Tag: Dream Hotels
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The NY Times Liked The Curtains At Romera, But the Food, Not So Much
Romera is located in the Dream Downtown's basement, and its chef Miguel Sanchez Romera, is a former neurologist who decided to show the world how he thought molecular gastronomy should be done. But judging from Pete Wells' recent review for the New York Times, the various tasting menus, (6-course, $125 ; 9-course, $185; 12-course, $245) sound more like a tutorial in how to make very pretty food art.
Disappointing—and kind of ironic—for the Dream Downtown, which until now had proven to be an exceptionally pretty addition to the NYC hotel scene. A "Romerian mosaic" (the pattern of brightly colored spices and powdered vegetables seen above, and on many of the dishes) would be great to look at in a museum. But for dinner? Folks wanna munch, not ponder!
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40 Nights and 12 Dreams Planned For India
Where: India
Dream and Night hoteliers Sant Chatwal and his son Vikram Chatwal are in the process of bringing their lifestyle hotel brands to India. In a biiig way.
Last we heard, Hampshire Hotels & Resorts, which manages all the Chatwal properties, was being taken over by Wyndham (yeah, it all gets a little confusing after a while, doesn't it?), which was going to help take the brands "to the next level." The way we see it, Chatwal was so pleased with the success of Dream Downtown, he just couldn't wait to bring a little (or a lot) of that same sexiness to Indian hotel guests. Aiming to pump out 52 new hotels over the next five years (40 Nights, 12 Dreams), now Hampshire/Wyndham just have to convince Indian investors and franchisees to share the 'dream' (get it?).
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Dream Hotels are Dreaming of Hollywood
Looks like Hampshire Hotels will be "hopping off the plane at LAX with a dream and their cardigan." Ok, well maybe not the cardigan but definitely a dream...a Dream Hotel, that is.
The LA Times reports that construction on the 148-room hotel will begin in the spring at Selma Avenue and Cahuenga Boulevard, right in the middle of Hollywood (and closest to the W Hollywood and The Redbury.)
Not many more details have been released but the hotel will have a rooftop swimming pool, a restaurant and a lounge. It should open in the fall of 2013. Is it us or does that just seem like forever away? Let's hope we don't forget about this dream in the meantime. But considering how long we waited for the Dream Downtown in NYC, we guess we'll be able to tough it out.
[Photo rendering: LA Times]
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Well, At Least Lindsay Lohan Can Always Get a Free Room at a Dream Hotel
Ladies, dating the club promoter for the hottest club in town is sooo last decade. The new dating up trend is now hoteliers, or so Lindsay Lohan thinks.
We've long suspected that Lohan has been using dating the Dream Downtown's hotelier, Vikram Chatwal, but now it looks like The Superficial has the proof.
The gossip site posted a series of photos of Lohan and Vik inside Vik's apartment in Soho doing whatever it is two people like Lohan and Vik do. Apparently, these shots were taken before Lohan's disastrous attempt to get into some Fashion Week parties at the Dream Hotel.
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When Will We Get To See A Chatwal In India?
Where: India
A lot of talk is flying around these days about a potential expansion into India (as well as London) by big-time hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal, who is Indian himself. Citing the "maximum potential" and "7%-9% growth rate" of India's current economy in this article, Chatwal makes it clear he has his brand-oriented mind set on expanding his luxury hotels onto Indian turf.
But until we get shots of a construction site, we have to scratch our heads and wonder: when will this Dream become a reality?
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Nothing Like A Little Oudh To Take You To That 'Different Place'
Now, this is something that's been on our minds for a while now, ever since we first visited the Dream Downtown. Though at the time, it was more like a nagging thought in the back of our minds—call it a persistent unease—that something wasn't quite right.
We're talking, of course, about the cloying, slightly church-like fragrance that permeates every corner of the Dream's bubble-icious lobby. If you've walked through those heavy wooden doors, even just for a second, then you'll know what we mean...
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Just Another Dreamy Weekend In Chelsea
Yes, we finally made it to the Dream Downtown. But before we go all mushy talking about how it was everything we'd hoped it would be (of course, it's more complicated than that), let us clear something up real quick.
Despite blatantly obvious similarities, Dream Downtown and The Maritime are separate hotels. That's right—two distinct, neighboring hotels, both with portholes dotted around their exteriors. An architect by the name of Albert C. Ledner designed both buildings in the 1960s, though neither were originally planned as hotels.
