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Guests at Bryant Park Hotel No Longer Have To Walk Across the Street To Get Free WiFi

Where: 40 W 40th St [map], New York, NY, United States, 10018

As of yesterday, the Bryant Park Hotel offers free WiFi

On December 29, a little birdie clued us into the fact that Bryant Park Hotel was considering making the switch to free WiFi. And in a moment of somewhat warranted self-flattery, we wondered if our list of New Year's resolutions for hotels had anything to do with the its decision.

But Front Desk Manager Darren Sumner set the record straight, explaining that over the years, the hotel had received "many, many requests from guests," and simply wanted to "listen to their needs." So it seems we aren't the only ones who like to gripe about hotels still ruthlessly charging for the convenience of in-room WiFi. Not that surprising, really. We're just glad to be a part of the revolution.

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Wyndham Hotels / Hotel Rebrandings / DoubleTree Hotels / Times Square Hotels / → All Tags

Wyndham Garden Hotel Gets Uprooted By Hilton's DoubleTree in Times Square South

Where: 341 West 36th Street [map], New York, NY, United States, 10018

The Wyndham Garden Hotel Times Square South is no longer. A tipster let us know that the hotel on West 36th Street will turn into a DoubleTree Hotel on February 6.

Wyndham has already pulled the hotel off its website and we presume it's undergoing some slight updating to get ready for the DoubleTree takeover.

But the loss is really no big deal to Wyndham considering that they have another Wyndham Garden hotel just 12 blocks south in Chelsea on 24th Street. We guess the upcoming Tryp by Wyndham Hotel in Times Square, just one block over, will be re-routing guests to this property from now on.

However, we will mourn the loss of the hotel's free WiFi as DoubleTree will be charging $9.99 a day. Not sure a DoubleTree cookie will make up for that. Ok, it helps a little.

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Herald Square Gets Double-Whammied By Marriott

Where: 25 W 27th St [map], New York, NY, United States, 10018

Last week, when we updated our list of major new hotels coming to NYC (mostly in midtown), we really thought we had all our bases covered. Tryp on 35th St; Hyatt Place on 36th St; Hyatt Union Square and a few others.

Then we learned on Monday that Marriott is bringing a new Courtyard to Herald Square. But that's not all that Marriott has up its sleeves. Two and a half blocks up, a new building that's going up at 25 W 37th St will supply Manhattan with its first-ever SpringHill Suites hotel. A rendering of the new property shows off a rooftop bar and some funky dot-and-dash patterns for the windows on the building's exterior. Almost like morse code. What is Marriott trying to tell us?

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Need A Room On W 36th St? Soon There'll Be Tons

In July, we updated you on the progress of Tryp by Wyndham's new joint near Penn Station. Back then, we thought, 'Oh, a new hotel for midtown. How nice.' And kept walking.

Little did we know of the crazy hotel activity that was taking place right across town! A recent stroll down West 36th St between Fifth and Sixth Avenues revealed no less than three hotels going up right next to each other along the south side of this block, including a Holiday Inn Express, a Hyatt Place, and an unnamed "boutique hotel." Talk always turns cold when the subject of Manhattan hotel over-saturation comes up. But the question remains: does this city really need more of them? Does it make a difference if it's a gay-themed hotel in Hell's Kitchen, or a Holiday Inn Express on W 36th St?

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Why, Hello, Free Delicious Brownie

Where: 342 W 40th St [map], New York, NY, United States, 10018

Back in July, we remember hearing something about a Mister Softee truck pulling up outside the Distrikt Hotel and supplying over-heated guests with some free ice cream. Though wildly successful, a Distrikt employee had explained this was "not a normal thing" and no other such events were planned for the near future.

Until yesterday! Anyone lucky enough to be walking down W 40th St between Eighth and Ninth Avenues between the hours of 4pm and 5pm were rewarded with a free item (and drink!) from Sweetery NYC.

The graphic dessert truck was parked directly outside the hotel's front door—to the delight of guests and staff members alike—and didn't really seem to discriminate between hotel peeps and non-affiliated passersby. "Yep, it's totally free," one friendly concierge noted, at which point we smiled widely and raced over to claim our mid-afternoon pick-me-up.

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Seek Shelter from The Falling Satellite at Bryant Park's Cellar Bar

Where: 40 W 40th St [map], New York, NY, United States, 10018

Even though the chances of the giant research satellite plummeting from space into North America are slim (so says NASA...for now), it is still falling from the sky and set to land somewhere else on Earth by tomorrow.

There's a 1 in 3,200 chance that the five-metric ton satellite which is as big as a bus will kill someone but again, NASA says they just won't know for sure. So instead of worrying about falling space debris, the Bryant Park Hotel in NYC (out of the danger zone) wants you to relax. More specifically they want you to kick back and enjoy a cocktail in their Cellar Bar.

Master mixologist and Cellar Bar's GM Isaac Elbhar has brought back the Russian "Satellite Cocktail" and other forgotten Cold War-era drinks for the rest of the month. Each drink costs $12 and can be ordered during Cellar Bar hours from 5pm and later during the week.

But if you're still afraid to leave your basement, the Cellar Bar has gratefully given us their cocktail recipes so you can mix without fear.

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How To Sit Down Without Falling At The Four Points By Sheraton Midtown

Where: 326 W 40th St , New York, NY, 10018

If you're the type who likes to point and laugh when people fall down, then we're glad you weren't with us inside the Four Points by Sheraton Midtown yesterday. Stopping inside the lobby for a quick emailing session on our way to work, we sauntered in and—unthinkingly—plopped down on a small, circular bench. And proceeded to fall face-first to the ground.

