Renovating in New York City—the land of a thousand permits—is always difficult. Renovating a hotel building like The Surrey, however, is almost impossible: at a century old, it requires both official approval from the landmark commission and unofficial approval from the public. Plenty of New Yorkers have memories of the hotel’s previous iteration, when the clientele included John F. Kennedy, Bette Davis, and Claudette Colbert. Add in an iconic Art Deco facade, and you aren’t just battling bureaucracy, but the warm fuzz of nostalgia.
Yet, after a multi-year closure—which included a change of ownership (the hotel is now owned by the Reuben Brothers) and a change in management (from Relais Chateaux to Corinthia Hotels)—The Surrey is finally ready to make its grand re-debut.
Arriving on a Saturday afternoon in November, I was feeling a little burnt out from the realities of city living: construction on Madison Avenue made my trip from the West Village three times longer—and bumpier—than it needed to be. Earlier that morning, a pigeon decided to relieve itself on my just-dry-cleaned sweater. And earlier, earlier that morning (around 5 a.m.) I was awoken by the blare of sirens. I wasn’t necessarily having a bad day, but I wasn’t exactly having a good day either.
Until, that is, I walked into the lobby: cream, marbled, and adorned with artful floral branches, it exuded a distinct sense of visual calm. The interior design of The Surrey 2.0 was executed by Martin Brudnizki, who also designed Annabel’s in London and Fouquet’s in Tribeca. While those projects embraced maximalism, with The Surrey, there’s a sense of restraint. Color palettes are muted, with pops of color mostly arriving courtesy of the art on the walls. Curated with help from Paris’s Visto Gallery, it includes works by George Condo, Robert Mapplethorpe, and the Brooklyn-based contemporary artist Ethan Cook.
That’s not to say the interiors are boring: look closely at the beige walls, and you’ll see they have a subtle texture that makes the whole room feel more dynamic. Organic, geometric shapes pattern the rugs and furniture. Pradeep Raman, managing director of The Surrey, calls it a “contemporary classic.”
Do you know what else isn’t boring? The scene. The Surrey is home to Casa Tua, the buzzy restaurant and private club with locations in Aspen and Miami. It’s fast become one of the most in-demand reservations in town, with residents of the moneyed neighborhood clamoring for their spaghetti a la Nerano and party-like atmosphere. “The Surrey has quickly become a favorite gathering spot for Upper East Siders,” Raman observes.
And if they have too many Casamigos on the rocks the night before, a visit to the spa can set them straight. It features all the standard amenities like treatment rooms and a sauna. Yet the steam room is scented with eucalyptus, and instead of the traditional waiting space, there’s a salt relaxation room. (Halotherapy is said to ease symptoms of anxiety and fatigue as well as improve skin tone.) “It feels worlds away from the city’s pace,” says Raman.
Indeed, as I took in the scent of eucalyptus from the steam room, the minor problems of my morning melted away quickly—it was all calm, in the middle of the storm.
