NEW YORK CITY’S FRIENDLIEST SMALL HOTELS : Trendy to Traditioal

Alas, poor Hamlet has bit the dust, Mohammed has taken leave of The Wyndham and Mimi Russell has abandoned the Stanhope.

What each of these individuals share (or has shared) is a role in New York’s burgeoning hotel industry. And that, not so coincidentally, is the subject of today’s essay: Manhattan’s small, friendly hotels. Some are very trendy. And some are not trendy at all. Just homey.

I’ll return to Hamlet, Mohammed and Mimi, but first our survey of New York’s little hotels. In a word, it has been a one-man treadmill test, hoofing it over a course that covered ground from the theater district to the Upper East Side. What with more than 57,000 hotel rooms spread across Manhattan, it goes without saying that one poor, foot-weary wretch, during a week of sleuthing, couldn’t possibly peer into each and every bedroom, bathroom or bar. Or even a fraction thereof.

As a result, what we’ve come up with is a selection of hotels that, to repeat, represent both the fashionable and the traditional. Some are affordable, others are in the $200-and-up range that seem more suited to the expense-account crowd. In other words, guests with plastic to spare. Taxes are extra--and they’re hefty: a 13.25% New York state tax, a 5% New York City tax and (who dreamed up this one?) a $2 occupancy tax.

Among hoteliers is Ian Schrager, the one-time operator of Manhattan’s Studio 54 disco who now holds forth at Morgans, the chic little mid-Manhattan hotel that attracts pop stars, rockersand other trendy types with rooms (small though they be) that feature window seats for snugglers, loads of black and white tile and stainless-steel sinks like those found on a 747 jumbo jet. The fact is, Morgans took off like a jet shortly after its opening, and it has been flying high ever since.

Schrager insists that Morgans is “the American version of a small European hotel.” Possibly, but I have a difficult time comparing it with the little St. Louis in Paris or the Scalinata di Spagna in Rome. The lobby is somber, as are the halls. But the combination works. What with 24-hour room service, valets, a concierge, a cassette and video library, telephones in the baths, refrigerators and nightly turn-down service, it’s crowded constantly, a slick little boutique hotel where guests’ preferences are computerized for future reference.

Schrager’s goal was to “create a hotel that was new, novel and completely devoid of ordinary formulas.”

He succeeded.

A similar formula proved successful at the 205-room Royalton, another Schrager property that faces the venerable Algonquin on West 44th Street, an avant-garde caravansary that Schrager considers the “hotel of the ‘90s.” With surreal rooms and opaque hallways, The Royalton would knock the socks off the cast of “Star Trek.” William Shatner and company could soak together in one of The Royalton’s huge, 5-foot-wide oval tubs. What’s more, the long, narrow lobby (where bellmen sport black mandarin uniforms) could accommodate a Super Bowl game. A landmark since 1898, The Royalton has hosted the likes of Noel Coward, Tennessee Williams and Marlon Brando.

I noted few gray hairs when I stopped for lunch at 44, The Royalton’s posh restaurant where my hamburger and Diet Coke figured out to $20.05.

The yuppie crowd was out in force.

Guests at the refurbished Royalton play checkers, dominoes and chess in the lobby; post cards are changed twice daily in the rooms, and the hotel’s film library has a selection of more than 300 movies. At 5 o’clock, crowds gather for champagne and caviar in a small and inviting bar with padded walls. Just bring plenty of cash.

Facing The Royalton, the Algonquin Hotel is being restored top to bottom with an emphasis on perpetuating the gracious, Old World mood of the lobby, the Oak Room and the Oak Bar. Much of the hotel’s fame was borne of its Round Table and the writers and celebrities who gathered there in the ‘20s and ‘30s: Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, James Thurber, Marc Connelly, Alexander Wolcott, Edna Ferber, George S. Kaufman and Franklin P. Adams. These and others.

Ghosts of the great are sensed in every corner.

Fresh flowers brighten the Oak Room. The familiar grandfather clock ticks away the hour. And guests seated on sofas still ring librarian bells to summon the waiter.

Within the oak-paneled walls of the Algonquin, a sense of solace survives. In the lounge, literary figures, politicians, businessmen and others sink into sofas surrounded by polished oak, red velvet, crystal and an air of blissful comfort. In a city dwarfed by glass and chrome, the Algonquin remains an anachronism, a landmark of social well-being. Former managing director Andrew Anspach suggested that the Algonquin possesses “all the endearing qualities of a fine inn.”

Including a cat. During Anspach’s time there were several cats and each was named Hamlet. When the original Hamlet died at age 14, his obituary was carried by the BBC as well as newspapers and wire services across the nation. Even Variety gave Hamlet a graph.

The next Hamlet was orange with a head like a cantaloupe. Now a scruffy feline named Matilda paws the furniture, purrs for her supper and slinks through the corridors, just as Hamlet did.

