We're giving up our half-hearted ban on Robert De Niro coverage now that he's got the Nobu Hotel in the works.
The Financial District property will be half-hotel, half-condo and include a spa and a Nobu restaurant outpost. (In case you can't make it the less than two miles to the Nobu in Tribeca.)
The NY Post has it that 77 condos will be up top--where they belong--and the floors below will house the 128 hotel rooms. The restaurant will be on level three. Rockwell Group will handle the interiors, while Moed de Armas & Shannon did the glassy facade.
Curbed notes that this is one of many new condotel developments in the FiDi, joining the W Downtown and the Four Seasons on Church Street. We'll remind you that the Andaz on Wall Street is also joining the club soon.
Reading can sometimes act like a drug-free equivalent to Lunesta, which can be a problem if you fashion yourself a literary type. Which is why we were so excited when Hyatt Andaz London first announced a "reader in residence."
The free service, provided by freelance journalist Damian Barr, begins Monday and lasts for two weeks. The book of choice is entirely up to your discretion, or indiscretion.
"If somebody was perhaps responding to the reading in a way that was inappropriate, I would try to stay in the safe confines of my armchair," Barr told USA Today. "And hotel security is always on standby."
After his two weeks are up, Barr will be available by phone to hotel guests for what he called "bibliotherapy."
We have to admit to some bookish tendencies at times. But this is the ultimate book lover's hotel happening: the Hyatt Andaz London is going to have a reader-in-residence.
Yep, we are pretty excited about this. And wait until you hear all of the stuff a hotel reader-in-residence does. First, we should tell you that the Andaz's reader, from April 14 to 28, is Damian Barr, a not especially famous Times journalist who wrote a book about the "quarterlife crisis". He's also the one who came up with the idea of a reader-in-residence position.
His duties will include reading aloud to guests (you choose what you want him to read from a special book menu), going to lunch with you to talk books, and giving you "bibliotherapy", that is, diagnosing your reading needs and prescribing some appropriate books.
To coincide with the London Book Fair, Damian will hold a "read-in" (a la Lennon and Oko's sleep-in), on Sunday, April 27. It'll be held in the cosy side of the hotel pub, and everyone can bring a book along and read together between 11am and 2pm.
The first reader-in-residence opens up all kinds of possibilities. Any hotels out there looking for a blogger-in-residence?
In November last year, we reported on the highly anticipating opening of the Hyatt Andaz hotel which was renovated from the old Great Eastern Hotel. The opening party, much like the hotel itself, was a lavishly decadent affair, with meticulous attention paid to every last detail- lucky party-goers even went home with a complimentary bottle of French champagne. Merci beaucoup!
Thanks to Jaunted editor Paul Brady we have a first look at the upcoming Hyatt Andaz down on 75 Wall Street in NYC.
There's not much to see here since the hotel is making a switch from an office building to a condo-hotel but when it opens sometime at the end of 2008, the hotel, designed by the Rockwell Group, will have 250 suites and 350 residences.
And just because it's located on Wall Street doesn't mean it will be some stuffy place. Luxist reports the hotel will also open Club 75, "a lifestyle area that will house a fitness center, massage treatment rooms, media room and game room."
We sent our London correspondent, Annabel Ross, to Hyatt Andaz to get a first hand look at the hype. Enjoy.
Stepping into Liverpool Street 's newly refurbished Andaz London for the opening of the Eastern Thinking exhibition, I knew I was in for a treat.
Like a scene from a modern-day Walt Whitman film, the adjacent bar, Aurora, was decked out with gorgeous chandeliers and sumptuous stylised décor evoking the feel of an upmarket nightclub. After gorging ourselves on the provided oysters, sushi and champagne, we took a grand tour of the new Andaz and permanent installations comprising works from some of the East end's most exciting modern artists.
The Guggenheim-inspired staircase is to-die-for whilst the softly-lit etched bridge is subtly effective. Each installation features a quote that each artist has carefully selected based on personal engagements and experience of living or working within the EC and E2 postcodes.
Hotly Debated Issue: Is the new Hyatt Andaz, and the area around the hotel, a ghost town on weekends? Or is the rate of under $300/night a steal for London?
Background: Andaz, the brand spankin' new boutique brand from Hyatt, will debut in London November 15. The first Andaz is a renovation of the old Great Eastern Hyatt Hotel. While opening rates seemed to sit squarely around a lofty $800 a night, we were able to find rates for under $300 a night on weekend nights.
We are a Bunch of Idiots Side (added 3.13.08)
The idiots on one website who started a thread about London's Andaz Hotel being far away from the action at the weekend: in fact it's in Shoreditch, home of the capitals best nightlife.
So says our favorite travel glossy, who seem to agree with HotelChatter member digid, and well, you heard them call everyone else a bunch of Johnny Damons.
Having stayed at The Great Eastern I can tell you why the rates are so much lower on the weekends: The City, where Andaz is located, is a ghost town.
All of the restaurants in the hotel (including the Pub) are closed on the weekend, with exception of the casual place where your included breakfast is served. Other than the McDonald's outside Liverpool Street Station, and the M&S Simply Food inside, there's no place to get something to eat or drink on Saturdays and Sundays. Spend a Friday at the hotel and you'll see just how isolated and lonely it is in London's business and financial district when the markets are closed.
If you get a deal on a rate like I did, then its a steal in London (I paid under $350 for two nights)
The Liverpool train and Tube stop is 100 yards away, open on weekends and has fast food. Granted some shopping is closed and so are the shops, but by tube, walking or taxi you can find plenty.
Andaz, the boutique brand from Hyatt Hotels, will debut in London on November 15th and the expectations will be high, thanks to the "revolutionary" promises of the hotel's PR team:
This launch will see traditional hotel service models turned on its head by fusing the best of contemporary boutique culture, with that of a five-star hotel.
Dotted throughout the press release for the hotel are other popular phrases like "set to re-define luxury", "revolutionary new concept" and "unlike any hotel experience." We're not saying these are bad things to offer but we will be watching Andaz to see if they can deliver on this or not.
