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Renovate Me: Grand Hyatt New York Reaches the Finish Line
The 2011 holiday tree. Last year the Grand Hyatt New York, in the throes of a massive renovation, strung holiday lights from the construction scaffolding. This year the scaffolding is history, and a...
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First Look: The Algonquin’s Refurbished Lobby
Welcome to the lobby. A few weeks ago, while the Algonquin was still closed for renovations, we passed by the hotel. The front door was open, so we walked in. The lobby was a construction site. But...
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First look: So Long, Hotel Roger Williams — Hello, Roger New York
The spruced up Roger. Roger Williams always seemed an oddball name for a New York City hotel, especially one with a breezy, modern air. We’re not in Rhode Island, after all. And just when I finally...
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Snapshot: A New Chandelier for the Hotel Belleclaire
A little more to the left . . . Actually, the Belleclaire is getting an entire new lobby (and not a moment too soon). But a chandelier this big commands more attention than a throw pillow. And we...
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Hello, Gorgeous — The Waldorf-Astoria’s Park Avenue Lobby Gets An Art Deco...
Louis Rigal murals — and a silver-leaf ceiling. Less is more is rarely the first thought that leaps to mind when you enter the Park Avenue lobby of the Waldorf-Astoria. This massive expanse is one of...
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A New Look — and Name — for ONE UN New York
Not-so-heavy metal, 1970s style. North by Northwest, one of my favorite movies, was on television recently. Which got me thinking about the United Nations General Assembly Building, a magnificent...
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Stay No More — A New Name for a Times Square Hotel
Stay into Night. Having two hotels two blocks apart from each other with same name sounds confusing. But that’s exactly what Vikram Chatwal and the folks at Wyndham Hotels did late last month. They...
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An Impromptu Grab ‘n Go at The New York Palace
Grab ‘n go at the Palace. Here’s a picture you won’t be able to take at the New York Palace come September. “Well, hopefully not,” as a staff member put it. If all goes as planned, the end of summer...
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Why Is The Plaza All Wrapped Up To Look Like The Plaza?
The trompe l’oeil Plaza. Seems it wasn’t that long ago – 2005, to be precise – that The Plaza closed for major refurbishments inside and out. The spruced up property reopened with a flourish in 2008...
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A Great Place to Watch the New Year’s Eve Ball Drop Without the Crowds
Terrace in the air. Not that you’ll be alone. My guess is the new outdoor terrace at the freshly refurbished Novotel New York Times Square will be jam-packed when 2014 is ushered in. Still, the...
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