The Marlton Hotel
The Marlton Hotel
The Marlton Hotel
The Marlton Hotel
The Marlton Hotel
New York City, May, 2014
The folks over at Svbscription recently spent an afternoon at the Marlton with Tablet’s own Laurent Vernhes. Their charge: to get to the bottom of what makes a perfect hotel stay, with help from someone who has spent about as much time considering the question as anyone.
The Marlton, a Parisian-style boutique hotel in Greenwich Village, seemed a particularly apt setting for having this sort of a conversation. Hotelier Sean MacPherson has made some interesting choices, sacrificing square footage and what he’d say are superfluous luxuries in favor of character, atmosphere and value. And practically since the moment it opened its doors, the hotel has been a hit with Tablet’s travelers. In short, it raises the question: what makes a hotel work?
Svbscription’s interview with Laurent:
What do you notice about a hotel lobby when you first enter?
I notice whether people smile or not. You can tell if people are having a good time within seconds. The Marlton is surprisingly cozy for a hotel in New York, which is what I like about it. When you see many hotels you start putting them in categories: big lobbies in business hotels, old-style European hotels where the lobby is this big spectacle, or small, quirky hotels that eliminate public space completely. I think that public space is a vital part of what makes a hotel a nice place to be.
What are the details you look for in a hotel?
There has to be a deliberate intent to make a hotel nice. Attention to detail is very important. There are always trends — bohemian chic has been going strong for a long time, and I haven’t seen the next clear trend emerge. What I like about the Marlton is that they introduce the brasserie in a relatively small public space — that’s a new thing, not to have a separation between restaurant and lobby.
Do you look for a personal relationship with the hotel staff? Does a perfect level of engagement exist, without staff being either too overbearing or the opposite?
I’m not trying to be their friend, because they are professional people. Some humility as a guest is important, at the hotel just as in life. When you travel, you need to be humble, and not take anything too personally. I try to make life easy for them, and ask nicely for whatever I need. I can’t stand it when staff are ostentatiously cool — firstly it’s not cool, and it almost never translates into good service. Arrogance is the last thing you want from someone helping guests.
I like people who are very discreet — a trait you find in Asia. All Asian countries beat the rest of the world in terms of service. The people have pride — they’re not subservient — but they keep their distance. That I find fantastic.
Are there any clichés you think hotels could do without — for instance the toilet paper folded into an arrow? And do you like your room tidied every day?
The one thing I can never understand is the turndown service. They come by just before you go to bed to remove the bed cover, open one side of the blanket, and put a mint on your pillow. It feels superfluous to me. Once I’m in my room, I don’t want people coming in.
I guess I don’t like people tidying my room because I have evolved from being a kid, and don’t need my parents to clean up after me anymore. When I leave things somewhere, I want to find them in the same place. Often as soon as I check in, I put the “do not disturb” sign on the door right away — to a point where if I order room service, I have someone at the door calling to see if they are allowed to come in.
Do you use the safe in a hotel room? Or is it important to trust that nothing will go missing?
I do actually, and I’m not sure exactly why. Basically I put my passport there. I don’t fear the staff, but I don’t want to have a bad surprise if something did happen. Maybe it’s an age thing — or a hangover from my days backpacking.
What is the best welcome surprise you’ve ever had in a hotel room?
I got car keys for a convertible once; that was nice. I like in Japan how some hotels give you a USB internet stick as a gift to keep you connected on your travels around the country. That’s very practical.
Is there any particularly effective way of getting your room upgraded?
There is no secret, really. Some people think that their charisma will get them a room upgrade, but it’s much better to use a service like Tablet Plus. As a customer it’s in your favor to have a company with strong and long-term relationships with hotels negotiate a better room for you.
When you’re not in the room, what’s the area of the hotel where you like to spend the most time?
I like it when a hotel has a roof terrace or a pool. I don’t have a pool at home in New York, so there is this sense of it being different from what I’m used to. I also like it when they have a library or reading room.
Do you find yourself talking to other guests?
Not enough. I think traveling is a great opportunity to meet people — you’re out of your comfort zone and routine. I actually want to do something with Tablet where we create situations that bring members together while traveling. You can get a lot more out of your trip by meeting strangers.
It’s perhaps harder to meet people nowadays, with most people absorbed by their smartphone in public. I was in a hotel two months ago in the middle of nowhere, and the restaurant was quite full as there was nowhere else to eat. At least half the people there, during their meals, were looking at their phones. It was so sad. There is this life around you, but you choose to be in the other, virtual life.
Do you mention to the staff that you run a hotel booking website during your stay, or do you prefer to go unannounced?
If you catch me doing that one day, please shoot me. [Laughs.]
What are you excited about in the hotel industry?
New York is a place that has been expensive for a long time. This year, there will be ten per cent more rooms in the city coming to the market. It’s enormous. I’m curious to see the impact. Even more exciting is the opportunity for something really new. There is top creative talent involved in some of those ten per cent.
Interview by Karl Henkell. Photography by Clement Pascal, shot at the Marlton in New York City.
Svbscription is a luxury parcel service that brings together designers, artists and brands to create collections of high-quality, intelligently designed objects, delivered to your door. For their ninth edition, they’ve partnered with Tablet to produce a new travel-themed collection, V9: Destinations. Check out Svbscription to learn more and to sign up for the new collection.
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