The Fifth Avenue Hotel

The Fifth Avenue Hotel opened in October 2023 at 1 West 28th Street, joining a landmarked 1907 building by McKim, Mead & White to a new 24-story glass tower. Martin Brudnizki designed the interiors, and chef Andrew Carmellini directs the cooking at Café Carmellini. There are 153 rooms, and by the hotel's own account each has its own palette.

The place

The address is 1 West 28th Street, on the NoMad edge of Fifth Avenue. The 1907 building was designed by McKim, Mead & White and served as the Second National Bank. Press accounts add that the mansion had earlier lives as a home and a gallery, and that its original two-story banking hall was restored by Perkins Eastman, the firm that worked on the new tower with PBDW Architects.

The concept

Developer Alex Ohebshalom hired Martin Brudnizki to mix opulence and modernity while keeping the building's Gilded Age history in view. The split is functional. The restored mansion holds the public rooms, with tall ceilings, arched windows and antique mirrors, and the tower behind it holds the guest rooms.

Each room has its own colour scheme and its own mix of art and furniture; press descriptions mention greens, yellows and pinks. The suites carry names rather than numbers, among them the Topiary Suite, the Flaneur Penthouse and a One Bedroom Terrace Suite.

Photographs by William Klein, Gordon Parks and Melvin Sokolsky hang through the public spaces. Service runs through a butler reached by text message, each room has a stocked maxibar, and guests have use of a house car.

The mansion also hosts events, in grand salons for larger groups and smaller rooms for private gatherings. A space called the Conservatory appears among the hotel's event images.

Dining & wellness

Café Carmellini is the signature restaurant, with culinary direction from chef Andrew Carmellini.

The Portrait Bar is the more casual room: wood-paneled, hung with art, with a carved stone fireplace. Bar director Darryl Chan leads the cocktail list, and the menu pairs it with bar food.