HotelChatter

Apparently there are some finishing touches still to be, er, touched before opening day, but 140 of the 249 rooms are ready to roll. You'll recognize the Gansevoort colors, which we understand from a branding perspective—but do they say "Park Avenue" to you? These rooms seem slightly more high-end than the other Gansevoort hotels, but the blues and pinks make it hard to shake the feeling that you're in the Meatpacking District or maybe even Miami.

Of course, this is a new Park Avenue experience hotelier Michael Achenbaum is trying to create—he's aiming for "Four Seasons service" but with a downtown social scene.

We can't judge the service yet, but scene is what we fully expect Plunge and restaurant Asellina (opening in October) to become, with Achenbaum telling us more than once just how much time went into the sound system at Plunge—which is ready for any DJ in the world.

You what's also waiting? The Vargas Girl at the bottom of the pool ...