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Ever wondered where those goofy uniforms you see on hotel staff came from? Turns out not all of them were made in China: there's a uniform designer and manufacturer that does all the work in New York, called Top Hat Image Wear.
Not that we're personally in the market for any uniforms ourselves, but it is interesting to see what's out there and how bad or how good the staff at our favorite hotels could really look.
Once again we have our Miami Beach insider/party animal Gregg to thank for this inside scoop on the newly opened Florida Room inside The Delano Hotel. The lounge is the first official nightclub from musician Lenny Kravitz and was host to the Agent Provacateur Art Basel party last week. Enjoy.
I got to the side entrance of Delano Hotel (on 17th Street) at 10 pm and had to wait 15 minutes until they were ready to open and let people in. Security was real tight. But it was a pleasure waiting because Granville the doorman (imported from NYC) is super nice and polite. He will kill you with kindness no matter how rude you are to him.
The Florida Room is very 1950's Cuban-style lounge. Lenny Kravitz's design firm did a really nice job. The uniforms are old school. The bartenders wear green jackets and the cocktail waitress's wear a white blouse (showing cleavage) and a black high waisted skirt. They also had girls dressed in Agent Provocateur corsets with 1950's hairdos and make-up greeting you into The Florida Room's entrance.
NYLO Hotels announced that Project Runway Season 2 runner-up Daniel Vosovic would be designing the brand's hotel uniforms back in July 2006 and at that time, we still thought NYLO was a pipe dream.
But here we are, practically waving goodbye to 2007 and not only do we have a hotel--NYLO Plano will open Dec. 18th--we have several snapshots of the hotel uniforms which are intended to double as both front desk gear and street wear.
Created for frontline workers and fashionistas, NYLO Wear is an 20-piece collection that aims to flatter its wearers in the hotel as well as in the office and on the street. The versatile, mix-and-match clothing line includes sweaters, skirts, pants, blouses, shirts, jackets and more.
Each piece features Daniel's signature clean lines and sophisticated styling. From jackets and jumpers to polos and pants, the collection is varied enough for a day in the office or a night out with friends. Starting in December, the casual, fashion-forward apparel will be available for consumers to purchase in the hotel boutique shops and online at www.nylohotels.com.
While we did love Daniel's oh-so-clean and classic lines on Project Runway, we're not quite sure we would want to scoop up these garments for a dinner party. However, if we did work at NYLO, meeting friends for dinner after our shift wouldn't necessarily require a wardrobe change. And who can resist naughty schoolgirl knee-highs?
More hotel fashion after the jump.
Related Stories:
· Project Runway Runner-Up to Design Uniforms For Non-Existent Hotels [HotelChatter]
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by juliana
We have spies all over the hotel industry who like to send various miscellaneous tips our way. Some of these are post-worthy, others are not much more than one sentence tid-bits. So here's the latest batch of whispers through the hotel grapevine.
We had a little surprise bit of Heard Around the Mexican Hotel World earlier this week and now we bring you our regularly scheduled programming.
· Britney Spears has reportedly been blacklisted from the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills after a paparazzi there got into a scuffle with a hotel security guard. Apparently, the Peninsula is not willing to sacrifice the peace and quiet of their swank hotel and their other high-profile guests for trainwreck that is Britney Spears.
· This has been a big week for Thompson Hotels. First we introduced a Thompson Hotels map, then we saw some sketches for the Beverly Hills property uniforms, and then Stephen Brandman defended his hotels' service reputation. In between all that, we heard that Thompson Hotels will announce a few more projects in early 2008. No word on where they will be but discussions are happening about a Vegas property which would include a Teddy's outpost.
· Ok this is not technically a piece of gossip, but we think you should hear it. Whist at the Viceroy Santa Monica is offering a Sunday New Year's brunch every Sunday in the month of January for just $20.08 a person. Get it? 2008...The brunch is usually $55 person and includes unlimited champagne, mimosas or bloody marys. So much for that "Drink Less" New Years Resolution.
· Care to spend your holiday in Minneapolis? That is where the hotel rates are the cheapest at around $83 a night, according to the CheapTickets.com Holiday Shopping Cheapometer.
· In some more holiday booking news, Booking.com was named the #1 hotel site in terms of room availability over Christmas.
· Lastly, the bitterness between residents and new management at the Hotel Chelsea still continues. Manager Glennon Travis has been called a "baby dictator" and a master of the annoying memo. While we certainly agree he is young at just 26 years of age, a dictator is stretching it. Afterall, isn't he just doing what BD Hotels tells him to? But since he is so proficient with the memos, we shall call him Baby Bill Lumbergh--"Did you get the memo?"
