With the completion this summer
of the Ty Warner Penthouse, set 52 stories above street level, the Four Seasons
Hotel New York has achieved a new height in opulence among Manhattan hotels. The
suite also signals the culmination of a seven-year campaign by its namesake to
refine and enhance virtually every aspect of a guest’s experience at this
landmark on East 57th Street.
Warner, the Beanie Babies billionaire who acquired the Four
Seasons New York in 1999, spared no expense during the renovation—particularly
when it came to his $55 million penthouse. Waterfall walls, washbasins cut from
semiprecious stone, and 25-foot-high ceilings mark the I.M. Pei– and Peter
Marino–designed space, which bests even the two presidential suites that Pei and
Marino built for the hotel in 2004.
The penthouse’s debut follows on the heels of one of New York’s
most talked-about culinary events of recent years, the arrival of the Four
Seasons’ L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon. Here, at the chef’s table, as many as 20
guests can watch as the French master’s signature dishes—quail stuffed with foie
gras, steak tartare with crispy hand-cut fries, sinfully indulgent truffled
mashed potatoes—are prepared before their eyes.
Guest rooms at the Four Seasons are similarly awe-inspiring. As
befits the tallest hotel in Manhattan, the accommodations are the city’s
largest, at an average of 600 square feet. The rooms also offer a pleasant
surprise for those who enjoy a quick soak: The Four Seasons’ fast-fill tubs
bring your bath to the brim in just 60 seconds. A sign near each tub warns you
not to walk away while the bath fills, lest it should overflow.
LOCATION Between Park and Madison
avenues on East 57th Street in Manhattan. ACCOMMODATIONS The
368 guest rooms include the spectacular new Ty Warner Penthouse and two
presidential suites designed by I.M. Pei and Peter Marino. FACILITIES A spa
and fitness center, and several multipurpose rooms with capacity for 10 to 165
people. DINING The new
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon features a see-through kitchen and the French chef’s
extraordinary cuisine. Ty is for afternoon tea, while 57 serves American
favorites. CONCIERGE RECOMMENDS Host a private
party at Radio City Music Hall in a suite that belonged to the hall’s founder,
show-biz impresario Samuel "Roxy" Rothafel. RATES
Rooms from $695, suites from $2,150.
The Ty Warner Penthouse is $30,000.
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Photograph by Ted Morrison
