Terry Trucco

What’s The View Like Up There? Checking Out the Tallest Hotel in North America

/in , /by

This is what you see from a room near the top of the tallest hotel in North America, which happens to be in New York. (That’s a snow-covered Central Park down there, in case you’re wondering.)

view from on high

What birds see

It’s a bird’s-eye view of a high-flying bird – or a low-flying plane. But guests in north-facing rooms on the 62nd floor at the new Residence Inn Central Park can take it in from a white leather club chair or a king-size bed for as long as they like without moving a muscle. Read more

Terry Trucco

A Chic New Hamburger with a French Accent — Direct From New York By Way of Bordeaux

/in /by

If Louis Lassen, the Connecticut sandwich shop owner often credited with inventing the hamburger, had been French, the world’s most iconic sandwich might look something like a clever new creation making its debut this week at Gaby, the French brasserie at the Sofitel New York.

Meet the Franburger, a slender ground-beef patty nestled in a crisp sour dough baguette and topped with melted Brie, lettuce and sliced tomato. Lest there be any doubt about the sandwich’s allegiances, it’s served with French fries. Read more

Terry Trucco

What NYC Hotels Do Tripadvisor Reviewers Like Best?

/in /by

It’s January, and once again Tripadvisor rolls out its annual Best Lists compiled from the bazillion reviews filed by hotel-goers each year. How did New York City’s nearly 100,000 hotel rooms fare?

Lots better than in 2012, when not a single Big Apple hotel landed on the Tripadvisor top 25 best US hotels list (New York has yet to crack the ranks of the 25 best hotels in the world). This year there are three:  Read more

Terry Trucco

From Belle Epoch to Disco — How The Plaza Dressed Up for the 70s in “American Hustle”

/in , , /by

From North by Northwest and Sleepless in Seattle to Crocodile Dundee, it’s hard to imagine a hotel with more Hollywood screen time than The Plaza. Last year alone the hotel racked up vivid cameos in The Great Gatsby and American Hustle. Read more

Terry Trucco

From E-books to Beyonce — The Best of the New at New York City Hotels, 2013 Edition

/in , /by

It’s time for my annual over-the-shoulder look at the year that was in New York City hotels.

If New York felt unusually crowded in 2013 there was good reason. The city hosted 54.3 million visitors, up from 52.7 in 2012 and nearly 20 million more than in 2002.

And while some of them no doubt stayed with friends, relatives and Airbnb, others helped fill the 30 million hotel room nights sold, up 1 million from 2012. The results? Visitors on average paid a pricey $296 a night, and hotels enjoyed an 87.8 percent occupancy rate. Read more