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As the Palazzo Las Vegas nears its soft-opening on December 20th, it's looking to hire a few good men and women. The place has about 64 front desk hires but for this gigantic new 3,068-room tower, the Palazzo needs at least 420 more positions filled. Fortunately, they won't have to post any ads on Craigslist as the Palazzo has received about 55,000 applicants.
But we were shocked to see that such a fancy new Las Vegas hotel which will include a Barneys New York department store, a production of hot Broadway hit "Jersey Boys", a Christian Louboutin shoe boutique, and several hot restaurants would have such awful uniforms.
Seriously, what is wrong with black? That looks much more chic. These bland taupe uniforms look like silly putty. And no one looks good in that. But it could be worse. Front desk employees could be wearing gondolier uniforms.
Related Stories:
· Palazzo welcomes aboard its first 64 new hires [LVRJ]
· Palazzo Las Vegas Update: Rooms Open Dec. 20th [HotelChatter]
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· So that public photo shoot by Spencer Tunick featuring 600 real nude people (as opposed to professional nude models) happened yesterday at the Sagamore Hotel (Wait, sag...more...not good words when talking about nude people.) And fortunately, it looks like everything went off without a hitch.
· The Mondrian South Beach is hosting a yacht party tomorrow night (October 11th) in hopes of attracting more buyers for the residential units at the condo-hotel which should open in early 2008. Word is 200 VIPs will sip "Mondrian Margaritas" and enjoy hors d'oeuvres from OLA as the yacht loops around Biscayne Bay.
· While the Tides South Beach continues to struggle with renovations, the hotel's La Marea restaurant is trying to keep things popping. Starting tonight the restaurant introduces "La Notte" which will happen every Wednesday evening from 6-10pm this Fall.
The night will feature The Tides' signature Royale Cocktail – spiced rum with guanabana and cranberry juice topped with a kiwi slice – and a Mediterranean selection of bruschettas and montaditos.
And of course you can order other food and drinks if you want.
· Speaking of dining, the Conrad Hotel Miami is set to unveil their dining and entertainment destination, Level 25. The floor will include Atrio, the hotel's fine dining restaurant, a wine-tasting room, and a lounge bar with views of the Biscayne Bay. In hotel uniform news, local designer Julian Chang did the restaurant staff uniforms.
· Lastly, the Four Seasons Miami unveiled a Chocolate Tapas bar which is open every Friday and Saturday night in the hotel's lobby from 9pm to midnight. At $21 a person, you can much on heavenly chocolate treats like chocolate-covered strawberries, and molten cake.
[Photo: Miami Herald]
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Hotel trade mags are full of gems that us ordinary hotel guests don't always learn about. Last month the Indian-based Express Hospitality magazine published a bunch of tips on how to design a suitable hotel uniform and just why it should be done right.
The big tip is to dress even "back of house" staff in a way that you wouldn't be ashamed of if guests got an eyeful. Chefs, for example, are more often being expected to come out of the kitchen and get compliments (hopefully) from important guests--so a chef's uniform must now be ramped up to designer level.
And while designer flare is good, practicality is great. Take this example given by a senior hospitality industry trainer in India, as she attended a hotel's outdoor party:
While the uniform was aesthetically perfect, it overlooked the essential front pocket. "Consequently, the waiter had to keep the bottle opener in his trouser pockets," she said, a shabby end to perfect tailoring and a perfect image.
Kind of lends itself far too easily to some "is that a bottle opener in your pocket or ..." jokes, but we won't go there. Just be more aware of what people are wearing at your next hotel, and beware of strangely-shaped bulging pockets.
Related Stories:
· Dressed to Kill [Express Hospitality
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by amandak
Citistay Hotels is nowhere near opening anytime soon, but the company is intent on keeping you updated with their progress.
Their latest press release reveals that they are still in the process of securing two properties for a 2007 opening in either New York, Miami, Boston, San Diego and San Francisco. The other three will open sometime in 2008. They are also looking at some hotels that may want to re-brand their properties as Citistays.
Additionally, the company has hired Deepak Kapadia as their Vice President of Corporate Development and the infamous Citiscreens technology (a sort of virtual concierge) is making some headway.
But who cares about all that boring development stuff? What's really exciting is that Citistay is unveiling the uniform collection for front line service employees in the next few weeks. Ohmygosh, we wonder which fashion designer will do these unis--Marc Jacobs or Balenciaga or Hugo Boss?
Does it matter that there's no actual hotel for these employees to work in? Apparently not. This just seems to be part of the latest boutique hotel trend--putting the boutique before the hotel.
Related Stories:
· Citistay Hotels Revamps Website But Doesn't Have an Actual Hotel [HotelChatter]
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