Tag Archive for: Roman & Williams

Terry Trucco

Was The Spouter Inn The First Themed Boutique Hotel?

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Did Herman Melville dream up the first themed boutique hotel?

Never mind that this was never his intent. But I’m rereading Moby-Dick, and it’s hard to ignore what we know about modern-day hotel design when Ishmael, roaming around New Bedford, Massachusetts looking for a bed for the night in Chapter 2, spots The Spouter Inn, “the dilapidated little wooden house” that “was the very spot for cheap lodgings.” (Our narrator had already dismissed The Crossed Harpoons and Sword-Fish Inn as “too expensive and jolly.”) Read more

Terry Trucco

The Standard Gets Its Close-up In “Shame,” Michael Fassbender’s Unsparing New Movie

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Ever since The Standard opened in 2009, looming high over the High Line and West Side Highway with its floor to ceiling windows, it’s been waiting for its close-up. At last, the sleekly sexy hotel — and its windows — figure prominently in a new movie, and wouldn’t you know, it’s rated NC-17? Read more

Terry Trucco

More Light (for now) at Le Parker Meridien, or What Happens When They Knock Down the Building Next Door

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For a short time, you can see Le Parker Meridien as it hasn’t been seen in years. Or to put it another way, the south side of West 57th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues looks like a wide smile with a tooth missing. Read more

Terry Trucco

The Royalton’s Un-extreme (Visual) Makeover — Or Did They Really Do Anything to the Place?

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Hotels are notorious for tardiness when it comes to everything from opening their doors to refurbishing the lobby. But not the Royalton. Read more