The Surrey, A Corinthia Hotel

“The Surrey had a great name as a residential hotel built in 1926, but this is an exciting fresh start,” says the hotel’s general manager, Pradeep Raman. “It's a totally different feeling, and the design features that we've curated feel completely new".

To achieve its vision of what Raman calls “ultra luxury,” the hotel enlisted designer Martin Brudnizki of MBDS, the maximalist aesthete responsible for Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, Beekman and Fouquet's hotels. Brudnizki’s decorated the 70 guest rooms and 14 suites in soft blue, spring green and rich terracotta, has lit them with hand-crafted Murano chandeliers and added textured details like leather linings in the minibar that match the headboards in each room.

The Surrey’s four signature suites, each named for a bridge in adjacent Central Park, feature crown moldings specifically designed to mimic each bridge. Custom wallpaper, illustrated with photographs of the suite’s namesake bridge, lines the armoire in each suite.

The expansive, luminous lobby features art from exclusively New York artists.

“We are really paying homage to our local community, and the artists are part of our story,” Raman says, noting that famed auctioneer Sotheby’s is soon moving to the former Whitney Museum space, just a few blocks away. Among the artists showcased at The Surrey: painter George Condo; the late photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, and New York-based Turkish illustrator Gizem Vural.

Beyond aesthetics, Raman says, being a neighborhood fixture is essential to the hotel’s success.

Local dogs — and their owners — already know to expect the organic bone-shaped treats eagerly dispatched by The Surrey’s stylish, three piece-suit wearing doormen.

The neighborhood is also eager, Raman says, to visit the first New York outpost of cult Miami restaurant and social club Casa Tua, which has just opened in The Surrey.

“The aura when you walk in is also like you're at home. It's not stuffy, and it is extremely welcoming,” says Raman, who has worked very closely with owner Miky Grendene. “I believe it's going to be the highlight of the neighborhood. It's going to give a reason for residents of other neighborhoods to come to the Upper East Side, creating a lot of buzz and excitement.”

In addition to the ground floor restaurant, with a menu of Italian classics like branzino al sale and casarecce pasta alla nerano, Casa Tua has a private members’ club on the 2nd floor.

The hotel’s spa is small but mighty, with two treatment rooms, a steam room, sauna, and salt relaxation room. There’s also a gym with a well-landscaped terrace for outdoor yoga and stretching. In keeping with the hotel’s embrace of its surroundings, Raman says, personal trainers will offer guests the option of working out in Central Park.

From wellness workouts to art appreciation, Raman says, his priority is that each of his guests feels appreciated and at home. Indeed, he says, The Surrey’s rooms are havens, with Frette bedding, bath linens, and robes so plush that some guests use them as outerwear.

“I had a guest yesterday come down to the lobby in their Frette bathrobe. They felt comfortable, and I said, ‘I feel so happy to see you like this, because this shows me that you feel comfortable in your environment,’” Raman says. “To me this is the ultraluxury: guests know we care for them, we tailor the experience to them, and they can’t wait to come back.”