“I see music,” Beyonce declares in the press release for Beyonce, her new album of songs and videos released yesterday without the usual rev-up fanfare.
And what does Queen B see when she visualizes the music — and the story surrounding it — late at night? A room at The Standard Hotel, High Line branch.
Beyonce at the Standard
The Plaza.
As The Great Gatsby, the most hyped movie since, well, Iron Man 3, steamrolls into theaters, two hotels are proudly trumpeting their Gatsby connections.
Most obvious is The Plaza. When Daisy suggests Gatsby, Tom, Jordan and Nick drive to Manhattan, they beeline for the Plaza, a favorite of F. Scott Fitzgerald and wife Zelda. Read more
The grand staircase.
It’s publicity. And it’s free. But do hotels really want to be splashed on newspaper front pages? The famous guest grabbing the attention is rarely raving about the service. Consider Dominique Strauss-Kahn and the Sofitel New York. And today Lindsay Lohan and the W Union Square.
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Rory McIlroy golfing at the Burj al Arab.
It’s hard to grab the US sports world’s attention the same day that a) Team USA wins basketball gold and b) the Olympics closing ceremony unfurls. Read more
We love seeing movies in hotel screening rooms. Big screen, plushy seats, popcorn, perks – you can’t sip champagne in a flute at the multiplex. So why do most hotels restrict their screening rooms to private parties? Read more
“I’ve always thought it was a ridiculous name for a prison. Sing Sing. I mean, it sounds more like it should be an opera house or something.” — Holly Golightly
And the Gershwin Hotel? It sounds like there should be music playing or something. Maybe even opera. Read more
What the Titanic survivors saw.
On Sunday the Titanic Memorial Cruise left Southampton, England for New York City tracing the path of the doomed luxury liner that sank on April 14, 1912. The 1,309 passengers, ranging from relatives of survivors to Titanic groupies, paid from $4,445 to $9,320 for the 12-might cruise. Read more
Like a glass of ice water on a sweltering day, a hotel restroom can be a welcome sight. And if it’s super-clean, easy to find and flaunts some style, so much the better. We found five hotel restrooms in Times Square that fit the bill as well as two honorable mentions. Keep these in mind when you’re in the area. You’re welcome.
The uniformed attendants posted behind a discrete desk in the grand black-and-white lobby were impeccably polite. But check-in wasn’t unspooling quite as I expected. The man next to me, owner of a blue blazer and a belligerent British accent, waved a sheet of paper and demanded to know what the devil these bloody charges were.