Pikachu and Eevee, new for 2021
In yet another happy step towards normalcy, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade returns to the streets of New York on November 25 for the 95th time.
It’s not clear how the city plans to designate this year’s outdoor viewing for those hearty souls hoping to take in the battalion of floats, marching bands and airborne balloons (look for Pikachu and Eevee, Ada Twist, Scientist and Macy’s fetching reindeer Tiptoe leading this year’s crop of newbie inflatables).
As always, hotel rooms with parade views (and room service breakfasts) offer a serene alternative to a sidewalk teeming with humanity. Macy’s is still mapping out this year’s route, according to their website. But if recent years are any indication, the parade will march from Central Park West to Central Park South and down Sixth Avenue, aka Avenue of the Americas, to the Macy’s Herald Square mother ship.
That means eight hotels are situated directly along the parade route — two fewer than in 2019. Closed permanently due to the pandemic are Courtyard Marriott New York Herald Square, located steps from Macy’s, and the Excelsior, whose rooms overlooked the inflating of the balloons on Thanksgiving Eve.
Booking a parade-view room comes with a unique set of rules. Call the hotel directly (don’t even think about reserving online). Expect holiday pricing (the cheapest start at around $500 a night) and a three-night minimum. Another holiday quirk: the parade is meant to be seen from the street, so rooms on lower levels are most desirable. Just because a hotel faces Sixth Avenue doesn’t mean Astronaut Snoopy and Boss Baby will be visible from every window.
Here’s our 2021 list of hotels outfitted with parade-view rooms. Read more
How Did an Iconic Waldorf Astoria Statue Wind Up in a Village in Iceland?
/in Hotel History, Hotel Openings and Closings, Hotel Renovations, Hotels and the Arts, Hotels in the News/by Terry TruccoIn February of 2017, the Waldorf Astoria closed its mighty doors and hunkered down for a much-needed renovation that would transform the storied but outdated, 1,421-room hotel into a sybaritic, 375-room hotel paired with 375 high-end condominiums. The $1 billion makeover was expected to take two or three years to complete.
Six years later, the Waldorf is still shuttered and isn’t expected to reopen until the end of 2024, or so they say. But that hasn’t prevented iconic Waldorf treasures from popping up off campus. In 2020, the Lobby Clock, a triumph of Victorian technology, craftsmanship and overkill, went on view at the New-York Historical Society, fresh from a top-to-toe restoration.
And this summer, “Spirit of Achievement,” the soaring winged sculpture that once stood guard above the Waldorf’s Park Avenue entrance, turned up on a brand-new pedestal in Hvolsvöllur, a tiny town of 950 people in Iceland.
How in the world did a Waldorf showpiece wind up in a remote Nordic village?
Read more
The Carlyle’s Star Turn (Sort Of) In “Tár”
/in Hotels and the Arts, Hotels in the News/by Terry TruccoEver since Week-End at the Waldorf, a remake of 1932’s Grand Hotel that danced across theater screens in 1945, New York City hotels have played silent but memorable supporting roles in dozens of movies. Some, like Godfather III (filmed at the Waldorf Astoria), Scent of a Woman (filmed at the Waldorf and the Plaza) and Quiz Show (filmed at The Roosevelt), have scooped up Academy Awards or nominations.
This year, one New York City hotel got an Oscar nod, sort of. Though Tár didn’t take home any of the six awards it was nominated for, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress, it did offer hotel buffs a glimpse of what appears to be Carlyle Hotel. Read more
The Surprising Way Hotels Facilitated The Art of Edward Hopper
/in Hotels and the Arts/by Terry TruccoEdward Hopper’s lifelong obsession with New York City is well known as is his fascination with urban landscapes, peering into private rooms and the loneliness and isolation a teeming metropolis can breed.
Hotels embody all of the above, so it’s surprising in a way that he didn’t draw inspiration from them as he did from apartment buildings, restaurants and theaters.
But hotels facilitated a small but intriguing slice of the celebrated 20th-century artist’s work, as the Edward Hopper’s New York, on view at the Whitney Museum through March 5, shows. They helped him pay his bills and captured his interest early in his career, if only for mercenary reasons. And that’s more than enough to make this satisfying exhibition catnip for art-loving hotel geeks. Read more
The Merriest, Happiest Holiday Decorations at New York City Hotels, 2022 Edition
/in Hotels and Holidays, Hotels in the News/by Terry TruccoIf we had choose just one word to describe the 2022 holiday season in New York City, we’d go with normal. And hey, after two years of pandemic craziness, normal sounds downright scintillating.
