Tag Archive for: renovation

Terry Trucco

The Affinia Manhattan’s Roaring 20s Lobby Lightens Up — And Looks Great

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In with the new: wall sofas and mirrors.

In with the new: wall sofas and mirrors.

What did the management of the Affinia Manhattan request when they hired Rottet Studio to redesign the lobby of their 1929 midtown hotel?

Lighten up was my verdict the first time I saw the smartly renovated lobby.
The walls and ceiling are the color of whipped cream. Enormous mirrors paned in black offer a clever take on industrial loft windows — and double the space, visually at least. And the rectangular chandelier hugging the ceiling looks like it was formed from crystal icicles. Read more

Terry Trucco

Is that Hotel a Christo? The New York Palace Gets Wrapped

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They don’t hand out gold statues for Best Dressed Scaffolding. But if they did we’d vote for the courtyard at the New York Palace. Read more

Terry Trucco

Watch the Hotel Belleclaire Get a New Chandelier

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A little more to the left . . .

Actually, the Belleclaire is getting an entire new lobby (and not a moment too soon).

But a chandelier this big commands more attention than a throw pillow. And we happened to stop by as it was being positioned into place. Read more

Terry Trucco

The Sheraton New York’s 50-Year Club and Throws a Party

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Celebratory butter cream with chocolate filling.

Not many guests check into hotels long term unless you count inventor Nikola Tesla, who lived for a decade at The New Yorker, or Cole Porter, who stayed for years at the Waldorf (the hotel lent him a grand piano). Read more

Terry Trucco

A First Look at The Algonquin’s Refurbished Lobby

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A few weeks ago, while the Algonquin was still closed for renovations, we passed by the hotel. The front door was open, so we walked in.

The lobby was a construction site. But looking beyond the drop cloths and ladders we saw what we’d always seen – dark wood-paneled walls, stoic wood columns and hand-painted sconces straight out of the Edwardian era.  As we scampered out, a workman yelling that we didn’t belong there, we smiled.  It was clear the Algonquin hadn’t gone minimal or modern or been reimagined by Philippe Starck. Maybe they’d even keep the cat. Read more

Terry Trucco

A First Look at Hotel Lola, the Latest Occupant of the Martha Washington Building

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Lola — the fragrance.

Can a perfume bottle inspire a hotel? The thought never occurred to me until I visited Lola, a sleek new hotel in an old brick and stone building in the East 20s. But oh, those colors. The moody/glam lobby – and guest rooms and website – are ablaze in purple, scarlet, navy and yellow. And so is Lola, the Marc Jacobs fragrance in the whimsical bottle crowned with a plastic flower.  Like the bottle, the hotel has style. Read more

Terry Trucco

The Grand Hyatt New York’s Top-to-Bottom Renovation Reaches the Finish Line

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Last year the Grand Hyatt New York, in the throes of a massive renovation, strung holiday lights from the construction scaffolding. This year the scaffolding is history, and a towering Christmas tree constructed from glass balls brings on the cheer.

A $130 million renovation is worth cheering – in part because it’s finished (the work unfolded in phases over three years). But the changes are smart, embracing nearly every inch of this midtown behemoth. “We’ve modernized,” said Mark Pardue, general manager, at a party celebrating the new building.

What they really did was un-Trump the place. Read more

Terry Trucco

Where’s Matilda? The Algonquin Cat Disappears After the NYC Health Department Pays a Visit

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She’s the long-time mascot of the Algonquin Hotel, the coolest hotel cat in town. But when we stopped by the hotel yesterday, the only Matilda we saw was this drink – a golden $20 concoction of tangerine vodka, Cointreau, fresh lemon and orange juices and Korbel Brut named for the Algonquin’s fabled feline. Read more

Terry Trucco

The Algonquin Gets Set to Close for Refurbishment in Early 2012

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Historic hotels have their charms – the evocative architecture, the whiff of time travel, the (often) dazzling out-of-the-past guests lists. But there’s nothing charming about historic plumbing, which could be one reason the Algonquin, New York’s oldest operating hotel, is closing for four months of renovations beginning on January 1, 2012. Read more

Terry Trucco

At Long Last — A New Look For The Marriott Marquis Lobby

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Good-bye, power suits. Hello, 21st century.

Earlier this month the Marriott Marquis unveiled its new lobby, centerpiece of its $39 million renovation. As befits a big hotel almost three decades old and 1,900-plus rooms strong big changes are on view in the sprawling 8th floor John Portman atrium lobby, punctuated by colorfully lit elevator cars whizzing up and down. Read more