10022 Travel Guide
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The Kimberly Will Send You Sky High For Breakfast This Month
We've never known a hotel to be modest about showing off its awesome views. Still, we usually reserve our best window-gazing for later in the evening, when skylines are a-twinkle and sunsets are killer. But guests at the Kimberly Hotel in Manhattan get to enjoy awesome views of the city first thing in the morning, with free breakfasts in the rooftop lounge, Upstairs.
A buffet spread will offer French toast, pancakes, oatmeal, pastries, omelets, bacon and hash browns. Though the usual cost of the meal is $25 per person, all guests will get it for free through the end of the month. Turns out February isn't such a bad time to stay in hotels after all.
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The Veil Has Been Lifted From Waldorf-Astoria's Presidential Suite. Now What?
Barring the possibility that you're a former President—or that you don't mind spending $10,000/night—then you've likely never caught a glimpse of the Waldorf-Astoria's Presidential Suite. Why? Because until recently, the hotel has never allowed photography inside the suite.
Lucky for us, the NY Daily News has taken on the oppressive task of video touring the entire space—from gleaming top (the crystal chandelier in the master bedroom) to well-polished bottom (the black-and-white tiled bathroom floor).
Now, the goods are out in the open for all to see. So, what do you think?
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W New York's Christmas Tree Spells It Out
...And the award for most literal Christmas decorations in a hotel goes to the W New York. Walking into the lobby, it's a little tinsel tree and a few metallic mosaic tchotchkes all around, but go straight ahead and you'll see it: a TREE. No, really.
Their faux Christmas tree vertically spells out "T R E E." Sure, at first we just thought it was an awkwardly cube-shaped tree as W's attempt to be edgy, but it's so much more than that. It's...letters. Hmm.
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The Waldorf-Astoria Lights Their Lobby Menorah
Although there's still several more days to go until you can rip through the presents underneath the Christmas tree, Hanukkah started last time, meaning gifts are already being opened as the candles of the menorah are lit, day-by-day. And although almost every hotel lobby wouldn't be caught without a massive Christmas tree, it's actually pretty rare to find a hotel menorah.
One standby for finding a menorah is the Waldorf-Astoria—the original on Park Avenue in New York City. Enter through the Park Ave doors and head up the stairs, past the Christmas trees and underneath the chandelier. Keep going and just before you hit the main reception area with its classic art deco details, you'll see this 5' tall gold menorah.
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As The NBA Lockout Ends, The Waldorf-Astoria Breathes A Big Sigh Of Relief
After an almost four-month-long stand-off, some sort of agreement has been reached between the owners and teams of the NBA. Though not without some damage to the morale of a few New York City hotel staffers. According to this NY Times piece yesterday, most of the talks took place inside various conference rooms of hotels, whose lobbies turned into waiting rooms for the reporters covering the proceedings.
While stacking up empty pizza boxes, plugging in countless laptops, and pulling frantic, cookie-bingeing all-nighters, the reporters managed to get a first-hand glimpse of life in the lobbies of the Waldorf-Astoria and the Lowell. And while they weren't technically breaking any rules, we're guessing they won't be getting invited back anytime soon.
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How To Catch The Snowflake Princess In Action
If you have any desire to catch a glimpse of the New York Palace's Snowflake Princess this month, you better plan your visit well. Her majesty will only make appearances on Friday evenings (3–5pm) and on Saturdays and Sundays during brunch (noon–3pm)—but even then, you'll still have to pin her down.
Modeled after the princess at Disney World, the Snowflake Princess will routinely flit between balconies and windows in the lobby—appearing one minute, disappearing the next—to make her presence all the more magical. Flanking her will be two rosy-cheeked Palace Guards (above), who add some testosterone color to the whole holiday fantasy. The fanciful trio made their debut at the hotel's tree lighting ceremony on Tuesday night, and thankfully, the Princess stood still long enough to pose for pictures outside in the hotel's courtyard.
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What Is This At The Omni Berkshire Place?
We like to keep it fun but informative here at HotelChatter so our newest series, What is This? is devoted to odd-looking items in hotel rooms that upon first glance look as if they serve only a decorative purpose. But everything happens for a reason, right? And we're here to tell you what these things really do.
It took us a while to figure out what the heck this miniature doodad was, though several factors in the room (a malfunctioning safe, for one) distracted us from the mystery at hand. And anyway, the Omni Berkshire Place is a pretty classy joint, so we weren't about to throw a tantrum when we had delicious cocktails and pink-accented bathrooms to enjoy.
But it turns out it's not so much what this thing does than what it stops from happening.
Too cryptic? Click below to see what we mean.
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Move Over Tiffany, The St. Regis Has Now Opened a Dior Suite
We thought the astounding Tiffany Suite at the St. Regis New York was a genius fashion+hotel partnership but the hotel is now one-upping the suite success by partnering with fashion house, Dior.
The Dior Suite, room 1203, is now open to guests who want to pay $8,500 a night to sleep with their favorite designer fashion.
Womens' Wear Daily reports:
Consisting of a bedroom, one-and-a-half bathrooms, a dining room and living room, the suite’s design details were inspired by the house’s Parisian ateliers. The decadently designed, 1700-square-foot space is almost entirely “whispering” gray, the house’s signature shade. This is the hotel’s second go-around with the Parisian house, having opened an original Dior Suite in 1991.
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How Many Pianos Does The St. Regis Need?
What do businessmen and businesswomen look for in a conference room? Good coffee, a strong wi-fi signal, and probably some comfy chairs. What about an antique Steinway piano? We're guessing not.
Back in July, we happened upon this neglected beauty in the mezzanine level of The Algonquin, where one hotel staffer admitted the piano had sat unattended for the past three years. Now, we know large, unwieldy pianos have a way of becoming part of the furniture—but surely there's got to be a better place for a lonely Steinway than next to the fire exit?
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Strike A Pose For Fashion Week
If there's any hotel that's going above and beyond the call of duty this Fashion Week, we're pretty sure the award goes to W. Not only did they perfectly time the announcement of the clean sheets-loving Jenné Lombardo as Global Fashion Director, they are also turning their own lobbies "living rooms" into photo studios.
From now until Thursday, photography students from NYC's Parsons The New School for Design will be setting up in the public spaces at W's four locations (W Downtown, W New York, W TImes Square, and W Union Square) to photograph all the fashionable crowds. So if you find yourself inside a W hotel between the hours of 5pm and 7pm, and think to yourself, "gee, I'm looking awfully dapper right now. Someone should photograph me!" then you know where to go.
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Jason Wu Brings His Dolls To Play At The St. Regis
Back in the fall of 2009, designer Jason Wu showed his Spring/Summer collection at the St. Regis New York, and on each chair, he placed a box of macaroons that had been made downstairs at Alain Ducasse's restaurant Adour. A few weeks later, Wu picked the hotel to celebrate his twenty-seventh birthday. Clearly, there's some chemistry here.
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W's Global Fashion Director Speaks
Who's the new Global Fashion Director at W Hotels, you ask? Why, you're looking right at her! Jenné Lombardo was tapped as the company's newest fashion leader, after ex-GFD Amanda Ross passed on the torch last month.
Though Lombardo has been hard at work assembling the newest group of local designers for W's fashion collection—now in its fifth season—she found some time to chat with us yesterday at the W New York's launch party. Read on below for her thoughts on the new collection, picking the designers, and what makes a good hotel. Hint: it has nothing to do with clothes.
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