The Mark Hotel Featured in New Assouline Book

“The Mark is a landmark,” said Martha Stewart. “It has the best artichokes in New York City, which I come to eat at least once a month.”

High praise, from the high priestess of entertaining, but unsurprising considering the Mark’s stature in New York hospitality, and the white-glove niche it has come to occupy in the city’s social imagination, as well as its mythology.

Stewart had come to celebrate the publication of “The Mark,” the latest addition to Assouline’s Hospitality Collection. Ideal gifts for both seasoned and aspiring travelers, the collection includes “Belmond Splendido: The Radiant Stage of Portofino”, “La Colombe D’Or”, “Raffles” and “The Connaught.”

Naturally, the Mark stands out as a New York institution, which Derek Blasberg, who authored the text that accompanies the glossy photos, called, “part pied-à-terre, part discreet clubhouse for its sophisticated guests.”

Arriving guests passed a small alcove adjacent to East  77th Street, which Assouline transformed into a holiday bookstore. Inside, a model Christmas train ran past a replica of the hotel and its Upper East Side neighborhood.  Patrons gathered by the Mark Bar for champagne and Olive, a fluffy pomeranian who was sporting The Mark x Fefé by Dolce & Gabbana, a limited-edited holiday fragrance for dogs.

Olive was joined by two large, well-groomed, white standard poodles, in Mark-branded sweaters. “They’re regulars,” a waiter said. “You can walk in on a Tuesday morning and see them laying out at the Mark Bar.” For the record, they were impeccably behaved, and it was refreshing to see people relaxed enough at a party, never mind the setting, to just grab a corner table with their dogs at their feet.

“The best thing about the Mark is that it’s a whole village inside,” said Blasberg, as he nibbled on truffle pizza and salmon sashimi on crispy rice. “You’ve got shops. At the end of this street, you got Central Park. You’ve got incredible food here.”

The food comes by way of Jean Georges Vongerichten, the executive chef at The Mark Restaurant. The village barber? That would be Frédéric Fekkai, whose salon is on the premises. “Frédéric been my guy for a very long time,” Stewart said.

The 200-page book— which features contributions from Anna Wintour, illustrator Jean Pierre Delhomme, Vongerichten, and others —is not just about the plush decor and luxe amenities. “I also have so many memories here,” said Blasberg, who noted that V.I.P. attendees to the Met Gala often stay at the hotel beforehand.  He also recalled a Chanel dinner at the Mark, early in his career as a high-society chronicler.  “It was with Julie Delphy and Vanessa Paradis,” he said. “And Patty Smith sang. It felt like such a New York night.”

Looking around the room, it became apparent that the photo book also imparts something that is more difficult to describe: the allure of the hotel itself.  “It’s much more than a place to sleep and a good shower, which are all really important things,” said Izak Senbahar, the Mark’s owner. “The rest you create. This book is all about how much we obsess about the product. It needs to be an experience. It’s a love story.”