HotelChatter

The hotel's lobby, bar and restaurant spaces were still busy hives of construction activity when we did a tour last month, but we can't wait to start exploring them this summer while all the city's fancy folk are off at the Hamptons. (The upside to NYC in August: less crowds.)

Based on the delicious food we've sampled at sister hotel Andaz Wall Street's Wall & Water, we expect more tastiness here on Fifth Avenue—both hotel restaurants focus on supporting local farmers and purveyors from areas upstate and in the Hudson Valley.

The design should be interesting, too:

Pivoting shutters between the kitchen and dining areas open and close depending on the time of day, the activity in the kitchen, and the mood in the dining room.

Or in Andaz parlance, "whenever we like."

We found an Andaz King room available for July 25 when we checked this morning, and there is also an Andaz Large King available, for a summer preview rate of $335.