News
Mexico-based hotel group to open small, luxury hotel in Chelsea
February 1, 2011 7:00 PM
This spring, Grupo Habita plans to open the 56-room Hotel Americano in Chelsea - its first hotel in the United States. ÃÂ The Mexico-based company will join a growing number of multinational companies planning, or already owning and operating, hotels in Manhattan.
Winning the union at the Boathouse Restaurant
January 30, 2011 7:00 PM
In a recent article, Juan Gonzalez of the New York Daily News reported on why Boathouse workers have been using recorders at work as protection against management's anti-union intimidation. Recorded threats, bribes, retaliatory actions, and more have provided evidence supporting the long list of unfair labor practice charges the Hotel Trades Council has filed against restaurant operator Dean Poll and his managers on behalf of the workers.
South Bronx to get a brand new hotel
January 18, 2011 7:00 PM
A "brownfield" in the Port Morris section of the South Bronx will be the site of a new 80-90-room hotel, according to an article in the New York Daily News. The now vacant lot is one of six Port Morris brownfield sites, all of which have been recently rezoned and which the South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corp. has targeted for redevelopment.
NYC tourism reaches new high in 2010
January 18, 2011 7:00 PM
According to reports in the New York Times, Crain's New York, and NYC.gov, a record 48.7 million people visited New York City this past year, with the result that 2010 was also a record-breaking year for the number of hotel rooms sold. The continued flow of tourists into the city boosted the state's economy by $31 billion and also increased the number of those employed in the hospitality industry to its largest number ever.
1,153 new hotel rooms opened in lower Manhattan in 2010
January 18, 2011 7:00 PM
The Real Deal reported the number of hotel rooms in lower Manhattan increased by 80 percent in the years since September 11, 2001. Five new downtown hotels opened in 2010, adding 1,153 rooms to the area.
Violations issued for illegal hotel rooms
December 21, 2010 7:00 PM
DNAinfo reported 12 apartments in an East 10th Street apartment building have been illegally altered, and Hotel Toshi, a company that offers short-term accommodations in some Manhattan and Brooklyn apartment buildings, was charged with a number of violations after area residents complained the property was being used as an illegal hotel.
Element hotel opens in Times Square
December 21, 2010 7:00 PM
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. operates the new 411-room Element Times Square West, which has LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
New hotel part of “supersize” gay resort to open in Manhattan
December 21, 2010 7:00 PM
The New York Times reports that a $30 million, 90,000 square-foot resort directed at a gay clientele is scheduled to start opening in Manhattan in early 2011. The Out NYC Urban Resort will include a 127-room Axel Hotel among its numerous attractions.
Wyndham to open new TRYP Times Square South in spring 2011
December 21, 2010 7:00 PM
Wyndham Hotels and Resorts has announced it will be opening a new 173-room hotel in Midtown Manhattan in spring 2011. The hotel will be a part of Wyndham's newly acquired TRYP brand, a mid-price-range line of hotels located primarily in Europe and Latin America.
Union hotel receives Best Western’s highest award
December 21, 2010 7:00 PM
A release on PR Newswire reported that the Best Western Bowery Hanbee Hotel, a union hotel where workers ratified their first HTC contract in April 2009, has been honored with the Best Western Chairwoman's Award for outstanding quality of service and standards.
A “destination hotel” coming to Williamsburg
December 6, 2010 7:00 PM
Noting another marker in the New York City hotel development, the New York Times reports that Williamsburg will soon be getting a "destination hotel." The 64-room Hotel Williamsburg will have both a pool and a rooftop bar and is slated to open as early as March 2011.
13 more Marriotts for Manhattan within next 3 years
December 6, 2010 7:00 PM
Manhattan remains a powerful draw for hotel companies, as was amply demonstrated by Marriott International's recent announcement that it intends to open 13 new budget hotels here.
Another new hotel for the Times Square area
November 30, 2010 7:00 PM
The Times Square area continues to draw new hotels. Crain's New York reported that plans for the future arrival of another are underway. Land has been acquired on West 50th Street, and financing for the construction of a 78,000 square foot hotel on a site presently occupied by a parking garage is in place.
Outer boroughs riding wave of new hotel development
November 30, 2010 7:00 PM
According to the Wall Street Journal, about 19 new hotels are currently being built in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island, with dozens more in the planning stages.
Setai Fifth Avenue changes landscape of Midtown
November 30, 2010 7:00 PM
The Wall Street Journal and Luxury Travel Advisor have reported that the Setai Fifth Avenue, which recently opened in the heart of midtown between 36th and 37th Streets, might be the harbinger of a transformation of its neighborhood from one filled with fast-food eateries and souvenir shops to one where fine dining and high-end retail stores are the norm.
Peter Ward named to Cuomo’s transition committee
November 30, 2010 7:00 PM
HTC's President, Peter Ward, was named by Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo to the Committee on Economic Development and Labor, which will advise him during his transition. This committee will lead the effort to recruit and recommend new staff for the New York State agencies involved in job creation and economic growth.
Groundbreaking for fourth Gem hotel in Manhattan
November 16, 2010 7:00 PM
As reported by Hotel Interactive, Gemini Real Estate Advisors has broken ground for the GEM Hotel Union Square, to be located at 52 West 13th Street in Manhattan.
Hyatt plans to spend $1.8M per room at new Park Hyatt
November 16, 2010 7:00 PM
Hyatt Hotels Corp. is building a 90-story, 201-room hotel in Manhattan at 157 West 57th Street.
Non-union hotel development in Williamsburg
November 16, 2010 7:00 PM
The Daily News recently reported that the Condor opened at 56 Franklin Avenue in Brooklyn's Williamsburg.
New trend in new hotel development
November 16, 2010 7:00 PM
An Agence France-Presse story in The Vancouver Sun discussed the growing number of "Pod" hotels, such as Manhattan's The Jane and The Pod Hotel. Inspired by the Japanese "capsule" hotels, they have been gaining popularity in New York City since The Pod opened in 2007.
