The restaurant of the same name was conceived by chef Daniel Humm and restaurateur Will Guidara of nearby Eleven Madison Park.

[5] The hotel was sometimes referred to as NoMad New York to differentiate from its sister locations in Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

The building is a contributing property to the Madison Square North Historic District, a New York City Landmark.

[11] Food critic Adam Platt described the restaurant as appealing to multiple different audiences, with "a hodgepodge of styles under one roof".

[12] Humm and Guidara ran the nearby restaurant Eleven Madison Park, owned by Danny Meyer.

[13] It was built at a time when the area's earlier residences, hotels, and theaters were being replaced by high-rise commercial buildings.