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'The Dictator' is Hit with a Hotel WiFi Shock in New York City

Where: 45 East 45th Street [map], New York, NY, United States, 10017

You're not the only one fed up with paying out for Hotel WiFi. Comedian and actor Sacha Baron Cohen feels your pain, and actually adapted the ridiculousness of hotel WiFi charges into a bit for his newest mockumentary: "The Dictator."

You won't find the scene online...yet. Bet here's what happens: Cohen, as Dictator General Aladeen, walks into the Manhattan hotel where he'll be staying while in town to address the United Nations. The General Manager is John C. Reilly, and he has seen to it that the General will be totally at home, outfitting the General's suite in gold glitz, his official portraits and all many of other luxuries. Aladeen spots a card in the room, reads it and exclaims: "Twenty dollars a day for WiFi? And they call me an international criminal!" He then warns his entourage not to touch the minibar.

It's a tiny joke that packs a big punch. And, as we've heard from other friends who went to see the movie this opening weekend, it's also one of the few solid laughs not already shown in the movie's TV commercials.

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It's A Mad, Mad World Over At the Roosevelt New York

Where: 45 E 45th St [map], New York, NY, United States, 10017

The Roosevelt New York knows you've just been counting down the hours for the new season of Mad Men to start. And in between (or maybe in addition to) playing 60s dress-up and sneaking the odd blood mary at your desk, here's yet one more way to step into the Mad Men world.

Never one to miss an opportunity for gimmicks or contests, the Roosevelt has launched a "Mad Men In the City" package, running from now until June 31. The behind-the-scenes experience includes tickets to the Paley Center for Media, a Mad Men cookbook, 60s-inspired cocktails, and the season four DVD, all of which will likely have die-hard Don Draper fans foaming at the mouth.

Of course, this is also simply a way for the hotel to show off some of its recently renovated guest rooms—the new look is supposed to be going for "chic, NYC lifestyle"...we'd say Mad Men's pretty much got both of those covered.

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Andaz Fifth Ave Keeps It In the Family With New Executive Chef Muraco

Where: 485 5th Avenue [map], New York, NY, United States, 10017

The Andaz food scene has pretty much always been a source of pleasure for us. Whether we were plotting how to sneak those North Fork potato chips into our bag without anyone noticing, or salivating over cinnamon donuts at the Andaz Wall Street farmer's market—we generally know we're going to get well-fed.

When Andaz 5th Ave told us they were appointing a new Executive Chef, we were curious to learn a little more about the guy. So we asked Chef Vincent Muraco, who started in 1993 as Chef Tournant at Park Hyatt San Francisco, all the relevant questions, starting with:

HC: What is it that you love about cooking in hotels?

Chef Muraco: Hotels are really exciting for me because every day is different. There is so much going on in all the different outlets, it never gets boring or repetitive. I love to travel, and the travel benefits with Hyatt are great!

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Whatever They're Planning, It Better Not Be Another Westin Times Square Eyesore

Where: 212 E 42nd St , New York, NY, 10017

Two weeks ago, we learned that Host Hotels had purchased the New York Helmsley and was planning on re-making it into a Westin. Now, we find out that $65 million is being poured into the building for what they're calling an "extensive re-branding initiative."

Fine. The part that gets us, though, is when they mention that the entire facade of the building is gonna be transformed as well. Ah, real monsters! We desperately hope Westin isn't sketching out a repeat of their purple-and-blue stripey Times Square mess (which we once upon a time dubbed one of the ugliest hotels alive). For a 774-room hotel in midtown Manhattan, we're not sure what kind of "statement" Westin will be going for, but hopefully nothing big. A nice scrub-down and maybe some window replacements should do the trick nicely.

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Now You Can Try Stinky Kombucha On Tap At Hyatt 48Lex

Where: 517 Lexington Ave [map], New York, NY, United States, 10017

What is kombucha, you ask? It's that fermented, sparkling, slightly vinegar-y drink that everyone's obsessed with lately (brands like Synergy and Wonder Drink are the ones most commonly found in stores). Because it's made with live cultures, the health benefits—digestion, immune system boost, energy boost—are supposedly out of this world.

And now, Hyatt 48Lex guests can get it whenever they want. Lexington Brass, the hotel's ground-floor, mirror-walled eatery, is serving kombucha on tap, and it seems like people are kinda into it. Lexington Brass' manager, Todd Enany, said the drink is popular during the breakfast crowds, and they've been averaging about 100 glasses per week.

We just hope that fermented smell stays put in the restaurant, and doesn't start wafting up into the rooms!

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Grand Hyatt's Club Lounge Goes Au Naturel

Where: 109 East 42nd Street [map], New York, NY, United States, 10017

It's time to reveal the identity of the butterfly Club Lounge! And if you guessed Grand Hyatt New York (which two people did), then you're right!

For an extra $100 per night, guests can bump up to a Grand Club King (starting at around $299), which allows them access into the Grand Club's sprawling, beige-accented lounge area. Like in other club lounges, breakfast is laid out here every morning, snacks are available all day, and the whole space has a feeling of peace and quiet. It helps that it's way up on the sixteenth floor. And yes, nature is kind of a theme here, with those dried butterflies, and a piled rock sculpture (which is actually made of wood), and bright bursts of greenery coming from the terrace outside.

