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MBO NYC :: NYC Hotels

The Mark Hotel, NYC

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Last Updated: September 04,2009 4:20:02 pm

You can build a new hotel with all the modern bells and whistles. Or you can take an old classic and give it a $150 million makeover. Use The Mark Hotel as an example; Located a block from Central Park, the Upper East Side hotel closed up shop in 2008 for an ambitious renovation, with grand expectations of reopening with people lining up for $1,000 per-night rooms. A brilliant plan, if it wasn't for that pesky recession.

But here it is. Hotel and recession. And with most of the construction done (Jean-Georges Vongerichten's second eponymous eatery is under construction and will open in late Fall), The Mark is now open in soft launch phase, shelling out the hotel's best rooms at well below the half price level.

Inside, The Mark is a renovated interpretation of a contemporary five-star hotel, complete with warm golden tones, vast public spaces interspersed with glistening artifacts and contemporary and traditional artwork and polished hardwood features. The gym, with the requisite juice bar, is conveniently available to guests in most hours. Bathrooms have deep contoured soaking tubs, separate showers, a double vanity, marble slab walls and nickel-plated fixtures.

While not a disciple of the shock-and-awe approach, The Mark is nonetheless safe and tidy, furnished by Jacques Grange, with tapered legs and boxy desk alcoves taking their cue from the ramrod-straight decorating of the Park Hyatt. While standard rooms are a respectable 420 square feet, the 800-square-foot suites are worth the upgrade, with a living room and business desk.

However, the service at all levels is five-star formal without losing the friendliness. The Mark is as serious a business hotel as you can get, and the hotel is likely to have a fair smattering of expats who base themselves here for a bit of work and a bit of play.