an utterance. Located on the corner of Madison Avenue and 77th street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, The Mark is not only a landmark building but surrounds itself with so many other historical developments, all superficial ideologies encompassed in “what is a luxury hotel” flies out the window.
From Millionaire’s Row to The Frick Collection to every high-end fashion boutique being in a half mile radius to Central Park literally less than a block away to an in-house Frederick Fekkai Salon to complimentary use of The Mark bicycles to the shoe shine kiosk downstairs (geez, that was a mouthful), there’s no surprise The Mark is some of fashions’ most elite, hotel of choice.