We once knew a very fashionable New York couple, a terribly chic pair of interior designers who, though they lived in a posh midtown apartment, would, periodically, check into a grand New York hotel for a celebratory weekend.
For it is true that one of the downsides to living in New York is that only infrequently are you able to avail yourself of the pleasure of New York hotels. Hence, an in-town escape, happily ensconced in a hotel suite overlooking Central Park.
And if you, like us, find yourself hypnotized by the impossibly glamorous Hollywood films of the Thirties, in which the city of New York is rendered with a mesmerizing satiny, silver sheen and an ongoing twilight glow, then you’re exactly the sort of individual unable to resist the romance of a stay at Manhattan’s Art Deco masterpiece, the Jumeirah Essex House.
Opened in 1931, the Essex House (known then as Park Tower) looked the Great Depression squarely in the eye – and celebrated its opening with a thousand-person party in the ballroom. Designed by Frank Grad, the Essex House is one of the National Trust Historic Hotels, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
For more than seventy-five years, the hotel’s fabled Art Deco gilded doors have opened onto Central Park, which is one very good reason why the Essex House personnel consider Central Park to be the Essex House front lawn. Indeed it is – and particularly when glimpsed from one of the Central Park suites, whereupon the entirety of the Park’s autumnal splendor is revealed in one of those jaw-dropping vistas that one associates with Carrie Bradshaw’s life.
And indeed, a recent stay at the Essex House left us impossibly besotted with New York and all its charms.
A Carrie Bradshaw Moment
No sooner had we glided through the Essex House’s Art Deco gilded entrance and across the threshold into the black-and-white tessellated marble lobby with its highly polished black onyx plinths than we were greeted by an impeccably attired man who addressed us by name.
By name! Yes, by name. Imagine the ego gratification at that moment: recognition, with name! Already a Carrie Bradshaw moment – and we hadn’t even removed our sunglasses.
From there, we were escorted toward a desk where every detail of our stay was confirmed and outlined, whereafter the man in the bespoke suit led us upstairs – to our home for the weekend.
Remember the story of Eloise, the little girl who lived in a New York hotel? Who amongst us hasn’t lived that fantasy? Who wouldn’t want to live in a hotel – and particularly in a suite of rooms with expansive views of Gotham’s midtown towers, Columbus Circle, the gilded bronze Maine Monument, Time Warner’s towers, the George Washington Bridge, and all of it interlaced with the trees and pathways of Central Park?
(Source: The JW Marriott Essex House)
The Golden Age of Travel
It was in 2006 that Jumeirah purchased Essex House and embarked upon a $90 million refurbishment of every one of the Essex House’s 509 luxury, non-smoking rooms, which range in size from 300 to 2,500 square feet. Yes, larger than our Manhattan apartment – and so it was no wonder that we decided immediately that we would not be leaving the property. “No, not ever,” she said, stomping her little foot.
If you’ve seen the film Grand Hotel, with Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford, or perhaps Twentieth Century, with Carole Lombard and John Barrymore, then you no doubt remember those sumptuous hotel rooms – and the sense of romance that accompanied travel.
The Twenties was the golden age of travel, which is precisely what Jumeirah sought to recreate with their detailed focus on guest services. Lest you’ve forgotten, these are the people who metamorphosed a small desert town into a five-star hospitality mecca known as Dubai. And all through Jumeirah Essex House, the adept staff (of which there are more than four hundred members) work together with adroit professionalism – and even more refreshing, what appears to be a genuine regard and respect for each other.
Suites Both Classic and Contemporary
With their customary appreciation for design, Jumeirah lavished attention on the Essex House’s interior refurbishment. Take the alligator leather accents, for example, which render the built-in, burled wood cabinetry evocative of the steamer trunks of Louis Vuitton – as well as the staterooms of the grand Cunard cruise line. Nail-studded white leather ottomans flank the foot of the bed – and should you tire of the view, Roman shades in white lace frame the window, while a built-in velvet-covered chaise enables you to play Garbo as Ninotchka for hours on end.
