10003 Travel Guide
Hotel Openings / Hotel News / Hotel Lobbies / Guess the Hotel / Hotel Design / Hyatt Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / → All Tags
Take A Bite Out Of the New Hyatt Union Square
It's Guess The Hotel revealed!
Better late than never, as they say. And we will go ahead and say it about the Hyatt Union Square, which (finally) made its big debut last week in lower Manhattan—about, oh, twenty months behind schedule.
But that's okay, because after taking a quick look inside, we're happy to report that locals (and guests) seem to have already taken kindly to the new hotel. Just days after opening, the lobby scene was abuzz with guests spread out on the white sofas, bartenders pouring drinks, and the healthy 'ding' of elevator doors sliding open.
Though it's not open yet, we could spy the hotel's South American-inspired restaurant, which officially opens May 15, and which will feature a dramatic wooden art installation, made of discarded bed frames, hanging from the ceiling (the sculpture is visible from the lobby).
And speaking of weird art hanging from the ceiling, in case you haven't already guessed, the mystery hotel we showed you yesterday with the strange turd-looking objects hanging over the bar is in fact the Hyatt Union Square.
Read on to see another photo from the lobby!
Celebrity Scoop / Fashion Week Hotels / W Hotels / Starwood Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / Hotel Parties / Hotel Clubs / Florence Welch / → All Tags
Florence Welch Winds Down NYFW At The W Union Square
As quickly as it came, NY Fashion Week is now but a memory, with the final runway shows, VIP hotel events, and Victoria Beckham sightings all coming to an end today. Shortly, the fashion herds will drift east for London Fashion Week, so it's fitting that flame-haired British pop star Florence Welch was on hand to send off NYFW with a bang.
Plenty of parties peppered NYC hotels last night, though we managed to find one in particular that made us feel more Studio 54 than Devil Wears Prada. Over at W Union Square's basement club Lilium, Welch was the feature presentation, decked out in her trademark white, gauze-y nightgown and daisy chain crown, presiding over the crowds not as a singer but as a DJ. And she sure got folks dancing.
The tunes were hip-hop-y, ranging from Justin Timberlake to Drake, but by far the best part of the evening was Welch's infectious cheer. Not only was she frequently seen jumping up and down on the dance floor along with everyone else (good thing there was a backup DJ), she even joined us for a few quick drunken snapshots inside the club's free photobooth.
Oh, and she managed to go the entire evening without setting fire to the hotel. Best NYFW ever!
Hotel Opening Rates / Hotel Openings / Manhattan Hotels / Hyatt Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags
Hyatt Union Square Said To Open May 1 at $479 a Night
At last! We have an actual opening date for the long-awaited Hyatt Union Square. Ok, ok, we've totally gone through this before but we kinda think Hyatt is going to get 'er done. We can't help but wonder if this had something to do with it.
Right now, the hotel's website is taking reservations for May 1. But it's going to cost ya. Courtyard studio rooms are starting at $429 a night on opening day. That includes the signature Hyatt Grand bed, a 37-inch flat screen TV with KoolConnect Online concierge, bathrobes, minibar, windows that open and a "tech wired writers table" (aka a fancy way to say "desk.")
Sadly, the WiFi is not free but if you're a Hyatt Platinum or Diamond member you can sign on gratis. The hotel is promising complimentary internet access in the public spaces, so there are ways to avoid the in-room internet charge.
Hotel Robes / Hotel Design / Hotel Amenities / W Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / → All Tags
The WOW Factor Was Behind W Union Square's $250 Robe
We love it when we arrive at a hotel and there's a fantastic robe for us to lounge around in. Some of our favorites have made it into stories and in our suitcases (we kid!).
So, we were most intrigued to learn the W New York Union Square and CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund Runner Up, Creatures of the Wind, is releasing a limited edition, custom design robe inspired by the designers’ stay in the hotel’s E-WOW suite(or Extreme Wow--the W's take on presidential digs).
The rose and orange silk peplum-style robe, which retails for $250, was designed using cues and hints from the recently renovated E-WOW suite, so you'll see some of the same colors in both.
Hotel Restaurants / Standard Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / Andre Balazs / Hotel News / → All Tags
Balazs Brings New Chef (and Restaurant!) to Standard East Village
André Balazs, the hunky hotelier behind the notorious Standard hotels, has announced he'll be bringing in a new chef to the yet-unnamed restaurant at The Standard East Village.
Executive Chef John Fraser will don his toque when the restaurant opens this fall. The menu, which is said to be vegetable-driven, will focus on produce sourced from Balazs’ farm in upstate New York, The Locusts on Hudson. The secondary focus will be prime meats and fish.
The restaurant, which will be located on the ground level of the hotel, will feature indoor and outdoor garden dining, in addition to a street front café.
We'll keep you posted on developments and hope to be first to get our grub on when the time comes (though we'll have better table manners than this).
[Photo: HotelChatter]
Celebrity Scoop / Lindsay Lohan / Celebrities Behaving Badly / W Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / Celebrity Hotels / → All Tags
Lindsay Lohan's "Burning" Bridges With Yet, Another Hotel
It's a wonder she gets a hotel in any city at this point given that trouble seems to "follow" Lindsay Lohan wherever she goes!
She did win our award for the "Biggest Celebrity Performance in 2012" and, by the looks of it, she is campaigning for a repeat title in 2013.
