Terry Trucco

Is Free WiFi About to Become the Norm at Luxury Hotels at Last?

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Free WiFi: Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong.

Free WiFi: Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong.

This was a good week for those who believe WiFi is no different from hotel basics like sheets, towels and a shower with running water and should be included free of charge in the price of a room.

Mandarin Oriental announced that its hotels will offer their “exceptional” high-speed internet service on a complimentary basis. Guests will be able to connect up to six wireless devises free of charge. Read more

Terry Trucco

Is a Sale in the Future for Times Square’s Notorious Hotel Carter?

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A marquee hotel.

The Carter marquee.

The Hotel Carter, Times Square’s notorious flophouse, was in the news today once again. But this time was different.

A night manager wasn’t stabbed as in 1999. A dead body wasn’t discovered under a bed as in 2007. And TripAdvisor didn’t hail the hotel one of the dirtiest in the United States, a distinction the Carter held for years until the site scrapped its list a couple of years back.

The news, as reported by DNAinfo New York, is that the hotel is cleaning up its act, possibly with an eye to a sale. Read more

Terry Trucco

Tuscany Meets Audrey Hepburn: A First Look at the Refurbished Tuscany New York Hotel

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When a hotel closes its doors to renovate, you expect to see something dramatic on the other end. So what went on during the year that the St Giles Tuscany New York was shuttered?

Lots, but a bit of background before we proceed. Read more

Terry Trucco

What Are New York City’s Best Hotel Restaurants?

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This month Michelin and Zagat had their say. Which hotel restaurants did these reviewing heavyweights smile upon?

The Modus Operandi differ sharply between the two guides. That said, you’ll see many of the same names in both. Read more

Terry Trucco

Six Trends to Look For On Your Next Hotel Visit

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images-2How are innovative hotels and brands developed and created? That was the topic of Hotels Curated NYC: Art + Innovation in Hospitality, a Friday afternoon conference-ette in the sleek upstairs space of Malt and Mash in the Meatpacking District. Read more

Terry Trucco

Flatbreads, Burgers and Brooklyn Beef Jerky – A New “Dining Concept” for The New York Hilton

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Last summer, Herb n’ Kitchen, the new restaurant at the New York Hilton-Midtown, was briefly the talk of the town, never mind that it hadn’t opened yet. In case you missed the fuss, Hilton announced it was closing its woefully outdated all-purpose restaurant and launching a new “dining concept” in the vast space at the back of the lobby. Read more

Terry Trucco

Pass the Popcorn: What Movies Did Hotel Guests Watch in Their Rooms in September?

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A hit in New York City hotel rooms.

A hit in New York City hotel rooms.

Last month the in-room pay-movie viewing habits of hotel-goers throughout the US, Canada and New York City were pretty much in lockstep. Guests tuned into the antics of Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy (The Heat), Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx (White House Down), and Bradley Cooper and Zac Galifianiakis (The Hangover Part 3).

But what are we to make of the fact that The Bling Ring, a movie about light-fingered, celebrity-addled Los Angeles teens, was hit in New York hotel rooms but failed to make the Top Ten list across the nation and in Canada? Read more