Every year, fashion fans around the world await impatiently behind screens (or barricades) to catch the first glimpse of their favorite celebrities as they make their way onto the Met Gala red carpet.
But it’s not always the red carpet where attendees first debut their looks. Often, it’s outside of the Mark and Carlyle Hotels in New York City, where countless celebrities get ready before heading to the event.
The hotels, both located on the Upper East Side in Manhattan and conveniently situated one block away from each other, have rich histories.
The Mark was built nearly 100 years ago in 1926 and began hosting Met Gala attendees in 2009. It has housed innumerable celebrities over the years, including Anna Wintour, Kendall Jenner, Selena Gomez, Cara Delevigne, Blake Lively and many more. It features an impressive 106 rooms and 46 suites.
A Look Back at the Most Dramatic Met Gala Themes of All Time
“The energy on the day is incredible,” Etienne Haro, the general manager of The Mark, told People in an interview published on May 6. “It goes crescendo starting with the positioning of the red carpet early in the morning, followed by the delivery of the flowers and the arrival of the glam squads. As the day progresses, the intensity is palpable.”
The Carlyle, for its part, was built in 1930 and is home to 189 rooms and suites. It has been the go-to choice for celebrities for decades, including British royalty and American presidents. Princess Diana, Prince William and Princess Kate have all stayed there, as well as Presidents Kennedy, Carter and Reagan. The Carlyle was even the site where Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy first met.
In more recent years, The Carlyle has hosted the likes of Rihanna, Kate Hudson, Céline Dion, Cardi B, Margot Robbie and A$AP Rocky.
Like The Mark, The Carlyle goes above and beyond to ensure that its Met Gala guests are comfortable.
Look Back at the Wildest and Most Over-the-Top Met Gala Fashion of All Time
“It’s everything from the small touches of the pillowcases to the amenities that we place into the guest rooms, to the red carpet that goes out the morning of the Met Gala,” hotel manager Tony Mosca told Women’s Wear Daily in April 2023.
Every year, both hotels are booked months in advance by celebrities in the lead up to the Met Gala. This year is sure to have been no exception. On the day, their elevator traffic is tightly monitored to coordinate each celebrity’s entrance and departure. The security outside each hotel is also heavily amped up to protect celebrities as they pass by throngs of fans and photographers behind the barricades.
