Tag: New York Hotels
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From Flo Rida to Connor Cruise, Celebs Love Hotels Too!
Celebrities seem to be having fun in hotels in full force lately, whether they’re working on or wrapping up television shows or movies shot on location, or just shooting the breeze at their favorite spots. We’ve got the lowdown on where the bold-face names have been laying their hats.
Hotel Wallpaper / Brooklyn Hotels / New York Hotels / Hotel Art / → All Tags
Williamsburg as Wallpaper at The Wythe Hotel
What's the one thing Brooklyn's new Wythe Hotel loves more than anything? The answer, dear friends, is Brooklyn. The Wythe Hotel is more than proud of its location in the Williamsburg section of town, but nearly turns itself into a shrine to all things Williasmburger, from the art on the walls to the wood tables in the hotel's Reynard's restaurant, everything possible is made by Brooklynites to reflect the spirit of the borough.
Take for instance, the wallpaper found in the guestrooms. Walk into your home for the night and notice the toile design...then get up closer to see that the toile actually depicts little street scenes of Williamsburg, from the street signs to the architecture of the Greek Orthodox church on the next block.
And though this is a custom Dan Funderburgh design for The Wythe, Flavor Paper has made it (and the 3 other Wythe Hotel wallpaper patterns) available in their online shop.
[Photo: d_m_p]
Hotel Gyms / New York Hotels / Hotel Raquetball Courts / → All Tags
What You Won't See in Hotel Fitness Centers (Anymore)
What don't hotels have these days? They've got libraries, art galleries, luggage robots, pilates studios, cantilevered pools...you get the idea. But it wasn't until this weekend that we encountered a hotel amenity that has almost gone extinct—that of the racquetball court.
Racquetball courts are typically found in older, resort-like hotels in areas that aren't known for beaches or much hot weather at all. The fun and fitness mostly happens indoors, and if you're at a hotel with a racquetball court, it also means you're likely not leaving the property.
We came across one of these rare extras this weekend, at the Tarrytown House in Irvington, NY. We paid $286 plus tax for two nights and the fitness center was definitely the highlight of the place. We weren't there for a bar mitzvah, wedding or family reunion, so racquetball it was! Maybe Even Hotels will consider bringing back the racquetball court? We'd play!
[Photo: HotelChatter]
Mad Men Hotels / New York Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / Twitter / Draping / → All Tags
Planking is So Over. It's All About Mad Men 'Draping' Now.
As if you aren't being bombarded with ads for the new season of AMC's Mad Men, there's now also a viral stunt making its way around the social networks. It's called Draping, and the idea is simple: mimic Don Draper's pose in the famous Mad Men graphic (with his arm slung over a seatback, a cigarette casually perched between fingers), and post the pic with the hashtag #draping.
If you do some #draping in hotels & want to share, include @hotelchatter in your tweet or instagram, and we'll post some next week!
The character of Don Draper is no newbie when it comes to hotels, and one property that's been around since the days of "Ad Men" is super excited over the whole #draping thing:
New York Hotels / Hotel News / Hostels / → All Tags
Budget Rooms Coming to Long Island City, Two Subway Stops from Midtown NYC
If you want to talk about one NYC neighborhood finally getting the development love it deserves, then it's gotta be the north end of Long Island City. Fresh highrises have sprouted up in just the last year, including the Z Hotel, and there are other we're eyeing daily for an answer on if they'll be hotels or condos. Add to this the addition of JetBlue's headquarters to the area (in a building with a history as an old Rolls Royce plant) and it's plain that the area around both the Queensboro Plaza and Queens Plaza subway stops is hot stuff.
So, it really comes as no surprise that the 3-story former bank building at Queens Plaza North—next to a newly completed pedestrian park plaza and bike path and just down from a site that once had plans for an Aloft Hotel—is about to enter a new era as a budget hotel/hostel.
It doesn't have a name quite yet, but we've spotted bunkbed frames in the rooms and small chandeliers on the ceilings. An online registry only gives the operation company as "2909 Queens Plaza North Hostel Management Inc," but it shouldn't be too much longer until the flashy color-changing exterior lights are paired with a sign. And don't worry—we'll keep you updated as to when that happens and how much opening rates will be.
[Photo: HotelChatter]
Killer View / Manhattan Hotels / Kimpton Hotels / New York Hotels / → All Tags
A Killer View of Manhattan, While Still in Manhattan
We told you once already, back when it first debuted in spring 2010, that the Press rooftop at Ink48 has New York City views almost impossible to get while in New York City. And now we're saying it again because the weather in the Big Apple has actually been nice enough, off and on this winter, for some rooftop imbibing.
The trick to Ink48's killer view is its odd position on the island of Manhattan; it's in Midtown West. No, even further west—extreme west Hell's Kitchen, on 11th Avenue practically in the Hudson River. To the west are the cruise ship piers and, to the east, the crop of skyscrapers that radiate out from Midtown. Even the giant electronic ads of Times Square can be seen, reflecting off the buildings.
