Rath checks in: The Mark, New York

NYC “I want to be a part of it – New York, New York,” sings Frank Sinatra about the city of my dreams. Being in New York has always been special for me. The Hotel The Mark puts the crown on it all.

Arguably one of the Big Apple’s most legendary lodgings, it’s a boutique hotel with a privileged location on the Upper East Side. In 2020 it won the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Award for Best City Hotel in the USA and Best Hotel in New York. However, that doesn’t quite make sense to me – although numerous stars and starlets come and go here not only for the Met Gala.

The first thing I love about it is the cute little bar. Excellent wines are on the menu here, including a few great French wines that are hard to find elsewhere. The French touch at the Mark has its reasons: the hotel was built in 1927 on Madison Avenue in a Neo-Renaissance style and was redesigned in 2010 by French interior decorator and designer Jacques Grange and several other well-known designers.

Using patterns and geometric shapes, Grange has given the home a touch of downtown feel with a strong Art Deco touch. Typical, for example, is the black and white patterned floor in the lobby. It puts me in a good mood as soon as I check in. As are the humorous drawings by French illustrator Jean-Philippe Delhomme, showing details from the hotel, staff and guests.

A small boutique hotel by New York proportions, it still offers the largest penthouse suite in North America – bold luxury. This can be booked for Christmas with a spectacular package including a private performance of the Christmas spectacle “The Nutcracker” by the world-famous New York Ballet for US$150,000. Too bad, I already have other (cheaper) plans.

The housekeeping is particularly praiseworthy, not at all profane. The amenities in the bathroom, the small cookies in the shape of a New York taxi – everything is put together with a lot of love. The security – important in a city like New York – also works perfectly. What I like best: the shoe shine service of the British luxury shoemaker company John Lobb, which I use before my visit to the hotel restaurant.

In “The Restaurant by Jean-George” by the – also French – star chef Jean-George Vongerichten I am surprised by the menu. It’s international, not to say random, I didn’t expect that. The huge selection of desserts is interesting.

I visit the restaurant around lunchtime and am amazed that it is fully booked inside and even on the terrace, which overlooks the slightly quieter 77th Street. The Mark is a bit out of the way, not in downtown or between 50th and 60th streets, 5th Avenue, where the pulse of the luxury city beats. So I take it as a good sign.

There is a lack of coordination at breakfast

Star chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten actually comes out of the kitchen himself from time to time and greets the guests, I’m told. I order a Ceasar’s salad and absolutely love it. It’s the best I’ve ever eaten. The mayonnaise isn’t that greasy but well incorporated, the lettuce doesn’t consist of large leaves but is cut into small pieces, and the croutons are also no more than two millimeters in size. On top is a whole chicken breast roasted on the grill. Simply delicious.

At breakfast, on the other hand, I think you could do better. Although there are many employees, there seems to be a lack of coordination. The ordered cappuccino only comes after ten minutes – for my taste that takes too long.

What The Mark doesn’t have is a spa. But the gym is very large and excellently equipped with everything you need: cardio equipment, weights and even a Peloton bike. That motivates even the last couch potato. And a German has also made it into the Big Apple. Barbara Sturm, the beauty icon, recently opened a spa and boutique next to the hotel. Guests use it in abundance.

A run through the nearby Central Park is the best alternative for me, and I don’t want to miss it. Before that, however, I need more information and contact the concierge. I’m looking for a very specific Asian restaurant whose name I’ve forgotten. All I remember is the black and white decor and that they have dim sum. Not much information for the concierge.

He doesn’t know the restaurant, but wants to find out more while I’m jogging through the park. And indeed: When I come back, he asked around and found the restaurant. He proactively made a reservation for me at the Lee West. That’s how you imagine a great concierge.

Conclusion: Of course, The Mark lives from its reputation, from the fact that a regular audience and also the VIPs are at home here. No wonder, there is something about this black and white New York design luxury understatement. The house is really well booked – as is the restaurant. A hotel I enjoy staying at when visiting the city that never sleeps.

Rath’s travel rating (current rating in bold):

1. Explicit Travel Warning
2. Better than under the bridge
3. So-so, not oh là là
4. Complaining at a high level
5. If only it were always like this
6. Great cinema

Insider tips:

Restaurant: Shun Lee West is one of my favorite New York restaurants. Not just because I have an affinity for China. Before the pandemic, the waiters drove through here with a trolley full of dim sum, always new, fresh, with a wide variety of fillings. Unfortunately, the carriages are no longer there, the once down-to-earth restaurant has become fancier. But the golden decorative dragons have remained and the quality of the dim sum is still excellent. Simply a highlight.

Jogging route: Once through the nearby Central Park – a must for every running enthusiastic visitor to New York.

vantage point: Those chartering the hotel’s sailboat can take a 2-hour tour of New York Harbor and enjoy views of the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty.

Art: There are numerous galleries and museums in the vicinity of the hotel. Fifth Avenue is home to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Jewish Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, among others. The Gagosian Gallery and The Met Breuer are located on Madison Avenue, as is the hotel.

About the author: As a former grand hotelier and operator of the Travelgrand.ch travel platform, Carsten K. Rath is a professional globetrotter. He travels to all the hotels he writes about for the Handelsblatt on his own account. Rath is the brain behind the ranking “The 101 best hotels in Germany”, whose partners include the Handelsblatt.