Great potential - but a few significant issues
A mixed bag, mostly good with a couple of issues. My partner and I recently stayed at the Mark for three nights. We usually stay at the Pierre or Gramercy Park but had heard good things about the Mark and thought we’d give it a shot.
The good is really good. The design is gorgeous from the bar to the restaurant to the lobby to the rooms – everywhere, everything is contemporary and stunning. Clean lines, sleek and bright. Often the lobbies of high-end hotels are stunning and then the room falls down (Dream Downtown). Not the case here. We were in Room 812 – king sized bed, gigantic (by Manhattan standards) shower and great closet space. The bathroom had a flat screen built into the mirror. You can see that the spent a lot of money on mouldings and finishing work.
We went to the bar at night – great crowd, a good mix, young people, established people, gay, straight – well dressed, sophisticated. Cocktails were terrific and the service was spot on.
And then it fell down a bit. As the check-in clerk was showing us the room, we noticed that the Crestron system was not working – which is a bit of a problem since the entire room is tied to the Crestron remote. She said someone would be up within the hour to fix or replace the remote. We went out for a walk, had lunch, came back – and it wasn’t fixed. I went downstairs as we were on our way out for the night and asked again if someone could have a look at it. I was assured they would.
No one ever came and it was never fixed.
Worse yet, the TV’s – in the main bedroom and in the bathroom – would randomly turn on at 4 or 5 in the morning with intensely high volume that all had to be shut down manually. Not a total disaster but given their price point – not good news either.
While the bathrooms were impressive by New York hotel standards, there is design flaw they need to figure out. The seal at the top of the shower is too tight and doesn't allow the air to circulate - the upshot being a moldy smell that takes away from the luxurious design.
The other issue was street noise. Wow. I am pretty durable by New York standards. I lived there for twenty years. I get it. But this was pretty disturbing. We were on the 77th Street side of the Mark (which I thought might be quieter than the Madison Avenue side). If that was the case, I can only imagine the Madison Avenue side. If you decide to make a reservation – definitely ask about noise and request a “quiet room” if one exists.
Would I stay there again? Maybe. It has the potential to be an amazing addition to the luxury hotels on the upper east side – but again – given their price point, it needs to be flawless and it’s not.