You Can Now Book New York’s Fifth Avenue Hotel As A Private Mansion

Collar stays. They might be a staple in a gentleman’s wardrobe but they’re not usually found in the amenity offerings in the bathroom of a hotel. They are here, though, in The Fifth Avenue Hotel which opened in October in NoMad in New York. And it makes sense: the original 19^th century mansion, remodeled as a Renaissance palazzo in 1907, was formerly the site of Gilded Age society events and it’s easy to imagine a guest of the first owner, renowned hostess Charlotte Goodridge, having his valet install them before heading off to the opera. Starting this month, the hotel can once again resemble a private home, an extremely lavish one, by introducing Your Mansion at The Fifth Avenue Hotel, a three-night takeover of this historic part.

“I can see this being used for wedding parties that want to extend, a milestone birthday, an anniversary celebration or family reunion,” explains Managing Director Elizabeth Mullins. “And we want it to be totally bespoke, unique for you.” Basic elements of the program, though, include the Mansion’s 21 suites which can accommodate 44 people, the ballroom reconfigured for meals, entertainment, movies, games or whatever activity is requested, 24 hour butler service, a concierge to coordinate all activities, airport transfers, a fleet of vehicles to transport guests through the city, a staff photographer to capture special moments, a private mixologist, various meals such as breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails and hors d’oeurvres and a $100,000 shopping spree with a personal shopper at Bergdorf Goodman.

Given the opulent design of the Mansion, however, it wouldn’t be surprising if guests decided to spend a significant amount of time on site. From the moment you step into the lobby, you feel that you’re in an earlier, more gracious time starting with the aroma of the signature fragrance of cassis, orris abs, cedarwood and olive flower created for the hotel and named Eau deL’Aire (after Baudelaire, the hotel’s spiritual patron saint and the inspiration for the name of the ownership company Flâneur Hospitality after the poet’s description of a flâneur as a passionate spectator of modern life.) Elsewhere in the lobby are walls of faceted antique mirrors, marble floors, arched windows, vintage cabinets filled with artifacts that a seasoned traveler might have acquired around the world, antique globe chandeliers and large scale tapestry (detailing bugs if you look closely) behind the burl wood and marble reception desk.

The hotel is filled with art and the first example is the painting Queen Mary, a beguiling woman displaying several keys, at the turning point after the lobby: guests turn right into the wooden passageway to enter the Mansion, left to go to the modern 24 story tower on the site of the Mansion’s former carriage house. Upstairs in the rooms, the design from Martin Brudnizki Design Studio in conjunction with the hotel’s owner Alex Ohebshalom is idiosyncratic, exuberant, and very, very colorful. Custom furnishings designed for the hotel intentionally evoke Gilded Age detail and foreign influences: vast Murano chandeliers include strings of crystal fruit; side tables incorporate intricate mother of pearl patterns; a room divider in the Mansion Suites resemble a portico from a Renaissance Garden; lacquered red bar cabinets reminiscent of Chinese antiques contain gilded paintings of dragons inside the doors; couches in vivid coral velour are so old fashioned comfy that they demand sinking into. And there is color everywhere: salmon pink walls in the hallways, forest green walls with hand carved stucco and crown detailing in the rooms, red and gold lampshades, wallpaper of animal motifs from a fevered imagination in gold, blue and green in the bathrooms.

During the day, guests will also have access to the Portrait Bar (open to the public at night,) the essence of a cozy, private estate library with books that guests can take off the shelves to read and the sunny yellow Conservatory and adjoining Study. Café Carmellini, one of the city’s most in demand restaurants, will also remain open to the public but Mansion guests can take over the balcony tables overlooking the main floor. Since chef Andrew Carmellini oversees all food services for the hotel, though, even if they’re not at the café, they can experience his exquisite part French/part Italian cuisine, from omelets with 24 month aged Comté and wild mushrooms for breakfast to Red Snapper Meunière , Duck-Duck-Duck Tortellini and Squab en Croute for dinner.

The cost of this three day idyll: $950,000. A Gilded Age experience at a gilded price.