Set the scene for us. Since it opened in 1930, The Carlyle has become something more than the sum of its extremely alluring parts, a living legend that embodies, if not the spirit of New York City, at least one of her spirits: her brightest, most sparkling, most elegant self; witty, worldly, and nostalgic. It's a dream sequence from a David Lynch movie, in the best possible way. A smallish lobby, at once dark and reflective; the black marble floor gleams like a lake in moonlight. Dogs have been known to freak out and refuse to walk across it. Intensely designed (thank you, Dorothy Draper), partly theatrical (the soft, squishy velvety bits), partly ecclesiastical (the hard monochrome stony bits).
What’s the story with it?
The details of this hotel’s past hardly bear repeating. It is a compendium of great stories, an anthology, a doorstopper. What is of greater concern is its future—so keep reading.
What can we expect from the bedrooms? One of the joys of the hotel is that there is such extraordinary variety. This is partly a consequence of its also being a residential co-op. Over the years, since it opened in 1930, it has been renovated occasionally in an ad-hoc fashion. A renovation in 2019 saw Tony Chi wave his magic wand over some 80 percent of the 192 rooms, an effort based on his sterling efforts at The Carlyle’s sister property, the Rosewood London.
How about the food and drink?
Bemelmans Bar—as atmospherically gloomy as the caves of Lascaux and its walls just as enchantingly decorated—is just about as good as a bar can be. It is quite rightly famous for its martinis, which might stagger the gods. (But these guys can make anything, so there is no need to stick to the martinis.) Meanwhile, the restaurant's breakfast contains the most delicious marmalade outside the British Isles. So make the most of these various ingredients and ask the bar to liaise with the kitchen and scare you up a breakfast martini.
What sort of person stays here?
An entire movie has been made about this—Always at The Carlyle—in which present-day tribal elders such as George Clooney, Sofia Coppola, Wes Anderson, and Naomi Campbell discuss their fondness for the joint.
What’s the surrounding neighborhood like?
The hotel is an essential thread in the tapestry of the Upper East Side. You could say much the same thing about a number of other nearby hotels—the Lowell, Mark, and Surrey, for starters; or The Pierre, The Sherry-Netherland, and The Plaza, a little bit further south. The Sherry-Netherland, for instance, has what may be the most atmospheric lobby of any hotel in the world. But The Carlyle remains The Carlyle. Not so much the best of all worlds as its own world.
What else should we know?
The passage from the car park through the kitchen to the lifts and up to the Kennedy suite—the route that Marilyn Monroe supposedly took to and from her assignations with Mr. President. Also, the Marcel Vertès murals in Café Caryle, some of which were recently touched-up and added to by local artist Glenn Palmer-Smith.
Is it worth it—and why? Perhaps you could rephrase the question. Are you worth it? This is a beguiling mixture of opulence and severity, impossible to locate historically or stylistically. This joint is not one thing but many, like the city itself.
35 E 76th St, New York City, New York 10021
United States
https://www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/the-carlyle-new-york
(212) 744-1600