The bench, which is wrapped around a pillar in the center of the lobby, is made up of separate chairs. Those chairs, it turns out, are not fastened to anything—nor are they entirely ergonomic. So any unsuspecting schmo with a too-heavy backpack, and a tendency to sit only on the edge of things (read: us), should exercise extreme caution. Follow the instructions below to avoid potential disaster.

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Is This the Thinnest Hotel in Manhattan?

Where: 305 West 38th Street [map], New York, NY, United States, 10018

If you're enjoying the proper tourist experience in New York City, then chances are you're probably only returning to your hotel room to drop off purchases and sleep. For these ends, any clean, safe and reasonably comfortable hotel will do, and that's why many turn to the more affordable brands that pepper the Manhattan landscape but don't enjoy the hype of the 5-stars.

Such a hotel is the Comfort Inn Times Square West, a cute little property from Choice Hotels, What it lacks in unique interiors or luxurious amenities, it makes up for by being a quirky architectural curiosity. We're quite sure that this is the thinnest hotel in Manhattan.

Check out that height! Those sliver windows! It's only two rooms wide!

For comparison, the nearest competitor in the battle for the title of thinnest hotel in Manhattan is The Gotham, although it clearly measures three rooms across. But with the Gotham ringing up at $295 a night and up and the Comfort Inn at $160 and up, we maybe wouldn't mind sleeping stacked so.

[Photo: HotelChatter]

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Times Square's Element Hotel Gets Its Food Straight from a Farm in Vermont

Where: 311 West 39th Street [map], New York, NY, United States, 10018

Did you even think you'd find Fiddleheads on the menu at your urban hotel? Fiddleheads are the coiled leaves of a fern, and not only are they tasty but they are rare, with a short season that happens to be right now. Thanks to a new partnership between The Element Hotel Times Square and Vermont's Holton Farms CSA, more such local and organically grown produce will be on offer at the hotel soon.

CSAs are growing in popularity, especially in NYC where fresh produce is at a premium and farm-grown is desirable. CSA stands for "community-supported agriculture," and it's essentially a subscription service. You send your money to the farm for a subscription, and they send you the latest seasonal fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses right off their land. Holton Farms is one of the most popular CSAs that serve NYC, and they'll even be expanding beyond the Element partnership to start up a food truck serving the High Line park this summer!

So, when you reach to pick out an apricot or notice a rhubarb tart in the free breakfast spread at the Element, just think about the fact that only a few days ago, those yummy things were hanging out in the crisp Vermont air, just waiting to ripen up enough to meet your mouth in New York.

[Photo of a Holton Farms Fiddlehead dish: HotelChatter]

Hotel Cocktails / Hotel Restaurants / Setai Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / Restaurant Week Hotels / → All Tags

The Setai Fifth Avenue's Restaurant Ai Fiori Serves Absinthe, and It Is Goooood

Where: 400 5th Avenue [map], New York, NY, United States, 10018

What better reason is there to spring for the absinthe on a hotel restaurant's menu than the fact that it's Friday? None, we say. None. At least, that was our reason when earlier today we popped into Ai Fiori, the restaurant of the newly opened Setai Fifth Avenue, for their $24.07 three-course Restaurant Week menu.

With no idea of what to expect, other than some good Italian Riviera-influence cuisine from Michelin-starred Chef Michael White, we found a bustling restaurant (must've been all our Restaurant Week compadres), a nice second-story perch above Fifth Avenue, and a ginormous wine list...which included two entries for absinthe. The first, Pernod Paris, was not as highly recommended by the sommelier (Steven, who is awesome) as was the $19 St. George Absinthe Verte, a California creation. It does have wormwood, for those wondering, as we were.

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Deal or No Deal / Travelzoo / Wyndham Hotels / Hotels Near Times Square / Times Square Hotels / → All Tags

The Wyndham Times Square South is Now Just $109 a Night with Free Internet

Where: 341 West 36th Street [map], New York, NY, United States, 10018

Call us crazy but we love it when the temperatures dip low in New York, that's because it means hotel rates dip too, especially in January when there's not much going on in general.

Today we spotted a deal for $109 a night on Travelzoo at the Wyndham Garden Hotel Times Square South on 36th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues.

Already we're liking this deal because the hotel has free internet and a Home on Loan program that lets guest borrow certain amenities during their stay such as cellphone chargers, sound soothers and pre-loaded MP3 players (Sorry, no iPads available.) But we're a bit cautious about staying in a Wyndham in Times Square.

The good news is the hotel is still rather new, having just opened in December 2008. (Back then, it was known as the Wyndham Garden Hotel Midtown.) The decor looks clean and attractive and we're digging the flat-screen TV mounted on the wall. We wouldn't expect a large space but the beds and their BeWell bedding do look comfy, at least for a night. Yet we know better than to trust a hotel's website photos.

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Hotel Bars / Manhattan Hotels / Capella Hotels / Midtown Hotels / → All Tags

What's The Scene Like at The Setai Fifth Ave's Bar On Fifth?

Where: 400 Fifth Avenue [map], New York, NY, United States, 10018

With rooms hovering well above $500 a night--$895 a night next Friday night!--the Setai Fifth Ave has been out of our price range. So last night we did the next best thing to checking in and dropped by the hotel's Bar on Fifth to check it out instead.

We were meeting friends who work nearby, and the location on 36th Street and Fifth Ave clearly plays a huge part in the mix. We arrived at 5 p.m. when the slick looking bar was still fairly quiet. Not 15 minutes later, however, a group of men in suits arrived, and then more arrived, and soon the corner of the bar right next to us was filled with a bunch of obnoxious dudes complaining about their beer and asking the bartender for more samples of red wine.

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