I’m sitting by the window holding a TV-style handset making the blinds (sorry, drapes) go up and down as I dim the lighting and adjust the room temperatures. Bit cooler in the bedroom, up a bit in the bathroom, methinks.

It’s raining outside and I’m indulging myself with the coolest boy toy that one of the slickest hotels on the Upper East Side, has to offer. And there’s girlie stuff too: the bathroom is lined with Frederic Fekkai smellies and, for those who can afford it, he even has a salon downstairs.

It was a good start for a hotel that has undergone such a massive reinvention under the guidance of French designer Jacques Grange.

His “mark” is everywhere: the Bang and Olufson TVs, the Italian marble in the bathrooms, mohair chairs and Frette linens. I had one of the 118 suites, a deluxe bachelor pad of a space with two bathrooms, a bedroom big enough to take a small dining table and living room with sofa, small desk and lots of shelving lined with seriously chic books on, among other things, New York. All of which is why it brands itself the city’s most boldly lavish hotel.

There were three TVs, if you count the one set into a bathroom mirror, and a seriously powerful shower.

It’s run by James Sherwin, who came from the Carlyle and brought with him some equally serious standards of service, so expect to be looked after. And expect to share the lift (sorry, elevator) with high flyers from the co-op apartments, including a $60m penthouse.

Oh, and the staff are said to be the best dressed in the world.

Rates: from $595 per night.
Phone: 001 212 744 4300