Tuesday, September 7, 2010

The Surrey



We are hosting an international PR Managers meeting here in New York later this year. Bizarrely, it is quite difficult to find a beautiful, chic, modern hotel uptown, that also has conference facilities. But we finally found the perfect place; the new Surrey Hotel. It is an aesthete's dream.

Built in 1926 as a residence hotel, it has been home to many characters over the years, including JFK, Bette Davis and Claudia Colbert. In 2009, it was given a $60 million overhaul by architect and interior designer Lauren Rottet and has gone from pre-war elegance to super-chic contemporary. Think calming grey, black and white palette, art deco feel, peppered with fabulous contemporary art pieces.

The lobby includes an interactive video by South African artist William Kentridge, and a giant Kate moss tapestry greets you as you make your way up to your room.


The quilted walls in the Bar Pleiades - named in homage to the original French restaurant frequented by the worlds art elite from 1971 - 1992 - are reminiscent of Chanel's famous handbag.



All the bedrooms have the out-of-this-world Duxiana beds.


The bathrooms are spacious and classically elegant with modern finishes and gorgeously packaged Surrey amenities.


And the Presidential suite where we are hosting our meeting is to die for! With views over Madison Ave, Central Park and the beautiful architecture of the UES, it has a huge living room, TWO bathrooms, a bar, dining table for 10 and a grand piano in case you are staying there with Billy Joel.



The piece de resistance is the roof garden, where you can sip a cocktail and watch the sun set over Manhattan.


The Surrey is in a perfect location. You are on E 76th St, with Michael Kors opposite and every other fashion brand imaginable around the corner on Madison Ave. And it's only a hop skip and jump the other way to Central Park, with a 10 minute walk to the Met, Guggenheim, Neue and Whitney! And if you are looking for a real New York experience on a Monday night, nip across the road to the Carlyle, where you can hear Woody Allen play the sax. You can't get more New York than that!



images: (1) gawker, (2-9) the surrey, (9) luxury hub, (10) village voice

1 comment:

Tricia Rose said...

You were asking where the blue and white teacup was from - Delft! I bought the whole lot from a neighbour who was moving - actually it's an old-fashioned coffee service, complete with pot.