Bell captain Tony Cichielo, who has been on the scene 40 years, used to join Clark Gable regularly for hamburgers on 44th Street. Over the years, Cichielo has run errands for Jackie Onassis, Dustin Hoffman, Tyrone Power, Charles Boyer, Peter Lorre and Charles Laughton. His most unusual request, though, came from a bridegroom with a sore back. “Please,” the poor fellow implored, “would you carry my wife over the threshold? Please. . .”

Dutifully, Cichielo gathered the lady in his arms and delivered her into the suite.

Guests still crowd the Algonquin for after-theater suppers. It is a meeting place for husbands and wives, sweethearts and others.

Another of New York’s treasures is the pleasant and reasonable little Wyndham hotel that faces the Plaza on 58th Street just off Fifth Avenue. Although providing few frills, the Wyndham is constantly booked. Like the Algonquin, it is favored by celebrities. Only in the case of the Wyndham, it is chosen for its privacy and homeyness in addition to its friendly staff.

Indeed, the cognoscenti consider the Wyndham to be Gotham’s friendliest little hotel. Author James Clavell said of The Wyndham: “It’s a very private place. The staff brightens one’s life.” Actor Wayne Rogers has a sense of belonging. “I always feel like I’m a guest in a private club,” Rogers said.

For years, Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn have made the Wyndham their home. Others favoring the little 200-room hotel include Stacy Keach, Anthony Quinn, Peter Falk, Ben Gazzara, John Cassavetes, Jean Stapleton, Gore Vidal and Julie Harris. Four of five nominees staying at the Wyndham for this year’s Tony Award ceremonies were winners.

Owners John and Suzanne Mados operate out of an office behind the reception desk. Glamorous Suzanne is responsible for the interior design. Under her watchful eye, each room is individually decorated. Walls are swathed in fabric, with matching draperies and bedspreads; original paintings grace each room. Not trendy, the Wyndham is traditional, a true little European-style hotel that remains on my list of favorites--even though there is no turn-down service, no telephones in the bath or fluffy robes or imported toiletries. Instead, guests must make do with cakes of Ivory.

Many guests return due to the warmth of a caring staff. Doorman Miguel Ruiz has served guests for more than 30 years. Bellmen Nico Pesa and Ivan Peros have been fixtures since the ‘70s. Alas, though, elevator operator-bellman Mohammed Khan traded Gotham the other day for Florida’s sunny shores. He up and retired.

The Wyndham remains a favorite for various reasons: location, price, atmosphere. Barely a five-minute stroll from Carnegie Hall, a block off Central Park and just around the corner from Fifth Avenue, it features convenience as well as privacy.

Another front-runner in this survey is the newly opened Mark at 77th Street and Madison Avenue. Service is its hallmark. A small luxury hotel, the interior artistry of The Mark is the creation of renowned designer Mimi Russell, the one-time mistress of the Upper East Side’s fashionable Stanhope (another leader in our small hotel survey) and daughter of Lady Sarah-Spencer Churchill.

With 120 guest rooms and 60 suites, The Mark reigns as Manhattan’s newest deluxe hotel. Facing the renowned Carlyle, it features custom-made Gundolt carpets, original Piranesi prints and marble imported from Italy. Even insomniacs grow mellow at The Mark, what with king-size beds to toss about in, triple sheets and down pillows nearly the size of mattresses.

Other extras include heated towel racks, turn-down service, robes, hair dryers, bowls of potpourri, imported toiletries and, in the event of rain, umbrellas. Yes, and toilet tissue done up with a black ribbon. That’s class. Call for room service and a genie appears almost instantly.

Before hotelier Georg Rafael gave The Mark a $30-million infusion, it was a rather seedy old pile called The Madison. Now limousines brake at the door, depositing a lineup of celebrities along with art dealers and dudes decked out like maharajahs.

Guests dine on meals prepared by Philippe Boulot, formerly of Maxim’s in Paris, London’s Inn on the Park and the Four Seasons Clift in San Francisco. Boulot turns out such delights as beef satay with roasted peanut sauce, shrimp quesadilla with salsa, red snapper on eggplant caviar and fried bluepoint oysters in a horseradish crust with sweet corn relish. During afternoon teas, waiters deliver freshly baked scones with mascarpone and fruit preserves and strawberries with creme fraiche.

At Fifth Avenue and 81st Street stands the stately Stanhope, whose one-time proprietress was Russell. Guests searching out the cultural life have a natural fondness for the Stanhope, which faces the imposing Metropolitan Museum of Art. In addition, it is but a short stroll to the Guggenheim, the Frick and the Whitney, as well as a scattering of fine galleries along Fifth and Madison avenues.

A mini-museum itself, the Stanhope has undergone a $28-million renovation under the direction of Tobishima Associates of Japan, a company that is expected to pour yet more yen into its restoration. Guest rooms and suites reflect a Louis XV style, and, like the Algonquin, Morgans, The Wyndham and The Mark, the Stanhope possesses its own celebrity registry with the names of Sweden’s prime minister, former Beatle Paul McCartney, Barbra Streisand, Charlton Heston and Julio Iglesias.

