This Upper East Side iconic hotel is the ideal destination for expressing the written word and yourself as a whole. When folks travel to Manhattan, the majority enjoy staying in Midtown, as it is closer to landmarks such as Time Square, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, among others. As a person who was always fond of the hospitality industry and its offerings, I love a good Manhattan staycation. I live right across the Manhattan skyline in Hudson County, New Jersey, which is why I define city hotel stays as staycations. With this in mind, The Carlyle hotel is the ideal place to staycation for those that are local to the Big Apple…even better, the ideal place to stay for those who are visiting.
Many who travel nowadays are either writers, photographers, fashion designers, or a creative of some sort, since many have a special story to tell. As a person who has been writing for more than half her life, The Carlyle hotel is the place I’d stay at. Many may know the hotel to be a place where the sparkle of elegance and loyalty has been built up over decades, in addition to it being the destination for getting Met Gala ready for celebrities such as Rihanna, Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner, Priyanka Chopra, among others. Although The Carlyle is recognizably glamorous and iconic, the 35-story hotel received its name in honor of British essayist Thomas Carlyle, whose major works include The French Revolution, 3 vol and more. The hotel was designed by Bien & Prince and was completed in 1930, which was considered to have a design in a”diversified setback style”, according to a newspaper of the era.
When walking in, kind doormen will open the door for you into an alluring lobby with yellow furniture, chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings, along with paintings created by Austrian-American writer and illustrator, Ludwig Bemelmans, who is best known for the Madeline picture books. Once you hop on the vintage looking elevator and head up to a suite, you’ll feel like Holly Golightly or Truman Capote, the writer who brought Golightly to life.
The Carlyle provides private terraces for certain guest rooms and suites, where one can sit out and absorb the city’s fresh air. Overall, there are 189 rooms; 155 of thethe rooms and suites were recently designed by New York-based, award-winning design practice tonychi studio. When entering The Carlyle’s newly refreshed guest rooms, you’ll be inspired by the beauty and charm of the Big Apple’s pre-war era, the Upper East Side, and the fashionable society who have set foot and graced the halls of this classy hotel residence. Depending on the floor you’re on, have expansive views of the whole city. The Carlyle is the epitome of archetypal New York City apartment living meets contemporary living, as high end fixtures and furnishings, black-and-white lacquered panelings, illustrated wallpapers of quaint silhouettes from Central Park – reverberations of Bemelmans and Vertès – and mindful curations of artwork, books, and other decor are present, which all define a creative, homelike, and residential look along with the worthiness of the hotel. Not to mention, fine art deco inspirations are also all around, which pay a tribute to The Carlyle’s original designer, Dorothy Draper.
The hotel is also a cooperative building with 32 owned residences where shareholders have access to a plethora of hotel amenities, in addition to daily housekeeping.
Of course, The Carlyle includes dining locales such as the newly opened Dowling’s, the enigmatic Bemelmans Bar, the classic Café Carlyle providing a characteristic cabaret experience, and The Gallery which is considered to be The Carlyle’s “living room”. Lastly, the hotel houses The Yves Durif Salon on the third floor and recently debuted The Valmont Spa this past fall.
For a productive vacation, staycation, or creative retreat, The Carlyle is the place to be. All creative ideas for your story will come to fruition – just mindfully ask Ludwig Bemelman and Thomas Carlyle.
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