The Met Gala, also known as fashion’s biggest night, is just around the corner. On the first Monday of May, fashion’s A-list descend upon the Metropolitan Museum of Art in their most glamorous garb, dressed to impress and (hopefully) in line with the chosen theme. The 2024 Met Gala theme follows the corresponding exhibition at the Met: “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” and the dress code is “The Garden of Times.”
While attendees often begin prepping for the Met Gala far ahead of the actual evening, the 24-hours leading up to the extravaganza are where everything really comes together. Those lucky enough to score an invite to the gala tend to hole up in their hotel rooms on the day of (usually joined by makeup artists, hairdressers and stylists), for what is often an hours-long race to the stylish finish line. But where, exactly, do these fashionistas get ready for the Met Gala?
A glitzy hotel suite is the most popular dressing room of choice, and while New York City is filled with plenty of luxurious accommodations, a select set of hotels stand out as the go-to spots for Met Gala attendees. These exclusive hotels are not only true five-star properties, but the majority also happen to be located in close proximity to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is perhaps the most important criteria considering the notorious traffic that accompanies the first Monday in May festivities. Below, see the crème de la crème of the New York hotel scene, where Met Gala attendees get ready for the Costume Institute Gala.
The Mark Hotel is one of the most celeb-adored spots in New York, even when it’s not the first Monday in May, but it gets an extra-special allure on that particular date. The Mark has long been one of the—if not the—most popular hotels for celebrities to prep for the Met Gala, and every year, photographers camp out outside the 106-room Madison Avenue hotel, eagerly hoping to get a first glimpse of attendees in their ensembles. Gigi Hadid, Cardi B, Anne Hathaway, Bad Bunny, Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union are just a few of the major names to get ready at the Mark Hotel, but it’s Anna Wintour’s repeated patronage that just might be the biggest stamp of approval. The Vogue editor-in-chief, who has helmed the Met Gala since the ’90s, has chosen the Mark as her go-to pre-Met spot at least eight times.
The Mark and the Carlyle are perhaps the two most popular Met Gala hotels. The Carlyle, a Rosewood Hotel, is an Upper East Side icon that, over the years, has hosted everyone from Prince William and Kate Middleton to John F. Kennedy and Princess Diana. The Art Deco-inspired 192-room hotel, which first opened its doors in 1930 and is home to the beloved Bemelmans Bar, is also a coveted spot for those prepping for the Met Gala; Rihanna is a repeat first Monday of May guest at the hotel, as is Kendall Jenner, Naomi Campbell, Priyanka Chopra and Miranda Kerr, along with Nicole Kidman and Daisy Edgar-Jones.
Slightly further downtown on 63rd Street, the elegant Lowell Hotel is another chic choice for Met Gala-goers. The 74-room property, a member of Leading Hotels of the World, is surely one of the most unapologetically plush yet still understated options. It’s not quite as filled to the brim with Met Gala attendees as the Mark and the Carlyle, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing—it’s less of a mob scene outside, which perhaps was part of its appeal for attendees like Rachel Brosnahan, Madelyn Cline, Regé-Jean Page, Aubrey Plaza, Stella McCartney and Natalia Vodianova.
For a dose of old world glam, look no further than the Pierre. The classic Fifth Avenue hotel, composed of 189 sumptuous rooms and suites, has been a cornerstone of the New York luxury hotel scene since it opened in 1930, with guests including Coco Chanel, Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor. More recently, it’s played Met Gala dressing room host to Pedro Pascal, Emily Blunt, Jack Harlow, Kerry Washington, Emily Ratajkowski, Lady Gaga and Julianne Moore. It’s a touch further downtown than the previous entries on this list, but is right on Fifth.