On warm days, guests dine at a sidewalk cafe and high tea is served in a drawing room with a collection of priceless paintings. Off the lobby, a mahogany-paneled lounge with book-lined shelves and Chesterfield sofas makes for a cozy corner on a rainy afternoon.

By now it’s evident that the Stanhope is not one of the inexpensive hotels in our survey. Not with rates starting at $245 and suites in the $775 to $2,000 range. But look at it this way: The hotel does provide free limousine service. And there’s a concierge and a splendid restaurant, custom toiletries, slippers and robes. And, yes, the newspaper is accompanied each morning by a pair of white gloves so guests can avoid ink on their pinkies.

The higher one travels into the Upper East Side, the more reasonable the prices. At the newly restored Hotel Wales (Madison Avenue between 92nd and 93rd streets), rates start at $125. Opened in 1901, the venerable Wales has been spruced up to the tune of $5 million. And although the lobby remains a bit cheerless, guest rooms seem pleasant enough.

Proprietor Henry Kallan describes the Wales as “very European,” which translates to small rooms with few amenities. Still, the staff is friendly and there’s the aromatic fragrance of cedar closets and windows that frame Madison Avenue, some with marvelous views of Central Park.

A children’s playroom is being completed along with a roof garden and a second-floor setting where complimentary continental breakfasts along with afternoon tea are to be served. On the street, guests gather at Sarabeth’s Kitchen for hot porridge with honey and raisins, spinach and goat cheese omelets, whole wheat pancakes and pumpkin waffles topped with sour cream, raisins and honey.

In this residential and genteel neighborhood, guests look in on the Corner Bookstore, a popular restaurant called Busby’s, Piro’s (for Italian fare), Sweet Nellie’s Country Store (collectibles) and a couple of delis including Petak’s, which vends take-home soups, Black Forest ham, kosher salami, smoked eel, pates and huge, old-fashioned barrels of pickles.

Swinging back to mid-Manhattan, the brand new 189-room Journey’s End on East 40th is a bargain at $115 for a single room, $125 for a double. Ask for a room at the top, one with a view of the Statue of Liberty, East River or World Trade Center. Although the furniture is a bit prosaic, this little hotel simply sparkles. Coffee is served on the mezzanine along with complimentary newspapers. Journey’s End--it’s adjacent to the New York Public Library--is steps off fashionable Fifth Avenue and a five-minute stroll to Grand Central Station.

On Park Avenue, the trim little Doral Park Avenue at 38th Street features a new restaurant, the Saturnia, which is a gem, with entrees ranging from sauteed medallions of venison topped with orzo and basil sauce to a marvelous baked Norwegian salmon with whole wheat horseradish bread crumbs and a white wine sauce.

The 189-room Doral Park has just undergone a $13-million renovation and it shows. It is a small hotel with style as well as warmth. Waiter-bartender Erwin Wallner, who once served as the private butler for the American High Commissioner in Austria, has been a familiar face at the Doral for years and a one-time confidant of the late Jackie Gleason when the comedian was in residence. It was at the Doral Park that the cast of “The French Connection” took shelter while filming on location in Manhattan. Rooms are cheery. It possesses a swinging little bar. Manhattanites give it high marks.

Japanese as well as Western-style accommodations are available at the little (98-room) Hotel Kitano on Park Avenue at 38th Street. While both reasonable and exotic, the Kitano appears a trifle shopworn. Breakfasts consist of a combination of rice, soy bean soup, fish, pickles and vegetables. And if one chooses a Japanese-style room (there are but two), it means crashing on a futon.

Describing the Kitano, the management declares: “Those in New York for the first time can feel as comfortable and safe as they would in Japan.”

Maybe, but while this is a pleasant section of Manhattan, just don’t make the mistake of taking an evening stroll into an unfamiliar, unlighted neighborhood.

At 50th Street and Lexington Avenue, the 200-room Hotel Beverly is described as a small, family-operated, European-style hotel, although to the seasoned traveler it represents the inimitable Manhattan establishment.

To be precise, it hardly has the feel of a pension along Paris’ Boulevard St.-Germaine-des-Pres, or a hotel facing Rome’s Via Veneto. Still, the Beverly’s rooms and suites are pleasant; the lobby with its mahogany-paneled walls and leather sofas is relaxing.

And the location is perfect for strollers, being steps from the Waldorf-Astoria, a short hike off fashionable Fifth Avenue and barely four blocks from the United Nations. Suites feature kitchenettes and security-locked closets; the staff is friendly and the concierge volunteers to map out tours of Manhattan, obtain hard-to-get theater tickets and otherwise make one’s stay pleasurable.

Again, I was hardly under the impression that this was a European-style shelter. It had to do with the hum of traffic, the skyscrapers beyond its windows and the fragrance of chestnuts roasting in the chill of an autumn afternoon. These and other sights and sounds tell you, without question, that with all its ills, Manhattan remains the most exciting city in the world.