By Pandora Amoratis For Dailymail.com
|
55
View
comments
The Mark Hotel – located at the heart of Manhattan’s exclusive Upper East Side – has served as one of the main hotels for Met Gala attendees for well over a decade.
Every year stars like Emily Blunt, Cara Delevingne, and Karlie Kloss flock to the 5-star luxury establishment on the first Monday in May to get glammed up before making their red carpet debuts.
But beyond social media glimpses at the A-listers’ lengthy preparation for the famed soiree, much of the goings on behind-the-scenes at the hotel remains a secret – until now.
Andrew Jeffries, Director of Sales & Marketing at The Mark, has offered up some fun facts about the day, including the staggering number of floral arrangements the hotel typically receives throughout the day – and the most popular (and shocking!) beverage order among guests and their glam squads.
The Mark Hotel – located at the heart of Manhattan’s exclusive Upper East Side – has been one of the main hotels for Met Gala attendees for well over a decade
Every year stars like Kendall Jenner and Karlie Kloss (pictured in 2021) flock to the 5-star luxury establishment on the first Monday in May to get glam before making their red carpet debuts
While the Met Gala’s red carpet doesn’t start officially kick off until 6pm EST, according to Andrew, the buzz starts long before.
‘You can feel the excitement build throughout the weekend as we lay out The Mark’s logo’d red carpet in front of the hotel and the streets begin to fill with fans hoping to get a glimpse of their favorite star,’ he shared.
‘The hotel usually starts to get busy the Friday before the Met, as guests begin to check in for the big event.
Of course, the real action all takes place on the day of Anna Wintour’s long-running gala event, which sees some of the world’s most famous stars gathering in New York to put their most fashionable feet forward.
The theme for the event changes each year; 2022’s theme is ‘Gilded Glamour’.
According to Andrew, the ‘excitement’ in the hotel really begins to ‘build’ when The Mark staff lay out its logo’d red carpet in anticipation of stars like Cara Delevingne (left) and Emily Blunt (right) making their exit in front of a slew of photographers
‘On the day of the gala, the action really picks up late morning when the stylists, glam, and other celebrity teams arrive to start preparations. We receive over 200 floral arrangements delivered to the hotel the day before the Met Gala and hundreds of garment bags,’ shared Andrew. Stars will spend the day getting ready before making their way down to the lobby (pictured) in order to wait for their cars
However, no matter the theme for the event, one thing remains the same: Stars go all out in order to ensure that they make their mark on the red carpet, both with spectacular, outlandish ensembles and over-the-top makeup and hair.
So it’s no surprise that on the day of the Met Gala itself, Andrew says the hotel quickly begins filling up with a host of glam squad members and fashion stylists.
‘On the day of the gala, the action really picks up late morning when the stylists, glam, and other celebrity teams arrive to start preparations,’ he said.
While the hotel does not hire additional staff for Fashion’s Biggest Night, Andrew says it’s an ‘all hands on deck’ kind of day.
The iconic 1927 building. which was transformed into a luxurious retreat by legendary designer Jacques Grange boats 100 guestrooms and 53 suites.
While many would think champagne is the most ordered beverage and Andrew says there is always a lot of champagne at the hotel, he said that ‘coffee is actually the most ordered item on the day’. Irina Shayk is seen leaving The Mark ahead of last year’s Met Gala
‘Everyone is really excited to catch the first glimpse of the top celebrities as they depart. The guests typically start departing around 5pm,’ he revealed. Jennifer Hudson is pictured making her way out of The Mark for last year’s Met Gala
‘About 90 per cent of our rooms are utilized by attendees of the gala and we typically hold about 10 per cent of our rooms for our regular guests who are not attending Met Gala that particular year.
‘As an ultra-luxury hotel, we typically have over 2.5 staff members per guest. This means close to 400 dedicated team members attend to our guests’ every request, over Met Gala and any other day of the year!’
Once A-listers attending the gala start checking in, the Art-Deco lobby, with marbled monochrome-striped flooring and bold geometric shapes, is busy with in-coming and outgoing deliveries.
‘We receive over 200 floral arrangements delivered to the hotel the day before the Met Gala and hundreds of garment bags,’ shared Andrew.
While many would think champagne is the most ordered beverage and Andrew says there is always a lot of champagne at the hotel, Andrew shares that ‘coffee is actually the most ordered item on the day.’
Once A-listers attending the gala start checking in, the Art-Deco lobby, with marbled monochrome-striped flooring and bold geometric shapes, is busy with delivery men coming and going.
This year, Vogue partnered exclusively with The Mark to create a shoppable pop-up experience all day on Sunday
‘Last year, we delivered over 200 coffees from 6am to 12 noon alone. We are brewing 48 cups of coffee every 15 minutes! Caffeine is key for the big day.’
The sidewalk outside the hotel is prime people-watching for fans, reporters and photographers.
‘We normally start to see (and hear) the crowds begin to form around 2pm the day of the gala,’ said Andrew.
‘Everyone is really excited to catch the first glimpse of the top celebrities as they depart. The guests typically start departing around 5pm.’
In time for next year’s gala, celebrity-favorite Parisian institution Caviar Kaspia will be coming to The Mark this Fall.
The sidewalk outside the hotel is prime people-watching for fans, reporters and photographers, with Andrew revealing that the crowds usually begin to form ‘around 2pm [on] the day of the gala’ (pictured)
On Monday morning, a crowd of people had gathered outside of The Mark, hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite star
The hotel typically plays host to some of the biggest stars at the Met Gala – and this year’s crowd is thought to be just as famous, with even hostess Anna Wintour expected to make her way to the event from The Mark
The restaurant and boutique, will become New York’s newest destination for the house’s favorite twice-baked potato topped with caviar, eggs with caviar, pasta with caviar, blinis with salmon, bottarga, and more.
The landmark boutique will also offer the delights and delicacies of Caviar Kaspia for the ultimate at home indulgence or the perfect gourmet gift.
This year, Vogue partnered exclusively with The Mark to create a shoppable pop-up experience all day on Sunday.
The Mark Flower Cart was blooming with roses designed by Urbanstems and filled with new limited-edition Vogue merchandise featuring a floral logo by Jonathan Cohen.
Alongside the pop-up, The Mark Haute Dog Cart was serving fresh hot coffee.
Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd
Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group