DESIGN
BACK ON THE BLOCK
THE SURREY , A CORINTHIA HOTEL IS READY TO MAKE ITS MARK ON THE MODERN AGE .
By DEREK HERSCOVICI
John F . Kennedy stayed there . So did Bette Davis . The glitterati of the day , from celebrities to artists , even world leaders , crowded the lounges , bars and rooftop gardens of The Surrey , an iconic Upper East Side Manhattan residential hotel open since 1926 . Located at the corner of Madison Avenue and East 76th street , it personified swank before they had a word for it .
But , like a wizened movie star of the past , it needed a facelift . To recapture its illustrious legacy , Maltese hospitality group Corinthia Hotels , which was tapped by the Reuben Brothers to manage the hotel after it acquired the property in 2020 , undertook a monumental renovation that evokes classic New York City with modern methods and details . Corinthia Hotels is not a well-known stateside name , with its properties mainly spread through Europe , including the iconic Corinthia London . And though The Surrey will be its first property in North America , Corinthia has proved its mettle in a collection of distinct , individually designed hotels .
" Having a presence in the United States has been a goal for Corinthia for many years , especially in New York , said Simon Naudi , group CEO and managing director of Corinthia Hotels Limited , at the time the company was installed as operator . ( Corinthia Hotels also partnered with the Reuben Brothers on the upcoming Corinthia Rome .)
It now has a New York presence and with the help of design firm MBDS , led by Martin Brudnizki , The Surrey , A Corinthia Hotel reopened in late October to a new era of travel and under the polished leadership
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