On a typically frenetic street in midtown Manhattan, just east of Fifth Avenue and the alley of epic shopping like Harry Winston (which, during renovation, has moved up and across Fifth), Chopard, and Gucci… a stark, black façade rises up to an equally imposing wall of clear class, with vertical ribbing very much like that finely weighted Harmonie glass handsomely cradling a favorite double malt. Deep ridges rising higher and higher, across from the curved windows of the Museum of Modern Art, and just down the street from the equally epic High Gothic Revival St. Thomas Anglican Church with its limestone buttresses and stained glass, church bells marking every hour. From the outside, the ebony and glass make the modern building seem fortress-like.
Looking outside from within, though, the ambience drastically changes, and the garish taxi-cab yellow paints streamers waving like the tail of a kite as one sits beneath the gilded ceiling of the Grand Salon. In the afternoons here, sampling a fascinating array of savory and sweet treats, crystal flutes of champagne, and the finest blends of teas is a relaxing indulgence rivalling London’s finest. The Baccarat Hotel New York is part Wonderland, part-enchanted forest, a veritable fairy-tale book of luxury, opulence, and, above all, service.
No wolves lurk here, in fact they’ve been tamed by the guests sitting on them, as the faux-coyote fur winged armchairs will testify.
From the moment you enter the molten black building, beyond the double-sided glassed-in four-foot fireplace that passers-by get to enjoy, the wonder begins. We don’t mean the bellmen, although they will regale guests with helpful information and pointing out hidden treasures. There’s a wall, beneath a seemingly infinite ceiling, featuring a light and sound show. Easy to miss if one is distracted and hurried, but those are no mere lightbulbs, those are hundreds, no thousands, of classic Harcourt goblets, illuminated in a geometric dance by mere LEDs.
The Baccarat Hotel New York is affiliated with luxury crystal supplier from a branding perspective and is not owned by the company itself. A Baccarat boutique opened adjacent to the Reception area in September 2022, providing the hotel with a retail outlet and the Baccarat brand with its second showroom in Manhattan. Although the gallery replaces the hotel’s only “official” meeting room, it was certainly a fair price to pay for dramatic displays of classic and modern crystal chandeliers hanging not from the ceiling but from brass bell carts.
No credit card-sized room keys here. Yes, electronics assures security, but an octagonal red tag permits room elevator access as well as the room or suite itself, and the vintage bronze key hanging from the tag continues the tale. Corridors are well-lit and make the large room numbers along the floor easy to see. Each room has its own small vitrine displaying a custom art piece outside the door. The dozen-or-so internationally recognized artists were commissioned to recreate the Harcourt pattern within either an implosion or an explosion so each room is technically unique. Within the rooms, the features are uniform, although opulent: white marble sink and huge shower (with deep soaking tubs for suites) beckon, as does the signature scent – Baccarat Rouge 540 -- that infuses bath amenities. The aroma is distinctly New York, touching on the classic, but focusing on the future, neither overtly feminine nor masculine, rich, slightly brooding and mineral-y. Created by Master Perfumier Francis Kurkdjian in 2014 to celebrate Baccarat’s 250th anniversary, its popularity has been creating quite a stir on social media ever since.
Surrounded by skyscrapers, rooms and suites here afford no views, except for within the room itself. Crystal pieces, of course, large mirrors (including one disguising the TV), lots of white, strikingly accented with iconic red, and hints of shiny stainless steel. Lacquered boxes of crystal in that classic red gives a whole new meaning to hotel minibar. Whether backing Team Red Queen or White Queen, this is one’s Parisian pied à terre that sumptuous textiles and furnishings make difficult to leave.
If leave one must, there is always the La Mer spa which also provides the amenities within suites here. Adjacent to the spa, is an indoor pool with a base sporting the black-and-white checkerboard patterns found throughout the hotel. Surrounded by cabanas, it gives the illusion of a partially submerged ballroom. An equally enchanting cocktail bar on the 2nd floor beyond the Grand Salon is also an attraction, with 60 feet of finely crafted wood providing ample opportunity to sample indulgent concoctions while enjoying meticulously curated art.
As much as this unexpectedly magical hotel provides welcoming and vibrant hospitality with an elevated level of elegance, it tells the story of the treasured 250+ year-old brand that outfitted kings and sultans. It also tells the visitor’s story, whether native New Yorker on staycation or international jetsetter. Along the way to the bar, an open library setting appears, with sleek stretches of stainless and glass shelves, upon which rest masses of leather-bound books, untitled except for a single year etched into the spine. Each is filled with numbered blank pages, ideal for writing words of encouragement or secrets to find in the future, note treasured memories like the birthdate of a child, a wedding anniversary, or proposal. This is also where Baccarat exudes its magic, inspiring guests to share in its epic history. All one needs to do is step inside.
The Baccarat Hotel New York is a magical confection, a hospitality dessert that is easy to enjoy. With the extraordinary level of labor involved to create this one, it will be very interesting to see how the hospitality brand develops. With plans in the works for Dubai and locations in Europe and the US, we can’t wait to explore their stories as well.
Photos: Eric Laignel, Melissa Hom | Words: Janine Devine, Mattias Ferrero
