Updated Luxury at the Carlton New York City

The Carlton Hotel has been a fixture in midtown Manhattan since the beginning of the 20^th century, before New York City had a subway system and the Madison Avenue neighborhood had its upscale reputation. It was originally referred to as the Hotel Seville and was then purchased in 1985 and rebranded as The Carlton Hotel. The Carlton would then begin 25 years of renovations, culminating in 2003 when architect David Rockwell would start a dramatic refurbishment to bring back the hotel's original charm with a modern flair. He has definitely succeeded.

When you enter the Carlton you immediately get the sense of both luxury and history with the spectacular staircase, waterfalls and detail to the art. There are 317 guest rooms on the property, all of which are reasonably sized and set up for both vacation and business. They offer comfortable bedding and down comforters, marble bathrooms with Molton Brown cosmetics, complimentary internet access and room service.

Millesime is located downstairs at The Carlton Hotel. It opened in 2010 and combines a classic speakeasy, jazz bar, tapas and wine pub and classic restaurant (hard to picture, but all the elements are there). The Salon doubles as a breakfast cafe in the morning, but in the evening there is no doubt this place is for nightlife, with the music flowing and the coffee area transforming into a wine bar. Small plates that range from tuna to flatbread are tasty and can be finished with desserts like profiteroles with fudge sauce. Classic and artisan cocktails are served throughout. Upstairs you will find Millesime the seafood restaurant, with French flair and local fish. A raw bar is available in an elegantly casual atmosphere.

You can't go wrong with the location of The Carlton Hotel. From this spot on Manhattan's Madison Avenue you can easily walk to Madison Square Garden and the Empire State Building. Since it is a short distance to both Penn Station and Grand Central Station, you can pick hop on the subway system, take the Long Island Railroad east or Metro North to New Jersey. Cabs are readily available if you don't want to take longer walks to shop on Fifth Avenue or see a play at Times Square.

The Carlton hotel frequently has special packages for shopping, romance and sporting events. Check the website for availability. The Millesime menu and event listings can be found here.