| Royalton, New York
My friend Lene: talented film producer (Oscar nominee), and intrepid luxe-trotter (she's Danish), travelled to New York to join her equally talented partner, singer Rick Astley, who was performing in the Macy's Day Parade.
Before she left, accompanied by her daughter Emilie, she asked me where she should stay and listed, quite specifically, her requirements: central location, not too flashy, seriously comfortable, good food (a prerequisite), stylish, and excellent service. I recommended the Royalton on 44 West, 44th Street, curious to find out how the recent makeover had 'reincarnated' this popular and fashionable establishment.
In most respects the Royalton met and, at times, exceeded her expectations, though Lene has an eagle-eye for detail. All that globetrotting can make you both an aficionado in this game, as well as a little spoilt for choice. In other words, she is always looking out for different, special, quirky, innovative, unique, bar-raising attributes; so not that easy to please... Also, being Danish, Lene always tells it as it is. Here, in mostly her words, is her appraisal of the new face of the Royalton.
"Emilie and I arrived around lunchtime in Newark Airport, meeting Jim our driver and a very chilly wind. Jim could have been Tony Soprano's brother with an authentic New Jersey accent, great sense of humour and the slicked-back black hair; apart from the fact that Jim (not his real name of course) was from Bulgaria. We entered Manhattan from the George Washington Tunnel and while Jim was fighting his way through traffic and the aftermath of the Macy's Day Parade, he was telling us incredible stories about buildings and the lives of the people who had lived there. Now we knew we had really arrived in New York City.
We were heading towards Midtown where our hotel, Royalton, is situated. I actually stayed there when it first opened 19 years ago, but I was keen to see the effect of last year's complete renovation. I had great memories of staying there before and was excited to experience the New Royalton."
A stylish transformation
So Lene had stayed here 19 years ago and I the year before last. Within that time this Philippe Starck icon, also known as 'Conde Café' (watering-hole for magazine editors), had changed little. In those days - a year is a lifetime in this business - it was moody-maritime; groovy blue tones, low-lit, funky alternative, and made a real statement in a city that defined the word. Thus, it set the trend for fashionable, funky, alternative boutique-glamour and those that followed never matched 'The Royalton'. Reinventing itself was a tough act to follow.
"You think you remember everything but you don't." Lene told me "In fact, we literally drove straight past the hotel's enormous, but completely unassuming, oak doors. That's a great thing about the Royalton, while it is so famous, if you don't know exactly where it is, you will drive straight past. Once you have located the entrance (this subtlety is part of the Royalton's charm) you are met by two very welcoming doormen, before entering a stunning long lounge with a big central fireplace providing an absorbing glow across the entire space. The style reminded me a little of Aspen with a lighting that is still very soft and a clever combination of contemporary with supreme comfort. The change from mainly blue to chocolate, steel, and cream, with leather sofas and fur throws is comforting and extremely inviting. It's super-stylish while offering you a slick but homely environment. The new interiors are a far cry from the 80's 'luxury liner' look, which I remembered from way back when. This is cooler, in a cosy-chilled-classy way but I guess it could still be the interior of a super-duper luxury cruise-liner."
When I asked Lene if she missed the 80's/90's buzz that fizzed along the previously long blue-liner styled lobby, she said definitely not and that while it had been the right place for that time, today the mood has shifted from "speedy hype to problem-solving vibe... this environment offered those relaxing elements that you require in order to focus on the conversation and not on all the faces that may or may not come through the doors".
Suite success...
"Our room was on the 5th floor with a view to 34th street, which was very nice. It was a swish Loft Suite. It's hard to describe, as it still has that quirky element, but I know the suite was big for N.Y. The colour choices seemed a lot 'cooler' than I remembered, perhaps a little more sophisticated, with grey dominating the colour tones.
We entered through a hallway with the bathroom to your immediate right, which was surprisingly spacious and a great indulgence. It had an enormous circular bath, with very cool tiny mirror tiles on the curved wall, in a half moon shape behind the bath, plus a huge shower overhead. The sink bowl, which was tiny in comparison, had the oddest mirror above; shaped as an inverted V, with the tip going into the wall so when you looked into it, straight-ahead, your face would split in half. Also, a little more space for the creams, scrubs and make-up would have been handy, but it was still a pretty amazing bathroom.
The lounge was very comfortable, fitted with grey button-back leather with a banquette spanning the entire length of the windowed wall, which were hung with crisp, pale grey curtains. The centrepiece was a 'real wood' fireplace, with a fireplace butler supplying wood and lighting-service was available on demand. It was really cold at Thanksgiving and I regret not lighting it more often during our stay."
So, the rooms are refurbished, with a more elegant touch, it seems, in subdued taupe-grey-slate tones. The bed was, as they always were, extremely comfortable, the sort you would expect on a deluxe liner. If Rick and Lene had a little more time, then they could have really used the room as their own exclusive loft-pad, in a city where lofts are prime.
Summing-up the change at The Royalton, we agreed it had transformed from 'luxury liner' to uber-luxury 'cool Africa meets chic Sweden', says Lene.
A dalliance with the bar and restaurant
"We only had time to try the restaurant once and that was for breakfast. The room is beautiful and the breakfast was perfect! Everything was great from the quality to the quantity and the espresso was fantastic. Again service here was friendly, professional and just right. Not too "in-your-face" but always there when needed. In fact, I think that the staff and service seems to have got even better than I remember in the past and it suits the more sophisticated style of interiors and the more temperate vibe overall; less of the funky stuff, and more genuine, perhaps. I would stay here again but the next time I will take more advantage of the luxury-on-tap!"
Lene Bausager & Sophie Marchant
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