10016 Travel Guide - Page 2
Hotel Logos / Hotel Design / Hotel Renovations / Manhattan Hotels / Hotel Amenities / Hotel Snapshots / → All Tags
You'll Find The Roger's New Bow-Tie Logo Literally Everywhere
You've heard of Portlandia's 'Put a bird on it'? The Roger likes to put a bow-tie on it.
The newly-relaunched hotel is seriously into its new Steven Kamali-approved look: striped marquee awnings, white brick walls, reclaimed wood staircases and all.
Nicknamed the "son" of the pre-existing Roger Williams Hotel, its new incarnation as The Roger is deliberately trendier, spiffier, and more subtle. And a big, big, biiiig part of that new look is The Roger's ubiquitous branding device: the bow-tie.
Hotel Delays / Hotel Openings / Hotel News / Manhattan Hotels / Hotel Rooftops / Fourth Of July Hotels / Hotel Restaurants / → All Tags
Guess We'll Have To Wait Til After July 4th To Enjoy The Pod 39's Rooftop
Yes, we were a little sad to learn yesterday that the opening of one of Manhattan's biggest-hyped hotels of the summer, Pod 39, is being pushed back to July 5.
Especially after taking a tour around the property, and, aside from all the construction happening everywhere, getting to see a bit of the hotel's bone structure. What we saw, we liked.
While being shown around, we heard a few things we already knew (all rooms will have private bathrooms, public space will be abundant), and we learned a few things we didn't. Like...a taco-themed restaurant concept will launch slightly after the hotel opens. Oh, and the brick-arched rooftop (pictured)? Awesome.
OpenThread / Hotel Bunk Beds / Hotel Beds / Hotel Furniture / Pod Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags
Does A Bunk Bed Stifle Your Stay, Or Make It Awesome?
When we first reported about the opening of NYC's second Pod Hotel, we were mostly excited about the fact that all the rooms would have their own private bathrooms. Same tiny capsule rooms as ever, but this time, no shared bathrooms. Phew!
Yesterday, the NY Times decided to pick up on the trend of "tiny but luxurious" hotels, focusing mainly on the new Pod39 and its abundance of communal space, both in the lobby and up on the colonnaded roof. But what caught our eye was a quote from Pod Managing Director David Bernstein, confirming that what guests love about the compact rooms isn't just the size: it's actually the bunk beds.
Go figure. People show up in NYC and pay $150-$200, only to pretend it's sleepaway camp all over again!
King and Grove Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / Hotel Expansion News / Hotel News / → All Tags
King & Grove Picks Up Another Hotel in NYC, The Hotel Lola
Her name was Lola, she was an independent hotel before being picked up by King & Grove.
King & Grove Hotels have been on an acquisition spree since the beginning of the year, picking up the Hotel Wiliamsburg and The Hotel Chelsea as well as planning two hotels for downtown Los Angeles. (We're still trying to confirm if they have picked up The Versailles in Miami. So far, nothing is final.)
Now our deep throat hotel sources tell us King & Grove has added another NYC hotel to their stylish portfolio--Hotel Lola on 29th and Madison.
Hotel News / Hotel Bars / Manhattan Hotels / → All Tags
And the Band Plays On at Manhattan's Newest Hotel Jazz Bar
The city giveth, and the city taketh away. In the announcement about the opening of a new jazz club at Park Avenue's Kitano Hotel, the closing of The Plaza's Oak Room is noted. And yes, though the Oak Room (and its impromptu Lady Gaga performances) may be done for, it's nice to see that jazz in hotels is still very much alive.
This fresh "jazz-infused supperclub," simply named JAZZ at KITANO, sits within a former Rockefeller townhouse next to the hotel. The hot tunes kick off this Friday night with The Toshiko Akiyoshi Trio, appropriate considering that The Kitano is a Japanese-friendly hotel complete with a traditional tatami mat suite. Future performers include Fred Hirsch, Barry Harris, George Cables, Aaron Diehl, Gerald Clayton and Jeb Patton..for those jazzclub groupies out there.
Hotel News / Hotel Renovations / Manhattan Hotels / → All Tags
The Roger's New Rates Are Going To Be A Little, Uh, Higher Than We Originally Expected
Two weeks back, we reported on some major changes coming to Manhattan's Hotel Roger Williams, which is now officially being called simply The Roger. But the name isn't all that's changed.
To keep in line with its "more sophisticated" design in both the rooms and public spaces, The Roger has also stepped up its prices to match what it sees as a newer, more upscale clientele. While we previously predicted rates for the re-opened hotel would fall at around $395/night, Crain's New York is reporting that rates will rise to as much as $500/night.
Yikes. And we thought $325 was steep!
Sneak Peek / Hotel Openings / Hotel News / Photo Gallery / Pod Hotels / Hotel Bathrooms / Budget Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / → All Tags
A Look At The Rooms Inside The New Pod 39
Last week, it was announced that Pod Hotel number two (which is actually called Pod 39) is on its way to NYC in June, just as predicted.
And one of the things we're most excited about this second-edition, updated Pod is that this time, all the rooms will have private bathrooms. Queen pods, odd pods, single pods—and yes, even bunk pods (shown above).