Lighting the way towards a blissful normalcy are the city’s hotels, dressed to dazzle whether you’re checking in — 6.5 million visitors were expected between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day — or just checking them out, as we do every year. Camera in hand, we captured 11 deliciously decked halls, walls, and even sidewalks at hotels all over Manhattan — and added the city’s showpiece outdoor tree just because.
Happy Holidays! Read more
What We Loved at the 2022 Hotel Trade Fairs — And What You May See on Your Next Hotel Visit
/in Hotel design, Hotels in the News/by Terry TruccoIt’s the ultimate preview of coming attractions for hospitality geeks, a sneak peek at what you can expect to see in hotels before too, too long, from the latest trends in floor coverings, bedding and china to the latest lighting, mini-fridges and bathroom soap dispensers.
After two show-less years (both events were cancelled in 2020, and we missed 2021), we were thrilled to be back, roaming the caverns of Javits with notebook and camera. Here’s what caught our eye. Read more
Where Did The Queen Spend The Night When She Visited New York?
/in Hotel History, Hotels in the News/by Terry TruccoQueen Elizabeth II visited New York City three times during her 70-year reign, but she spent only one night at a New York City hotel.
Her historic hotel stay occurred on October 21, 1957 during her first ever visit to the city. It should come as no surprise that the Queen and Prince Philip checked into the Waldorf Astoria, the mid-century, go-to hotel for presidents, potentates, popes and celebrities from A (Princess Astrid of Norway) to Z (Zsa Gabor). Read more
Sheraton New York Times Square Scores A Big Win Hosting the 2022 New York Democratic Convention
/in Hotels in the News/by Terry TruccoReady to welcome a crowd: Sheraton Metropolitan Ballroom (Sheraton New York photo)
By Terry Trucco
When the New York Democratic Convention kicks off tonight at the Sheraton New York Times Square, it will be more than a political event. It marks the return of the high-profile party convention to a New York City hotel, the first since the pandemic sidelined large gatherings in March 2020. Read more
Hotel Obits, Part II: Six Notable NYC Hotels Closed Permanently By The Pandemic
/in Hotel Openings and Closings, Hotels in the News, News/by Terry TruccoBy Terry Trucco
It was nearly two years ago that Covid muscled into New York City and shuttered more than 30 percent of the city’s 705 hotels — a significant number of them permanently.
Not every hotel that closed during the pandemic was a gem. But some are too notable to slip away without a few words of appreciation. Our first batch of hotel obituaries posted last fall with six Covid casualties we couldn’t let go without a send off.
Since then we’ve gathered a second batch — six more hotels that didn’t survive the pandemic but deserve one last look. Read more
The Happiest, Merriest Holiday Decorations at New York City Hotels, 2021 Edition
/in Hotels and Holidays/by Terry TruccoThings aren’t quite normal yet, but New York City is back and so are its hotels, dressed to dazzle and lighting the way to a scintillating holiday season — inside and out (some of the cleverest decorations adorn building exteriors). Camera in hand, we captured 10 delectably decked halls, walls, even sidewalks at hotels all over Manhattan — and added a special guest property from California because who doesn’t love gingerbread houses?
Happy Holidays! Read more
Eight NYC Hotels For Watching the 2021 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
/in Hotels and Holidays, Hotels in the News, News/by Terry TruccoPikachu and Eevee, new for 2021
In yet another happy step towards normalcy, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade returns to the streets of New York on November 25 for the 95th time.
It’s not clear how the city plans to designate this year’s outdoor viewing for those hearty souls hoping to take in the battalion of floats, marching bands and airborne balloons (look for Pikachu and Eevee, Ada Twist, Scientist and Macy’s fetching reindeer Tiptoe leading this year’s crop of newbie inflatables).
As always, hotel rooms with parade views (and room service breakfasts) offer a serene alternative to a sidewalk teeming with humanity. Macy’s is still mapping out this year’s route, according to their website. But if recent years are any indication, the parade will march from Central Park West to Central Park South and down Sixth Avenue, aka Avenue of the Americas, to the Macy’s Herald Square mother ship.
That means eight hotels are situated directly along the parade route — two fewer than in 2019. Closed permanently due to the pandemic are Courtyard Marriott New York Herald Square, located steps from Macy’s, and the Excelsior, whose rooms overlooked the inflating of the balloons on Thanksgiving Eve.
Booking a parade-view room comes with a unique set of rules. Call the hotel directly (don’t even think about reserving online). Expect holiday pricing (the cheapest start at around $500 a night) and a three-night minimum. Another holiday quirk: the parade is meant to be seen from the street, so rooms on lower levels are most desirable. Just because a hotel faces Sixth Avenue doesn’t mean Astronaut Snoopy and Boss Baby will be visible from every window.
Here’s our 2021 list of hotels outfitted with parade-view rooms. Read more