The First Monday in May is the most anticipated date on the fashion calendar. Every year, celebrities flock to New York City to attend The Met Gala – a benefit hosted at The Metropolitan Museum of Art to mark the opening of an annual exhibition and raise funds for the Costume Institute. But where do they stay? At The Mark, of course. The Mark hotel is mere metres from The Met and has become a go-to for celebrities attending the event thanks to its proximity, lavish suites and tight security. MOJEH goes behind-the-scenes at The Mark, sharing how the Michelin-awarded property gets ready for the busiest – and most glamorous – night of the year.
On The List
The Kardashians, David and Victoria Beckham, Beyoncé, the Hadid sisters, Jenna Ortega and Donatella Versace are among approximately 60 A-Listers that choose The Mark as their base for Met Gala Monday.
Wake-Up Call
The staff at The Mark deliver over 200 coffees from 6AM to noon alone, brewing 48 cups of coffee every 15 minutes to ensure celebrities are bright-eyed before the red carpet. The staff are also on-hand to cater to snack requests, including that of one guest who asked for precisely five olives to tide her over between fittings.
Block Party
The Mark is only four blocks away from The Met – it is located at Madison Avenue and 77th Street – but it takes around 15 minutes to drive the 500-metre distance on Met Gala night because of the convoys of cars and security. It is this journey that Kim Kardashian did standing up in 2019, as her Mugler ‘wet-look’ gown was too tight to sit in.
The guest’s experience at The Mark doesn’t always end when they step out of their suite. “When a guest’s transportation timing changed unexpectedly, The Mark’s pedicab was arranged within minutes, with one of our doormen stepping in as the driver to ensure they arrived at The Met steps on time,” shares Maria Wittorp, Chief Concierge and member of Les Clefs d’Or USA.
Under Cover
While focus is predominantly on how celebrities get from The Mark to The Met, navigating within the hotel itself needs to be just as seamless. To facilitate celebrities moving around the hotel (without bumping into each other), a core team of 40 collaborators manage the elevators and transport to ensure celebrities can glide from open elevator doors through to the doors of an awaiting vehicle. “Elevators are taken out of standard operation and run manually, each one aligned to a precise exit,” Maria explains.
There are also decoy movements, like exiting in a garment bag, to trick paparazzi. “Last year, one of the more memorable moments involved a guest leaving the hotel fully concealed beneath a formation of umbrellas and handheld screens,” Maria shares. “The experience is designed so that everything remains unseen until the moment it is ready to be seen.”
On Time
The Mark begins planning for the next Met Gala immediately after the current one ends, as mastering the logistics takes a full 365 days. On Met Gala day, the hotel’s staff, from concierge and security to housekeeping and catering, hold hourly meetings and have a precise schedule for celebrities’ movements (and the movements of their teams). “Teams are tracking every movement,” explains Maria. “Elevator flow, guest transitions and transportation are all being managed simultaneously, down to the second.”
Final Touches
There are designated, secure rooms at The Mark for final alterations, fashion storage and fittings, and seamstresses from the world’s most prestigious Houses fly in to New York City for the occasion. The hotel – and its staff – are always prepared for any last-second requests. “A guest once had an unexpected skin reaction just hours before walking the red carpet, so a dermatologist was brought directly to the suite and she stepped out that evening looking flawless.”
Top Dog
In the lobby of The Mark is a Haute Dog stand adorned in the hotel’s iconic black-and-white stripes. Naturally, this is no ordinary snack cart. Created by Jean-Georges, The Mark’s award-winning resident chef, the gourmet hot dogs are topped with condiments including yuzu pickles and kimchi relish and come served with (probably) the world’s most Instagrammable french fries. More than 200 portions of French fries and 80 hot dogs flew off the cart at last year’s event.
Bird’s Eye View
The Mark Penthouse is a spectacular two-storey, 12,000 square-foot space which boasts five bedrooms, a ballroom, private library and a rooftop terrace. It is the first suite to be booked every year, and is the venue for one of the Met Gala’s most exclusive afterparties. Unsurprisingly, it is also one of the most expensive suites in North America, coming in at a cool $75,000 per night.
Red Carpet Treatment
The red carpet of The Mark is often where eagle-eyed fans get their first glimpse of celebrities, but the carpet is a star in and of itself. It is custom-made to a precise length and thickness, and takes a crew of 10 people to place it perfectly.
Smell The Roses
The Mark Hotel receives almost 10,000 flowers the day before the Met Gala, which find their way into the private and public spaces of the hotel in artful arrangements – accounting for celebrities’ colour preferences, of course. “That precision is what allows the day to unfold with the magic that concierge brings to each guest experience,” says Maria. Discover The Mark
