Sleep in a Green Room: What Are New York City’s Most Eco-Friendly Hotels?

April 22 is still Earth Day, even in a pandemic. And with 50 years under its eco-conscious belt, Earth Day 2020 is momentous even if it’s somewhat under the radar for obvious reasons. 

Looking ahead to a time when it’s safe to travel and New York City hotels once again throw open their doors, here’s a look at the city’s greenest hotels. We’ve updated this post for 2020 to include hotels with at least one of these criteria — LEED Certification, membership in the New York Carbon Challenge, Ecotel Certification and active demonstration of efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. Read more

$125,000 for a Second-Hand Door? Bidders Pay Dearly for 52 Original Doors from the Hotel Chelsea

And to think they were destined for the dumpster.

On Thursday night, an auction was held for 52 original doors from the Hotel Chelsea that were discarded when renovation began in 2012 and harvested by a resourceful former homeless man. And prices shot through the proverbial roof.

To wild applause from bidders and onlookers in a packed Ricco/Maresca art gallery, a battered, whitewashed door to a room once occupied by singer/songwriter Bob Dylan sold for $125,000, eye-popping even for an item associated with a Nobel laureate. Read more

Up for Auction, 52 Hotel Chelsea Doors Opened by the Likes of Bob Dylan, Mark Twain and Janis Joplin

At the stroke of midnight on July 31, 2011, the Hotel Chelsea, the outrageous, art-filled property that checked in legendary guests like Tennessee Williams, Bob Dylan, Andy Warhol and Madonna, closed its doors for a renovation that was supposed to last one year, an estimate that proved wildly optimistic. Nearly seven years on, the 1885 Queen Anne brick pile remains closed and under construction for its latest transformation — into a luxury hotel with condos, the default for fabled landmarks from the Plaza to the Waldorf Astoria. Read more

In an Unusual Sunday Press Release, Ace Hotels Announces Plans for an Oregon Forest Property

We’re always happy to hear about new hotels, particularly innovative properties with unexpected amenities. Which brings us to the news release we received today that Ace hotels plans to open their first forest outpost in West Linn, Oregon.

Billed as “an experiment in urban arcology,”  the planned Ace Hotel Hobbit House is set to open in Winter 2018. It will occupy a domed one unit property with a skylight built deep in the West Linn woods by a mime trained by Marcel Marceau who happens to be a self-taught designer and builder. Read more