Overnight New York is the independent guide to New York City hotels with honest, unbiased reporting and no ties to the hotels we write about. We visit each hotel anonymously and always pay when we eat and stay. Think of Overnight New York as a best friend who susses out where you want to spend the night — and where you don’t — and tells you what’s new, what’s trending and where to meet for drinks after work, indulge in a romantic dinner or put up the in-laws.
Coming Soon: New Owners for The Plaza Hotel; What Will They Get for $600 Million?
/in Hotels in the News, News/by Terry TruccoIf all goes as expected, The Plaza Hotel — overnight home to Christian Dior, Frank Lloyd Wright and the Beatles, backdrop to movies like North by Northwest and Crocodile Dundee and playground for the impish Eloise — is about to change hands once again for an eye-popping $600 million. It’s just not clear who the new owner will be. Read more
Sleep in a Green Room: What Are New York City’s Most Eco-Friendly Hotels?
/in Green Hotels/by Terry TruccoApril 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
/in Hotels and the Arts, Hotels in the News, Notable Check-ins/by Terry TruccoAnd 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
/in Hotel Renovations, Hotels and the Arts, Hotels in the News/by Terry TruccoAt 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
/in Hotels and Holidays/by Terry TruccoWe’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
NYC Hotels Where You Can Watch the 2018 Academy Awards with Drinks and a Crowd
/in Hotels and the Arts, Hotels in the News/by Terry TruccoIf you want to be with a crowd when that happens — and for all the tears, theatrics, dresses and quips from Jimmy Kimmel unfolding beforehand — these New York City hotels are serving up drinks, big screens and a party atmosphere for Hollywood’s March 4 celebration airing at 8 p.m. Popcorn, too, if you’re lucky. Read more
Is the Waldorf Astoria to Be Sold Yet Again?
/in Hotels in the News/by Terry TruccoWhen Blackstone Group sold the fabled Waldorf Astoria to a little-known Chinese insurer in 2014 for a record-breaking $1.95 billion, it looked like a done deal. But this week brought news that Blackstone is thinking about buying back the landmark Park Avenue hotel. Read more
Three Hotels Where You’ll See Top Dogs from the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show
/in Hotels Pets & Sports, News/by Terry TruccoBest in Show 1914, Champion Slumber, Old English Sheepdog (Westminster Kennel Club photo)
It’s dream time for dog lovers. On February 12 and 13, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show unfurls, and the world’s top dogs descend upon the city.
You can buy a ticket to the big show at Madison Square Garden. Or you can save your money, hang out in the lobby of a hotel that caters to show dogs (and their minders) and watch a parade of exquisitely groomed world class animals bound for the show (and if they’re lucky, glory). Coincidentally on purpose, the three hotels anointed by the Kennel Club as Gold Class Partners are a short walk from the Garden. Dog watching couldn’t be easier. Read more
NYC Hotels Where You Can Watch the 2018 Winter Olympics
/in Hotels Pets & Sports/by Terry TruccoRead more
A Look at John Portman’s Signature NYC Creation, the Marriott Marquis
/in Hotel design, Hotels in the News/by Terry TruccoWith the recent death of John Portman, the game-changing architect you can thank — or blame — for hotels with sky-scraping atriums, dizzying glass elevators and revolving rooftop restaurants, I decided to pay a visit to his most famous New York City creation, the Marriott Marquis.
Though it no longer looks like an alien creature plopped in the middle of Times Square, the 33-year-old hotel is impossible to miss. A brutish fortress of glass and concrete, it looms 48 stories over Broadway, stretches the length of a city block and showcases an eight-story digital billboard ablaze with some of the priciest ads in town. Read more