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5 Hotels To Check Out For Fashion Week

New York Fashion Week officially kicked off yesterday, and for the next week, New York is a sloppy mess of runway events, underpaid models, and too many cocktail parties than we care to count. On the plus side, hotels always get a good piece of the action—here's a look at five hotel events this week worth your while.

Since October, Andaz 5th Avenue has been asking a rotating series of local artists to paint murals that represent their "view" of New York. Starting on Sunday, Claw Money—or Gold, as she is also known—will superimpose her own bright, raw graffiti style onto the doors of the bar downstairs.

So if you see a girl in six-inch heels with a can of spray paint, just play along. Photos from the exhibit are being sold in the bar for $5 apiece, proceeds go to charity.

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Hotel Rumors / Andaz Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / → All Tags

Could the Hyatt Union Square Actually Become an Andaz? (Updated)

UPDATE: 1.26.12, 3:58PM EST: We got too excited and read way too much into the tweet below. The Hyatt Union Square will stay a Hyatt but there is an Andaz coming to Amsterdam later in 2012. But hey, Hyatt? Andaz Union Square would still be awesome.

We've been anxiously awaiting more news about the Hyatt Union Square and today, we just might have it.

Just a few weeks ago, we heard about the exciting restaurants and bars that might open up inside the hotel but we've been following The Points Guy on Twitter as he attends the One World Mega Do and he let the news slip:

Upcoming hyatts: Amsterdam andaz, union square NY and French quarter new Orleans

We knew about Amsterdam and we thought we heard something about New Orleans before but UNION SQUARE NEW YORK CITY? That would be awesome. More free WiFi and minibar snacks for us! It would also mean Andaz has the island of Manhattan well-covered, after Andaz Wall Street and Andaz Fifth Avenue.

We've put in a line to Andaz to see if this is really true but we are praying that it is.

Valentine's Day Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / Andaz Hotels / InterContinental Hotels / Kimpton Hotels / Hotel Chocolate / Hotel Bathrobes / Hotel Restaurants / Hotel Sex / → All Tags

Nothing Says 'I Love You' Like a Kimpton Bathrobe

Unlike other industries, where it's just about guzzling free candy and wearing too many red cardigans, Valentine's Day is a special time of year for hotels. The January slump is suddenly reversed by couples seeking out romantic getaways, anonymous hook-ups, and indulgent spa treatments. Not to mention special food that puts you in that special mood. Here are our three picks for Valentine's Day hotels in NYC.

Remember when we found out Kimpton Hotels devoted an entire month to flaunt their funky leopard-, giraffe-, and zebra-print bathrobes? And remember how, unless you were a guest, it was kinda hard to get one? Well, that part is still the same. But they're making it more worth your while with a month-long "Robe-mance" package ($269, booking code ROBES) that includes a $25 dining and beverage credit and two robes.

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3 Reasons To Snag A Room For Hotel Week

We don't know about you, but the post-holiday void has left us in need of a little diversion, so we're just going to play along with all this Hotel Week business—however much it feels like a bootleg version of New York's more established Restaurant Week. Here to bolster a select batch of NYC hotels through the dreaded January slow season, the nine-day promotion starts today.

And to help you get excited, here are a few tips on ways to get the best bang for your buck.

#1. By saving money on the room, you can relax (read: spend) a little more at the hotel restaurant. For example, Lexington Brass, the glazed brick-lined brasserie on the ground floor of Hyatt 48Lex, has made a point of luring guests with delicious comfort food items like buttermilk fried chicken, deviled eggs with caviar, and, of course, our favorite, the jelly-filled doughnut pancakes.

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HotelChatter 2011 Awards / Concierge Interviews / Hotel Video Tours / Manhattan Hotels / Andaz Hotels / Hotel Weddings / → All Tags

Best Video of 2011: The Designated Room Number Rememberers at Andaz Wall Street

Where: 75 Wall Street [map], New York, NY, United States, 10005

It's what you've been waiting all year for--The 2011 HotelChatter Awards! We'll be bringing you the best and worst of the year all day today and part of tomorrow. Agree or disagree with our picks? Air your thoughts in the comments below.

This year, we tried something a little different with our video tours, opting for more face time with hotel concierges and other staff members—in addition to the usual room inspections, bathroom tours, and otherwise. And we guess you could say we had some fun along the way...

Possibly the most entertaining of the interviews was with Assistant Front of House Manager at Andaz Wall Street, Michael Stevens. Michael opened up to us about a "lively" wedding group that had passed through earlier that weekend, and who took up 50 rooms, then got so drunk they all forgot their room numbers! But as nightmarish as it sounds, Michael's team apparently handled the situation with tact and aplomb—and lived to tell about it the following day.

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Andaz Hotels / Wailea Hotels / Maui Hotels / Hotel Hype / → All Tags

Andaz Wailea Blesses The Ground They're About to Andazzle

Where: Mokapu Beach [map], Maui, HI, United States, 96753

Fa la la la, we've got some concrete proof that the Andaz Hotel brand is coming to paradise aka Wailea, Maui, thanks to this traditional Hawaiian Blessing ceremony photo op from Wednesday. And there's another little surprise in our hotel news stocking as the Andaz Wailea Resort and Residences will open in the Spring of 2013, not 2014 as we first heard.

The hotel will have 255-rooms, 35 suites and 19 villas located along Mokapu Beach which is a little bit further north from the Grand Wailea-Four Seasons-Marriott hotel cluster that most people frequent in Wailea.