Which is only fair. With all the socializing embodied in the Pod culture (let's not forget the rooftop space, taco bar in the lobby, and video/photo "screening wall"), it's only right that guests, whether they're backpacking from Europe or in town on a conference, should be entitled to a little privacy in the bathroom. Added features like this (and starting rates of $119/night) will soon be giving Yotel a run for its money.
For more photos, click below!
Hotel WiFI / Hotel News / Courtyard by Marriott Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / Hotel Technology / → All Tags
Courtyard By Marriott Has Disabled Their WiFi Network's Code Injections
If you're staying at the The Courtyard by Marriott in Midtown Manhattan, or any Marriott for that matter, the hotel wants you to know that your data is still safe, despite the "code injections" that were uncovered by a recent guest.
Kathleen Duffy , director of public relations for Marriott's NYC hotels, gave HotelChatter an updated statement letting us know that the code injections have been disabled:
Recently a concern regarding high-speed Internet security at one of our hotels in New York City was brought to our attention. As soon as we learned of the situation, we launched an investigation into the matter. Preliminary findings revealed that, unbeknownst to the hotel, the Internet service provider (ISP) was utilizing functionality that allowed advertising to be pushed to the end user. The ISP has assured the hotel that this functionality has now been disabled.
While this is a common marketing practice with many Internet service providers, Marriott does not condone this practice. At no time was data security ever at risk.
We will continue to look into this matter and find opportunities to remind our hotels of Marriott’s high-speed Internet policies.
Hotel WiFI / Hotel News / Courtyard by Marriott Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / Hotel Technology / → All Tags
Courtyard by Marriott in Midtown Manhattan Outed as a 'Code Injector'
Some very not cool news to discuss today. According to the NY Times, the internet service at The Courtyard by Marriott in Midtown Manhattan was outed by a recent guest as "secretly injecting lines of code into every page he visited, code that could allow it to insert ads into any Web page without the knowledge of the site visitor or the page’s creator."
The NY Times also discovered that the codes contained references to "rxg", for Revenue eXtraction Gateway, a service that rewrites every Web page "on the fly" so that it can include a banner ad and eventually get more clicks.
Although the guest did not actually see any ads on his personal website, the principle of such a thing has some folks really riled up, especially if the hotel is making money off this secret code/ad injecting scheme by blocking the intended ads and inserting whichever ones RXG has in mind.
However, a Marriott spokesperson told HotelChatter that "This is not a Marriott-endorsed protocol and we are working to investigate the issue."
Sigh. Just when we thought it was wonderful that Courtyard by Marriott was offering free WiFi, this had to come along and kill our buzz.
HotelChatter Questions / Hotel Renovations / Manhattan Hotels / Hotel Window Displays / Hotel Lobbies / → All Tags
HotelChatter Question: What's Going On At The Roger In New York?
UPDATE 4.16.12: It looks like Steven Kamali Hospitality will be running the joint now!
A few days ago we received an email from a reader who was curious about a seemingly new hotel going up on Madison Avenue in New York City:
"I was walking by the Roger Hotel today and noticed their window displays read, 'Be ready in just a moment' and 'We clean up well.' I tried to go inside and see what was going on but they wouldn't let me! Have you or anyone on your team heard anything? I love the neighborhood and would be very excited to hear of a new hotel for me and my friends!"
What cute signs! And what a great way to build buzz before the doors have even opened! We certainly would've been asking all the same questions if it had been us walking by, but looks like we were beat to the punch! Of course, we're still happy to help. So without further ado, we present The Roger Hotel...
Pod Hotels / Hotel Openings / Hotel Opening Rates / Manhattan Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags
The Pod Hotel to Open Their Second NYC Location on June 10 at $119 a Night
We told you way back in August that The Pod Hotel would be opening their second NYC location in the Summer of 2012 and amazingly, the Pod is staying true to their word, having just announced a June opening date for Pod No. 2.
Fortunately, this Pod won't be called Pod No. 2 but rather Pod 39 after the hotel's location on 39th Street in the Murray Hill nabe. And unlike the original pod, Pod 39 will have private bathrooms in all the guestrooms. Room categories range from double, queen and bunk beds starting at 60-sq.ft. and keeping in line with the Pod concept, the biggest rooms are only 120-sq.ft.
Downstairs will be an open lobby space with a “window box” reception desk, a coffee bar, and a unique Pod feature: a “screening wall” where guest photos and videos are projected around the clock. But best of all, the hotel plans to open an international taco bar as part of their lobby restaurant concept.
Hotel News / Manhattan Hotels / St. Giles Hotels / Hotel Renovation / → All Tags
St. Giles The Tuscany Is Sooo Done With W, Now It's Ready For A Makeover
In 2010, The Court and The Tuscany were dropped from W Hotels like hot pancakes and left to meander off on their own. Now, The Tuscany is wiping the slate clean once and for all with its new multi-million dollar renovation project, set to be completed in August 2012.
The Tuscany's 123 rooms and suites will be outfitted with new hardwood floors and over-sized bathrooms, plus a "state-of-the-art" fitness center and a signature boutique filled with little Tuscany goodies.
And so the battle of the mid-range midtown hotels continues...but which one will give you a better deal?