Bonus! Checking out some random upcoming dates, we spotted an Advance Purchase deal that yields a room for $183 per night. A taxi here and there to make up for the removed location, and you're still saving money off the typical Times Square hotel rate.
[Photo: HotelChatter]
Hotel Wars / Hotel Names / Miami Hotel Mambo / New York Hotels / Hotel Rooftops / → All Tags
It's South Beach vs. Long Island City in The Hotel Name & Logo Game
Rooftop spaces at Z Ocean Hotel and Z Hotel New York
We didn't really notice that the names of the Z Ocean Hotel South Beach and Long Island City, New York's Z Hotel were so similar. Or, at least, it didn't bother us. But it sure did get up Z Ocean's nose.
The developers of the South Beach hotel filed a lawsuit against the owners of Z Hotel, accusing them of trademark infringement and seeking damages. But, as The Real Deal reports, the suit wound up being settled--with both hotels agreeing to keep their names but Z NYC forced to redesign its logo.
Hotel Packages / Trump Hotels / Elizabeth Taylor / Ivanka Trump / New York Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / → All Tags
Celebrate Elizabeth Taylor's Jewels with Some of Ivanka Trump's
While Jaunted will be bidding its life savings on Elizabeth Taylor's old Louis Vuitton luggage, you can get your own priority viewing of the rest of The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor at Christie's Rockefeller Center by booking this new package at the Trump International Hotel & Tower New York.
For $825, the package includes a one-night stay, the priority access viewing from Dec. 3-12, a $250 donation so the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation made by the hotel, a copy of the Christie's souvenir publication, Elizabeth Taylor: A-Z, a copy of the Christie's Gallery Guide for The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor and breakfast for two at Jean George's Nougatine.
Oh and we almost forgot: a $500 gift card to Ivanka Trump Jewelry, good towards a purchase of $2,000 or more at the shop at Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue or the new Soho store at 109 Mercer Street.
Hotel Deals / Hotel Renovations / New York Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / Travelzoo / → All Tags
The More $99 NYC Hotel Rooms, The Merrier
Typically we don't pay much attention to the weekly Travelzoo Top 20 newsletter. You know what we're talking about—the deals email that arrives usually chock full of $499 cruise specials, four-digit guided tour packages and discount Cirque du Soleil tickets. The Travelzoo hotel pickings can be iffy, especially since they're seeking out the cheapest rate possible, but today's newsletter may have uncovered a legitimate gem: the Hotel Thirty Thirty.
They're advertising $99 per night right near the Empire State Building, for stays many nights now until February 29, 2012. The reason? The hotel just completed a renovation, and the after photos are actually attractive.
Searching directly on their website for random, weekday nights in January, the lowest we could find is $126 per night. Going through the Travelzoo link, the prices come down to $79/night for the single room, or $99/night for the queen, all renovated. Prices nearer to now (like in November) seem to hover around $199 per night.
Hotel Apps / Firmdale Hotels / iPhone Apps / Hotel Technology / New York Hotels / London Hotels / → All Tags
Firmdale's New iPhone App Keeps it Clean and Simple
If tech-savvy types are correct in their assessment that "[t]he future of mobile is the future of everything"—and what a bold statement to make—then Firmdale Hotels' business future is looking up. Jumping on the very full and happy mobile technology bandwagon, the hotel chain has just released its own iPhone Application, downloadable by clicking here.
Hotel Fireplaces / Historical Hotels / New York Hotels / → All Tags
Hotel Fireplaces: Thumbs Up or Down?
Hotel can have many pleasantly surprising amenities. Like complimentary bath salts next to a soaking tub or a menu of different pillow types, and of course there's our favorite amenity of free and fast WiFi. But rarely does it happen that you swing open your room door and—BOOM—in-room fireplace.
Usually associated with 5-star hoighty-toighty hotels most likely in Europe, hotel room fireplaces are super rare these days. We just ran into our very first ourselves, at New York State's 265+ year old Mohonk Mountain House. We'll have more on the hotel for you next week, but for now, let's talk fireplaces.
So what do you think—are in-room fireplaces cute and homey or space-wasting scary fiery things?
Snapshot / Hotel Construction / Manhattan Hotels / New York Hotels / Chelsea Hotels / Grupo Habita / → All Tags
Hotel Americano Shows Some More Skin (But Still Has No Real Website)
The Hotel Americano first hotel from Mexico's Grupo Habita is set to open in New York's Chelsea neighborhood sometime this spring and as you probably know, HotelChatter has been keeping some close tabs on the construction.
Last month, it looked like there was still a lot of work to do but thanks to these photos snapped by the erstwhile PBB we're getting a better idea of what this new hotel will look like.