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Where Will You Be Staying During New York's First-Ever 'Hotel Week?'

That's right. Most of you have probably heard of Restuarant Week, a promotional period that falls twice a year (winter and summer) in New York City, giving restaurants a chance to make up prix-fixe menus and welcome in a whole new set of customers. Well, now hotels are starting to get in on the action.

The first-ever NYC hotel week will run for nine days, from January 6-15, with rates starting at $100. Nevermind the fact that the whole thing was decided spur-of-the-moment by a hotel PR firm—we say, if the price is right, we'll jump on board. Because once the holidays have come and gone, and "searching for Christmas trees" is no longer a valid excuse for poking our heads inside random hotels, we're gonna need something to lift our spirits. And it might as well be $200/night rooms at Hyatt 48Lex.

For a complete listing of participating hotels and their rates, see below!

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Holiday Hotels / Hotel Tea / London Hotels / Hyatt Hotels / Andaz Hotels / Hotel Art / → All Tags

Andaz London Is Counting Down The Days 'Til Christmas...With Tea Cups

Where: Liverpool Street, London, United Kingdom, EC2M 7QA

Four years into the game, Andaz London is still keeping things interesting, and the holidays are no exception. The hotel has commissioned London-based designer Eyal Burnstein to create not an advent calendar, but an advent table to count down the days until Christmas!

Each day in December, a new delicious treat will appear on the octagonal table, which has been scattered with flea-market-scavenged teacups, teapots, plate, saucers and more. Simply match the date to a numbered tag placed next to each item, and behold! A daily dose of sugary, holiday goodness. As long as you're staying or dining at the hotel, the treats are free, and come served with a hot drink—plus the excitement of trying to figure out what's going to pop up the following day!

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Hotel Restaurants / San Diego Hotels / Andaz Hotels / SBE / Katsuay / → All Tags

Katsuya to Open at the Andaz San Diego Early Next Year

Aside from sexy bondage guestrooms and a chance to see a ginger prince partying, the Andaz San Diego will now offer guests a veritable sushi hotspot from Katsuya.

The celeb fave sushi restaurant from Master Sushi Chef Katsuya Uechi will open early next year in a 6,000-sq.ft. indoor-outdoor lobby space and will be the hotel's signature restaurant. (It will replace the hotel's current restaurant, the Quarter Kitchen.)

The interiors will be designed by Philippe Starck and promise "an alluring ambiance that represents a chic and casual celebration of food and drink." The menu will feature traditional Japanese fare, sushi and an expansive menu of Robata selections prepared over an open flame. (And we guess the Hyatt affiliation of Andaz doesn't bother Katsuya's parent company SBE which operates the SLS Hotels brand.)

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Looking For A Worthy Thanksgiving Feast? Check Out These NYC Hotels

Considering the super-high standards of hotel restaurants in New York (Maze at The London NYC, Maialino at Gramercy Park, and The Ace's The Breslin all come to mind), no one could possibly fault you for ditching the entire fam and taking yourself to a nice dinner in midtown (or Wall Street, as the case may be).

Check out these delightful dining options. With expertly-crafted menus and warm, inviting dining rooms to match, we can think of at least a few things you'll be grateful for: among them, not having to do the dishes.

The London NYC: First up, Gordon Ramsay's Manhattan jewel on West 54th St. The 2-Michelin Star Gordon Ramsay at the London is doing it up with caramelized Long Island duck breast, served with sweet rutabaga, potato rosti and Szechwan consomme. While that menu is going for $185pp, a slightly more affordable option is at Maze, where $95pp gets you a four-course meal with slow-roasted turkey, confit leg a la creme, or roasted cannon of lamb.

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Hotel Design / Design Thursdays / Beijing Hotels / Conrad Hotels / Andaz Hotels / → All Tags

Conrad Beijing Peeks From Behind The Curtains

Where: Wangfujing Rd, Beijing, China

Designboom got a peek at the new Conrad Beijing, which is still under construction, and is due for a 2012 opening. Around the 300-room hotel are the Peninsula Beiing, Hilton Beijing and Crowne Plaza. Additionally, Starwood's brand new 441-room Sheraton Beijing lies directly north, about 5 miles away.

Conrad Beijing's warped exterior is supposed to evoke The Flintstones "nervous tissue", though we find it strikingly similar to the facade at the new Andaz Shanghai, which also boasts a chunky, grid-like white exterior. Conrad's is decidedly more trippy, which makes sense, as Conrad, though always elegant, likes to keep things playful. A Shake Shack here, a submarine there. And now a big, white tower of blobs.

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What Recession? 120 New Hotels Will Hit NYC By 2014

New York, get ready. If you were at all excited by the hotel openings in 2011 (Nolitan, Hyatt 48Lex, Mondrian Soho, Flatiron Hotel Toshi, and many more), then you're about to freak out. Bloomberg News is reporting on how hoteliers like Ian Schrager are snatching up development sites like hot cakes, favoring the development of new buildings rather than the rehabilitation of old ones, and generally just going hotel crazy. Schrager himself has bought one plot already, and hopes to purchase a second this year.

Sure, the income potential for hotels in NYC is high, but will we really need another 120 new properties by the end of 2014? Soon hotels will have outnumbered Starbucks! Of the many facts and figures referenced in the article, one in particular stood out to us: the country's woeful 9% unemployment rate, which many say will continue well into 2012.

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