For a full photo gallery, see below!

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Grand Hyatt Wants You To Join The Dream

Where: 109 East 42nd Street [map], New York, NY, United States, 10017

It's been six months since Spanish artist Jaume Plensa wowed New Yorkers by placing a 44 ft tall, elongated fiberglass female head smack in the middle of Madison Square Park. Those who saw the piece, titled "Echo," will undoubtedly notice the resemblance in Plensa's new twin sculptures, located inside the recently-renovated Grand Hyatt.

For the renovations, which happened in multiple phases, and only yesterday were fully unveiled to the public, the hotel has gone a little gaga over its art collection.

For starters, there's the twin "Awilda" and "Chloe" sculptures by Plensa, which hang out in the lobby. Their material is apparently the same white macael marble used in ancient Rome. Try walking by these ladies without stopping to stare, at least for a little while. Go on, we dare you...

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The Fitzpatrick Tries Out A New Kind Of Lobby

Where: 141 E. 44th St [map], New York, NY, United States, 10017

We recommended the FItzpatrick Grand Central back in 2008 for its warm, Irish flavor (it comes with a built-in Irish pub!), Wi-Fi, and general bang-for-your-buck service. Now, two long years, plus $3.5 million in renovation costs later, the hotel is finally ready to show off its new digs.

Owners have worked on freshening up the old lady with warmer lighting, new artwork, and a re-arranged lobby that completely does away with the Reception counter (who needs it?). Instead, upon arrival, guests are greeted at the door, invited to plop down in front of a "large desk" (pictured), and converse with a hotel staff member in a more personal setting. You know, true Irish style—a glass of Jameson, a bowl of Lucky Charms, and a shower of four-leaf clovers.

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Which Hotel Chef Is Making Jelly Doughnut Pancakes?

Where: 517 Lexington Ave [map], New York, NY, United States, 10017

Few things excite us more than a delicious hotel breakfast. Sometimes, we wish we could just spend the whole day inside a swanky brasserie, gazing out the window, eating omelets and sipping tea. Chef Franklin Becker's new joint Lexington Brass, located inside Hyatt 48Lex, might be just the place for it.

The menu's winning item, no doubt, are the jelly doughnut pancakes, which borrow the concept of a baked, jelly-filled doughnut and impose it onto a regular old pancake. The result is thick, fluffy, jelly-filled and awesome. You might call it a dough-cake. Either way, it's served with berries and lemon cream, costs $17, and is the most delicious-sounding breakfast we've ever encountered.

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Actually, the President of Sierra Leone Needed Only Two Hotel Floors, Not Three

Where: 517 Lexington Ave [map], New York, NY, United States, 10017

President Ernest Bai Koroma, center

When we learned the particular hotel used by the President of Sierra Leone during the United Nations General Assembly in NYC, of course, we figured it was worth sharing. And even more so when we found out that the four-year official had supposedly taken up three floors of the hotel.

But in fact, as we learned from a rather petulant email we received at the beginning of the weekend (from the Sierra Leone embassy, no less), the President and his entourage only took up two floors of Hyatt 48Lex—the penthouse floor and the one below. Phew. Well, that really clears things up. Between $16 muffins and this, we were seriously considering a saucy little email of our own denouncing extravagant spending by governments in hotels. But for now, we'll just downgrade that to a warning.

To read a portion of the email, which doesn't exactly present the hotel in the most favorable light, click below.

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Flyin' High Inside a Penthouse At 48Lex

Where: 517 Lexington Avenue [map], New York, NY, United States, 10017

 Remember when we showed you a snapshot of a Hyatt 48Lex conference room that had been converted into a makeshift clothing boutique? Well, the real reason we were there that day was to tour one of the Hyatt's 23rd-floor penthouse suites. And boy, are they looking good.

Space is not one of the hotel's assets (consistently a problem in New York)—at 116 rooms, the lean glass tower is more efficient than luxuriant in that sense. But the feel, in both the standard rooms, the suites, and the Lexicon Lounge, is very distinctly New York: compact, sleek, and sturdy.

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Hotel Uniforms / Hyatt Hotels / Hotel Conference Rooms / Manhattan Hotels / → All Tags

At Hyatt 48Lex, They Whistle While They Work

Where: 517 Lexington Ave [map], New York, NY, United States, 10017

Sometimes they're chic. Sometimes they reflect the local vibe. Sometimes they're super sexed-up. But in the hands of Hyatt 48Lex, hotel uniforms are a little like fast-food: served up quick, hot, and made-to-order.

We were touring the newly-opened hotel (and President of Sierra Leone's pied-à-terre), when we happened to pass by one of the conference rooms located off of the Lexicon Lounge on the second floor. Now, we pride ourselves on being eagle-eyed when it comes to hotel oddities, but it didn't take a detective to realize that something looked a little out of place here.

Instead of the usual orderly scene of business suits, laptops, and PowerPoint presentations, we found the tables strewn with fabric, measuring tape and sewing machines. Was Cinderella in town? No, it turns out the entire space had been converted into a fitting room and production center for hotel staff uniforms! And they (very kindly) allowed us to take this photograph of the seamstresses hard at work.

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