HotelChatter

Now, since we are newish to the real estate game, we needed some clarification on a "downtown lodge and residence." According to AB, it seems to be a condo complex where you can subscribe a la carte to a myriad of different services, including, but not limited to: in-home technology repair, pay as you go rent-a-car, maid service, laundry valet, dog walking, etc. Furthermore, services like free WiFi, a 24-hour concierge, and a lap pool will be available to all residents.

The suites themselves, which are for sale, include an attaché kitchen, a space-saving murphy office, and voyeur showers that do come with louvered walls--yup, offering a closed setting to these open bathrooms has proven important at many hotels.

One extremely interesting bit of info, André claimed the lobby/lodge/common area (aka "Fireside") will be open to the public and provide cocktail service, just like a hotel lobby, unless it proves unmanageable. Can't wait to watch that play out.

The sales office will open on Monday November 27 and our friends at Curbed have this to say about pricing:

The sales office, slated to open November 20, will serve up apartments from $890,000 for a one-bedroom to $2.5 million for the penthouse with terrace, which if you're going to be serious about this whole impress-your-junior-Goldman colleagues thing, is really the only way to go.

Let's cut to the chase shall we? Long time readers know we are fans of many AB Properties hotels, so it was great to be able to talk hotel shop with André for five minutes. While he didn't drop many hints as to where his next hotel will be located, some folks in the crowd suggested that we sniff around London. As always, our ears are firmly planted on the ground. Stay tuned.

Related Stories:
· André Balazs Coverage [HotelChatter]