The Thirties were known for their focus on the future – and complementing all that Thirties glamour in the Essex House rooms is a touch-screen control pad, with settings for lighting, mood, and temperature that enable each guest to create exactly the right atmosphere for his/her close-up. HD LCD flat-panel TVs, and “stumble lights” beneath the nightstands and bathroom vanity, are some of the other details that help make these rooms both classic and contemporary.
Mirrors are leather-framed, in red, thereby evoking the famous, six-story sign atop the hotel. You’ve seen it; you know it: every postcard, every photograph of Central Park South has that Big Apple red, Essex House sign featured prominently.
(Source: The JW Marriott Essex House)
Where to Find Gatsby and Daisy
Downstairs, in the lobby, the furnishings are equally de-luxe, with white leather banquettes and dimly-lit table lamps – and where you almost expect to find Gatsby and Daisy in a clandestine tryst.
For years, Sunday brunch at the Essex House was de rigueur for those who strolled through Central Park. Essex House’s new in-house restaurant, South Gate, opened in February 2008 with a spectacular redesign by Tony Chi who created a massive skylight as well as opened up the room to the views onto the front lawn – or rather, Central Park.
Not only does South Gate feature what is, arguably, the largest fireplace in Manhattan (hot buttered rum, anyone?), the kitchen is helmed by Kerry Heffernan, whom you might recall from his triumphant days at Eleven Madison, the Danny Meyer temple of gastronomy that re-introduced Madison Square as a destination for the fashionable.
That Manhattan Elixir
There’s no question that the restaurant, South Gate, is bubbling with that Manhattan elixir of romance, beauty, and ambition, fueled by food and cocktails that are the culinary equivalent of the curated art on the walls from the Essex House’s artists-in-residence program.
Yes, Essex House has a curator for its art collection, which is notable for works that examine the relationship between the hotel and Central Park. Artists of many mediums occasionally take up residence while working on pieces commissioned by Essex House – and the resultant works are stunning. Mark Innerst’s painting in the lobby, Avenue with Towers and Monument (2006), for example, has all the luminosity of a Manhattan gloaming as well as the golden hues associated with Art Deco architecture. And Atta Kim’s massive pair of time-exposure photographs of Central Park’s Literary Walk remind us of the fecundity that surrounds us daily and the landscaping genius of Vaux and Olmstead.
And speaking of walks in the Park, Essex House recently inaugurated its Canine Turndown Program. That’s right, for those canine crazies amongst us, Essex House has put together a pampering regime that includes Wagwear dog beds, Wagwear food and water bowls, with matching placemat, as well as an Essex House logo fleece blanket. As for the dog treats made by the pastry chef, we know someone who ate one (we’re not saying who) – and swore it was one of the best pieces of pork belly he’d ever eaten.
(Source: The JW Marriott Essex House)
Personalized Butler Service
Apart from dog biscuits, the Executive Pastry Chef does wonders with spun sugar – and if you find yourself in the lobby during teatime, you’ll probably see cameras aimed at the tea table where a resplendent array of pastries and petits fours are made to resemble shoes and handbags from Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo. Yes, that’s right – another Carrie Bradshaw moment.
By Sunday morning, with the arrival of the entire five-pound Sunday New York Times and a pot of French press coffee delivered by our personal butler (one of the more indulgent features of Jumeirah Essex House), we came to a realization. We weren’t leaving Essex House – even if it meant shackling ourselves to the crimson velvet settee.
And then we had an epiphany. There we were, pillows plumped all around us, the Times scattered across the king-sized bed, Miles playing on the Bose stereo, wooing us with “Autumn in New York” – and we had an epiphany. A one-word epiphany: anniversary. It was genius; we’d return to the Essex House to celebrate our anniversary. And maybe New Year’s as well. And why not Valentine’s Day too?
We’ll meet you in the lobby for cocktails – and toast to Manhattan’s Art Deco masterpiece, the Essex House.
