An Old Hotel Gets A New Name: Meet the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel

Anyone who has seen the movie Taxi Driver knows that Times Square wasn’t always a desirable location for a hotel. But that was a long time ago. Now even hotels that aren’t all that close to Times Square are adding the spot-where-the-New-Year’s-Eve-ball-drops to their name. Read more

Hello, Gorgeous — The Waldorf-Astoria’s Park Avenue Lobby Gets An Art Deco Makeover

Louis Rigal murals — and a silver-leaf ceiling.

Less is more is rarely the first thought that leaps to mind when you enter the Park Avenue lobby of the Waldorf-Astoria. This massive expanse is one of the most superb examples of Art Deco design in town.

The deco is decorative – allegorical murals by French artist Louis Rigal, gilded ceiling reliefs of frolicking naiads and stags, a floor mosaic of the Wheel of Life made from 150,000 tiny tiles. Read more

Who’s Flying High at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? Meet “Companion,” The New Balloon with a Hotel Connection

By Terry Trucco

Companion — inflated and airborne

The last time we saw Companion, artist KAWS’s iconic cartoon character with big curly ears, Disney hands and a pair of Xs for eyes, he was a sculpture – a really big one. During the summer of 2011 his seated form, rendered in gray and white in steel, loomed 16-feet tall in front of The Standard hotel, hands over his eyes, the shyest character in town.

A year and change later he’s back in New York. This time he’s even bigger (and weighs a lot less). Look for him up in the air, hands covering eyes, at the 86th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Read more

Preview of Coming Attractions — 5 Cool Hotel Gadgets Ready For Their Debut

We love trade shows. For hotel buffs the annual International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show at New York’s Javits Center is the Great Kahuna, a self-described hospitality show of shows unleashing a cornucopia of new, well, stuff.

Tucked deep within the rows of big-ticket items – towering refrigerators, 12-inch-thick mattress, even a couple of food trucks – we found five nifty gadgets their backers want to put in hotels. Remember, you (probably) saw them here first.

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At Home with Chris Columbus High Above Columbus Circle (Briefly)

Living large.

In the immortal words of Jo March in Little Women, “Christopher Columbus!”

There he was in all his statuesque glory, standing a dizzying 13 feet tall in the bird’s eye living room conceived, constructed (and decorated) by Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi in the center of Columbus Circle. Read more

“Mindfulness” — A New Exhibit Under Glass at the Roger Smith Hotel

Larger than life Gummy Bears? Models prepping for a fashion show? A Dublin artist’s outsize photos of New York?

You never know what will turn up in the windows of The Corner Space, the Roger Smith Hotels storefront on the corner of Lexington Avenue and 47th Street. And that’s why we love looking in whenever we pass by. Read more

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

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

The Best Hotels for Watching Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2012

Companion — inflated and airborne

Companion, the giant balloon depicting grafitti artist KAWS’ iconic bashful character, isn’t all that’s new at this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 22.

After years of marching down Seventh Avenue, the parade has a new route for 2012 — and probably beyond. And as we reported last year, for guests hoping to watch from a hotel room the choices have changed — and shrunk. Read more

Pass the Popcorn: What Were the Ten Most Watched Movies in Hotel Rooms in October 2012?

A foul-mouthed teddy bear was the big winner in hotel rooms last month followed by an action franchise that got tweaked. And in something we rarely see – we’ve been Passing the Popcorn for nine months – the four most popular hotel room movies across the Nation and Canada and in New York City were identical. Guests dug Bourne — and that bear!

As always our round-up is provided by LodgeNet, suppliers of in-room entertainment to 1.6 million hotel rooms in the U.S. and Canada. Read more

What’s It Like To Work at a Hotel During a Hurricane?

Storm weather.

A hotel on high ground with power, water, room service and a big bathtub can be a great place to ride out a hurricane – if you’re a guest.

But what about the people who work there?  “It’s definitely a lot more fun to stay in a hotel during a hurricane than work in one,” says Daniel Jones, a former employee at a luxury hotel in Orlando, Florida who writes the popular travel blog The World of Deej. Read more