As if W Union Square didn't learn their lesson from the last time they had her as a guest, here is another tragic tale of LiLo in a hotel room.
This time it involves copious amounts of cigarette burns totally nearly $50,000 of damage. Well, slap your momma! What in fresh hell is going on, here?
HotelChatter 2012 Awards / Hotel Delays / Hyatt Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / → All Tags
Worst Hotel Hype of 2012: Hyatt Union Square
It's that time of year again: the 2012 HotelChatter Awards! Today and Monday, we'll be showcasing the best (and worst) of hotels over the past year. But we couldn't do it without you! Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, or shoot us an email. And the Award goes to...
We've learned over the years never to take an opening date at face value. Case in point: the endlessly dithering Hyatt Union Square.
Regarding the hotel's woeful failure to launch, a recent commenter pointed out, "Ever occur to anyone that this part of town got affected by Hurricane Sandy and had no light for 10 days (among other things)?" And she makes a valid point. Surely, NYC has bigger things to worry about than a stalled Hyatt hotel (which the commenter says will eventually "open with a bang"....hmm, we'll see about that!).
Trouble is, we've been waiting for this place to open for well over two years now. So while some of the blame can reasonably be placed on Sandy, we're thinking the problem goes back further than that.
Hotel News / Standard Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / Hotel Renovations / → All Tags
Things Sure Are Busy Down At The New Standard East Village
It may seem like all's quiet on the Eastern front, but a quick look around Standard East Village will prove there is indeed plenty of action going on. Since the hotel got taken over by Andre Balazs, various different construction sites have been popping up around the public spaces, though nothing too obtrusive.
But now that the warm weather is behind us, the hotel's transformation has moved into full swing. As of yesterday, almost the entire ground floor was closed off, leaving just a small entrance on the far right for guests to check in, enter the elevators, and be whisked off to their (hopefully) construction site-free rooms.
The good news? The upside down Standard sign has finally appeared!
Room Renovations / W Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / Free WiFi / → All Tags
Wandering Into The W Union Square's New Rooms
Back in April we told you about the new look W Union Square rooms were sporting for the spring and just last week we checked in--room 1114--to be specific.
The new rooms are bright, bold, and if you get one with an actual view of Union Square you've lucked out, as the demand for them is high and availability low. You see, the W is the only hotel in Union Square for the moment, though more competition is coming this month and later this year (if the Hyatt Union Square gets a move on).
However, despite the fancy-dancy decor, we'll remind you that you're staying at the W for the location and the SPG points (and maybe a chance to run into Lindsay Lohan?).So, you're going to pay a steep price for that privilege, as this fall, most weeknights are coming in around $500 a night. Ouch!
Celebrity Scoop / Lindsay Lohan / W Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / Celebrities Behaving Badly / → All Tags
Yes, Of Course There Are More Lindsay Lohan Hotel Antics
10 days. That's all that's passed since the last Lindsay Lohan NYC hotel debacle. Now, as much as we have been clowning our girl hard on her antics, this might be one incident in her favor.
According to various reports including The New York Daily News, Lohan was hanging out on September 30th at 1 Oak, a nightclub in Chelsea. Apparently she was with a 25-year old congressional aide named Christian LaBella. Somewhere between the nightclub and returning to Lohan's digs for the night, a $500-a-night suite at the W New York Union Square, things got ugly. Lohan accused LaBella of taking photos of her with his cellphone and emailing them around, which he has denied. A ruckus ensued, and Lohan claims LaBella tried to choke her and she had to hide in her suite's bathroom for safety. She filed charges and LaBella counter filed his own.
However, it all seems to have blown over quickly as police say charges against LaBella have been dropped, even though according to Lohan's mother Dina, who told the New York Daily News Sunday afternoon, “She’s very shaken up.” and “Thank God he didn’t have a weapon.”
Hotel News / Hotel Openings / Hyatt Hotes / Manhattan Hotels / → All Tags
Could It Be? Hyatt Union Sq Finally Has An Opening Date
The other day, we were clicking through our usual online haunts, scoping out the news, when we saw a headline that stopped us right in our tracks: "Hyatt Union Square Sets November 15 Opening Date". Um, really?
The news comes via an NYC real estate insider and blogger, who cites "multiple sources" saying the hotel is on target to open within two months. This, of course, comes at the (hopeful) end of an almost two-year saga involving multiple delays, teaser updates, and false starts. So forgive us if we're a little skeptical.
However, for further proof, the real estate blogger links to a Craigslist ad that the hotel posted looking to hire Front Office workers. Well, now, there's no disputing a Craigslist ad. This could be the real deal!
Standard Hotels / Hotel Renovations / Manhattan Hotels / Hotel Bars / Hotel Restaurants / → All Tags
Here's What Andre Balazs Has In Mind for The Standard East Village
At last, we have a better idea of what hotelier Andre Balazs plans on doing with his newest hotel in NYC--The Standard East Village, previously known as the Cooper Square Hotel.
According to Eater, Balazs and his team won approval from the community board to add an additional bar in the garden space. No small feat especially considering how much the neighbors hated the noise that came from the hotel when it was run as the Cooper Square.
But Balazs has gotten around the noise issue but rearranging the hotel lobby so that 60 percent of the garden space will now be indoors. The bar will be a small one, only 16 by eight feet with 18 stools for guests. The existing bar on the second floor will be turned into either a guest room or a gym. Or perhaps a ping-pong room?