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Pickle Me This: We Try Dinner at Dream SoBe's Tudor House
Now that Dream South Beach is officially open--fire-eaters and Nicky Hilton at the party officially open--we decided to stop in at the hotel's restaurant, Tudor House, to sample Geoffrey Zakarian's menu.
The first thing we devoured, though, was the decor. We're big fans of the Art Deco period--which is one reason we also love the look of Zakarian's Lambs Club at The Chatwal in New York. Tudor House is less clubby and masculine than Lambs, but the clean lines and airy feel suit Miami Beach. Being hotel nerds, we also love that the Tudor House bar utilizes the former hotel's check-in desk area. (Where they make a mean Moscow Mule and a delightful vodka cocktail called Peggy's Punch.)
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Dream South Beach's Water Feature... Er, Pool Is Now Open
The Dream Downtown may be snagging all the buzz up north, but down in Miami, Dream South Beach continues to roll out new features, too.
While its fellow newbie around the corner, Hotel Breakwater, has to wait until the end of August to get guests wet, Dream's rooftop pool is now open. Although, as the latest TripAdvisor reviewers point out, it's really more of a water feature.
To be fair, the 3-foot pool is as good as it gets in any of the South Beach hotels with Art Deco bones. Even pricey hotels like The Betsy and The Tides have teensy little pools—and theirs are behind the hotel, meaning lots of shade.
Dream's pool is up on the roof, which also houses HIGHBAR, and both offer peeks of the Atlantic Ocean—if you can see over the palm trees.
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Did We Just Dream We Handed The Dream Our Credit Card?
The other week we stalked the pool scene at the Dream Downtown and even put our toes in the sand of the rooftop pool's "urban beach." But before we did all that, we actually had a late breakfast downstairs in the Marble Lane restaurant off the lobby. (Breakfast is served until 11am and non-guests are allowed.)
So we slid into the Ferrari leather-lined booths and noshed on some amazing Challah French Toast (below) while scoping out the scene--namely the cluster of light bulb fixtures and the large windows in the back of the lobby out which we could see people coming and going on the stairway to the rooftop.
There was only one other table of diners and so the service was as friendly as could be. When we finished our meal we handed over our credit card like usual. Pretty standard. The waiter came back and asked us to sign the slip and just as we were about to add a tip, we noticed there was no tip line. So we inquired, "Is gratuity included?" And he told us no.
Instead, we were signing an agreement to the bill charges of one french toast, two eggs (our dining partner's meal), a coffee and a tea. Wait, what?
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Dreaming of Swimming at The Dream Downtown? Here's How to Do It
Now we hope this morning's hotel pool news hasn't turned you off on hotel pools entirely because there's a sexy new pool you can go to in NYC and it's not just a dream. Well, actually it is. It's at The Dream Downtown.
We poked around the new hotel again last week and while we were admonished for taking pictures downstairs, we were told that the pool deck is open to the public. And once we got up there, an attendant actually told us, "Go ahead and take pictures." Go figure.
Anyways, the pool deck is dreamy if a little bright, thanks to all the shiny metal that surrounds it. There's a small bar and restaurant which non-hotel guests can dine at but if you wanted to park it on one of the Dream lounge chairs that surround the pool or that occupy the "beach" section in back, you might be asked to show proof that you're a guest.
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It Turns Out New York Does Have Room For Two Porthole Hotels
Last week, we got to take a peek inside a hotel we have wanted to see for a very, very long time. The Dream Downtown is still in that cute, newborn, silent wonder phase: there's still obviously a lot of work to be done, but it's so pretty, we couldn't help but coo into its silver polished face. Let us paint you a little picture. Inside the lobby, you are immediately welcomed into a huge atrium: the left-hand side opens into a long, satisfying fifty-foot stretch joining the front waiting area to the garden staircase; meanwhile, on the other side, sunken three feet into the floor, is Marble Lane, the hotel's steakhouse-inspired restaurant helmed by Manuel Trevino. Yes, Marble Lane's oversized lightbulbs remind us very much of the W London Leicester Square; and yes, Ferrari provided the leather for the booths.
Just to point out—we haven't seen lobbies this large in any of New York's latest openings (Mondrian Soho, W New York Downtown, The James New York). So while we allowed ourselves to get impatient over the Dream Downtown's delayed opening, it's clear they took their time to figure out how to really use the $70 million space. Which our square-footage-deprived, railroad-apartment-dwelling selves can appreciate.
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