The Carlyle
Upper East Side
COST: $$$$$
A stylish classic, the Carlyle gets all the details right—from the chessboard floors and (still-working!) mail chutes to the new Empire Suite, a cashmere-walled, $15,000-a-night duplex designed by Thierry Despont and curated by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A haven for presidents and blue bloods since 1930, the Carlyle has a pedigreed past, to say the least; it's easy to imagine Jackie Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn bumping into one another at lunch—oh wait, they did. Each of the 187 surpassingly tasteful rooms is unique, but many feature Louis XVI-style furnishings and black-marble bathrooms courtesy of decorator Alexandra Champalimaud, who recently revamped the –05 line. Audubon prints and hardwood floors throughout the hotel are original; cocktails at Bemelmans (with murals by the author of the Madeline children's books) and cabaret at the recently spiffed-up Café Carlyle are two nonpareil experiences of uptown nightlife. In September 2008, the hotel will unveil a new spa.
Tip: Hang out in the lobby to spot someone famous—but don't expect the famously discreet staff to tip you off.
Room to Book: For Art Deco enthusiasts, Suite 509; for Anglophiles, Mark Hampton-decorated Corner Premier Rooms.
As Featured In...
From Travel + Leisure, Jun 2006
“There are 60 co-op apartments at the Carlyle, and 180 hotel accommodations, set in a family-oriented uptown neighborhood. Alexandra says that at first she was 'concerned about how few kids lived at this hotel. It made me big on manners. Sterling greets the doormen, the elevator men by name. He visits the chef.'...” MORE>>
From Travel + Leisure, Dec 2003
“Suite 2806 at the Carlyle has its own gym equipped with a treadmill, stationary bike, and tanning station. After a strenuous workout, treat yourself to a juice (stocked at your request) and a soak in the oversized San Laurent marble tub....” MORE>>
From Travel + Leisure, Feb 2002
“Each of the 180 ultra-traditional guest rooms has been individually appointed by Mark Hampton with plumply upholstered slipper chairs and cutting-garden chintzes. Bobby Short has been entertaining in the Café Carlyle, lined with those quixotic Vertes murals, for more than three decades. At New York's most treasured and aristocratic grand hotel, it seems, the Gilded Age never ended. Rosewood recently acquired the silk-stocking landmark one block over from Central Park and plans an extensive refurbishment, but the old-world flourishes and...” MORE>>
From the T+L 500
Genteel 1930's Art Deco hotel on the Upper East Side.
- Stats:
- 181 rooms; 1 restaurant; 1 bar.
- Competitive Edge:
- A discreet, white-glove atmosphere that keeps the A-list coming back.
- Rooms to Book:
- One of the 28 Premiers: Mark Hampton-designed Corners are the largest; Towers have floor-to-ceiling windows.
- Don't Miss:
- Bartender Brian Van Flandern's knockout cocktails, served in the intimate Bemelmans Bar.
lastArticle = 6/2006 and lastAward = 01/2008
