Date Added: May 31, 2008 03:16:19 AM
Encouraged by a rising occupancy rate, many of New York City's hotels, from the modest to the grand, seem to be sprucing themselves up for visitors - spending millions restoring architectural treasures, re-decorating rooms with New York City themes and adding the latest technological amenities for business travelers.
The Waldorf Astoria
Not content to rest on its landmark laurels, the legendary Waldorf Astoria, a symbol of Art Deco grandeur since 1931, recently completed a USD 1.2 million total renovation of 77 guest rooms in its Waldorf Towers, a hotel-within-a-hotel on the top 14 floors that's been home to UN diplomats and celebrities. These upscale rooms and suites, newly decorated with antique French and English furnishings, are reached by a private entrance at 100 East 50th Street and staffed elevators.
The Waldorf Astoria's famous main building on Park Avenue recently unveiled the elegant Astoria Lounge, where guests on the Astoria Level may relax, entertain, conduct informal meetings and enjoy complimentary hors d'oeuvres and beverages from 6:00-10:00pm.
The Mark
The Mark, the renowned luxury hotel in the heart of the Upper East Side's museum and boutique-land, has recently lavished USD 4.1 million on refurbishments, including Italian torchiere lamps, 18th-century prints and magnificent Biedermeier furniture. The weekend rate for a double, includes unlimited use of the hotel's new Wellness Suite with its modern exercise equipment, continental breakfast for two and free shuttles to the theater district timed to catch the curtain.
The Mansfield
Nightly harp recitals lend an air of refinement to the 123-room Mansfield, a detailed Beaux Arts building built in 1904 as a residence for well-to-do bachelors. The Mansfield, on the architecturally distinguished block of West 44th Street between Fifth Avenue and Avenue of the Americas, gleams anew these days after a USD 4 million restoration. An oval mahogany staircase which glides down 12 stories, the coffered ceiling in its lobby, and floor of yellow Bulgarian limestone have all been restored to their former glory. Guest rooms feature ebony-stained floors, wooden Venetian blinds, Victorian sleigh beds and black marble bathrooms.
Gorham New York
Everything is oversized at the midtown Gorham New York on West 55th Street - from the guest rooms themselves to their king and queen-size beds and marble bathroom sinks. Kitchenettes fully equipped with microwaves, china and silver, and large screen TVs with Nintendo are standard in the 114-room boutique hotel. Some rooms are designated for the disabled, with special smoke detectors for the hearing-impaired, audible floor indicators in elevators, and Braille signage and electronic room key cards.
Millennium Hilton
Sweeping harbor and city views from most of the 561 rooms at the 58-story Millennium Hilton, near the World Trade Center in downtown Manhattan, take in the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, St. Paul's Chapel and the Brooklyn Bridge. The hotel's guest rooms combine conveniences for business travelers - in-room fax machines, two-line phones with dataport for laptop connection, irons, umbrellas - with sleek teak and curly maple furnishings, finely woven fabrics and glossy marble bathrooms, all of which also make the Millennium Hilton an attractive choice for leisure travelers seeking a downtown base.
Manhattan East Suite Hotels
Manhattan East Suite Hotels, a group of 9 hotels dotted throughout Manhattan, has undertaken major improvements at four of its properties. There are 130 revamped suites and an updated lobby at Lyden Gardens, 215 East 64th Street; 71 refurbished suites, including a two-bedroom VIP suite with Jacuzzi and patio, at Lyden House, 320 East 53rd Street; 523 renovated suites at Southgate Tower, 371 Seventh Avenue; and a brand new lobby at Eastgate Tower, 222 East 39th Street. A new grocery shopping service at all Manhattan East Suite Hotels makes it easy for guests to take advantage of each suite's fully-equipped kitchen.
New York Hilton and Towers
At the New York Hilton and Towers on Avenue of the Americas at 53rd Street, the recent establishment of a guest service center and hotline with walkie-talkies, radios and satellite stations enable almost any guest request to be fulfilled in 15-20 minutes. The Hilton recently invested more than USD 5 million to renovate guest rooms, bathrooms and corridors, and is spending USD 3.7 million more to modernize all of its elevators, adding miniature TV sets which can televise any channel or specially created programming.
More Accommodation
Well-priced chain hotels are having facelifts too. Loews New York Hotel on Lexington Avenue at 51st Street, has livened up all of its 722 rooms with brighter, warmer colors and fresh floral prints. Best Western Manhattan, near the Empire State Building and 34th Street shopping, offers a choice between rooms called Central Park leafy fabrics, photos of ice skaters on the walls, Fifth Avenue rich-hued browns, angel prints, Empire State - silver, black and gold scheme - and Soho - a vision in black and lime green, with gold stars on the carpet.
Look for an attractive new exterior sign nine stories above the main entrance of the Crowne Plaza Manhattan on Broadway between 48th and 49th Streets. It heralds the hotel's official name change from Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza Manhattan, part of a new strategy intended to distinguish the 46-story flagship hotel, with its 770 elegant guest rooms, as a separate upscale brand.
Views of Central Park's greenery draw guests to the Mayflower Hotel on the Park, at Central Park West and 61st Street. The European-style boutique hotel offers spacious rooms with traditional furnishings, each with its own pantry and refrigerator.
The Hotel Beacon, a budget hotel in a superior Upper West Side location, has recently opened its new Terrace Suite meeting room, which can accommodate up to 50 people. Guest rooms are unusually spacious and have kitchenettes which can be stocked with provisions from Zabar's, Fairway, Citarella and other gourmet food emporia for which the neighborhood is famous.
