NEW YORK—Even when the recent recession was at its most cutting, anyone walking the streets of Midtown Manhattan could only pause and wonder: What recession? The central streets of the Big Apple remained teeming with tourists and locals alike, crowding in to see the sights or just commuting in to earn their pay.
With many of Manhattan’s key attractions found in Midtown—usually considered from 34th to 59th Sts. and from the Hudson River to the East River (although some have started to suggest an extension down to 23rd or 14th Sts. needs to be thought about given the amount of development)-—it’s no wonder there’s a jamfest of humanity (and cars, taxis and buses) all trying to get somewhere. Like the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center for HX and BDNY.
So, it’s no surprise hotels are flourishing in the area, which subsequently is sliced into even smaller neighborhoods. Some are well-known, such as Times Square, Herald Square (home to Macy’s flagship store), the Theater District, Hell’s Kitchen and the Garment District (aka the Fashion District), and some lesser known, such as Turtle Bay (from 42nd to 53rd Sts. from Lexington Ave. to the East River), Koreatown (36th to 31st Sts. between Fifth and Sixth Aves.), and tony Sutton Place (53rd to 59th Sts. and overlooking the East River).
According to NYC & Company, the city’s marketing arm, more than 200 hotel properties and projects have opened overall in New York City since January 2014 or are currently in the development and renovation pipeline. And since January of this year, there have been 17 new hotel openings that added more than 4,100 rooms.
The growing doesn’t stop there. With an eye toward a current horizon of 2019, NYC & Company noted, whether for business or leisure, the options around accommodations run the gamut from pod rooms to family suites and extended-stay to luxury penthouses, both branded and independent. (As of June 2016, the active inventory for visitor accommodations is an aggregate 110,000 rooms with at least another 25,000 rooms in the short- and long-term pipeline.)
Perhaps on its way to being known as “New Midtown,” NYC & Company SVP Christopher Heywood noted, “New hotels are popping up all around Midtown. Midtown is not a neighborhood that should be overlooked. It is continually evolving and reinventing itself, just as we are seeing throughout the five boroughs. New and renovated hotels are dotting the neighborhood and new attractions and retail are making the neighborhood a must-see on any visitor’s itinerary.”
Among this year’s area highlights are the first Riu Plaza, which brought the Spain-based brand to Times Square at Eighth Ave. and 46th St. with 647 rooms. There’s also the 28-story, 348-room Renaissance New York Midtown Hotel at 218 W. 35th St., touted as the city’s first multisensory, interactive “living” hotel via digital design—created by Montreal, Canada-based Réalisations, Inc.— that features a block-long corridor of projected digital displays that function upon human movement. Also noteworthy, the historic 704-room InterContinental Barclay at 111 E. 48th St. underwent a $180-million renovation, adding new meeting spaces, refreshed guestrooms, redesigned lobby, a bar, specialty suites, updated fitness center and advanced technology.
And there’s a wealth of other properties as well.
(Editor’s Note: Hotels marked with an asterisk (*) are new-build. All openings are projected. And to show the pace of development in “New Midtown,” we’ve extended its traditional southern boundary from 34th to 23rd Sts., which some consider the next logical extension to be considered Midtown.)
More to come in 2016
The Bernic at E. 47th St. is operated by Marshall Hotels & Resorts.
• The Bernic* is a 96-room boutique hotel at 145 E. 47th St. that is being operated by Marshall Hotels & Resorts.
• Four Points by Sheraton Midtown West* is a 148-room hotel in the Hudson Yards project at 444 Tenth Ave. Located between W. 34th and 35th Sts., the property was designed by Ariel Aufgang with a large restaurant on the ground floor.
• Hotel Shocard, a boutique property managed by Real Hospitality Group, offers 47 rooms across seven floors at 206 W. 41st St. The pet-friendly hotel was designed by NYC-based multi-disciplinary architecture and interiors firm Mapos.
• EVEN Hotel New York Midtown East,* a 230-room new-build at 219 E. 44th St., is the IHG select-service wellness brand’s flagship property. The 23-story hotel includes indoor and outdoor exercise and eating spaces.
• Innside New York NoMad,* a 313-room, 20-story hotel, is the second for Spain-based Melia Hotels International in the United States. Located at 132 W. 27th St., the property features a restaurant, bar and meeting space.
• Arlo Hotel NoMad* is a 248-room lifestyle hotel at 11 E. 31st St. at Fifth Ave. The property is one of two projects from Arlo Hotel Group, which is slated to open another location in the Hudson Square neighborhood.
• Hyatt House Manhattan Chelsea* is a 150-room, extended-stay hotel at 101 W. 28th St. Designed by Nobutaka Ashihara and developed by Real Hospitality Group, it features residential-style suites.
• Alfa Development made a foray into the lodging space with the opening of HGU New York. The 90-key boutique hotel is a restoration of a 1905 building at 34 E. 32nd St. Given landmark status under Alfa, the building is one of the neighborhood’s Beaux Arts gems, originally designed as a residential hotel by architect Frederick C. Browne.
• Fairfield Inn by Marriott Central Park* was developed by a joint venture between McSam Hotel Group and Barone Management. This 226-room, 18-story project at 538 W. 58th St. opened last month. Designed by Gene Kaufman Architect, it is being managed by M&R Hotel Management.
• Luma Hotel* is opening this month. The 130-room property at 120 W. 41st St. was developed by Stanford Hotels.
• DoubleTree by Hilton Times Square West* also is expected to open this month, offering 612 rooms at 346 W. 40th St.
• Whitby Hotel* is scheduled to open by year’s end at 18-20 W. 56th St. The 86-room property is being developed by Firmdale Hotels, the group that is behind the Crosby St. Hotel in SoHo.
Looking to 2017
• The hotel advance continues with some so new they have yet to be named, such as the 287-room, new-construction hotel underway at 310 W. 40th St., slated for a March opening. The 42-story hotel is being developed by Abraham Noy’s 310 Group, LLC, and designed by Nobutaka Ashihara.
• Another is a 108-room boutique project at 44 W. 29th St., under development and set to be managed by Real Hospitality Group.
• SLS Hotel New York is a group effort among hospitality company sbe, Manhattan-based Moinian Development and designer Philippe Starck. The 190-room hotel at 444 Park Ave. South near 30th St. will feature an F&B program created by chef José Andrés.
• The Bryant* is a 230-room hotel that will be part of a mixed-use development at 12-20 W. 40th St. HFZ Capital and Stonehill & Taylor Architects are collaborating on the project, which will feature apartments above the hotel.
• Crowne Plaza New York Hudson Yards is located at 320 W. 36th St. The hotel is slated to open in March with 251 rooms.
• An Embassy Suites Hotel* with 310 rooms is under development by Hidrock Realty at 60 W. 37th St., with the 42-story hotel targeted to open in the spring.
• Another unnamed hotel* with 180 rooms at 245 W. 34th St. also is set to open in the spring. The 17-story hotel is being designed by Gene Kaufman Architect and will be situated above a retail complex along the 34th St. shopping corridor.
• Next April will see the opening of the 63-room, 19-story Carnegie Hotel* at 160 W. 56th St. The Empire Hotel Group is doing the development.
• Developer Sam Chang and McSam Hotel Group, in a joint venture with Barone Management, is adding a 112-room TownePlace Suites by Marriott* on the site of a former parking lot at 326 W. 44th St. M&R Hotel Management will manage the seven-story hotel.
• A 22-story Hilton Garden Inn* with 252 rooms also is being developed on a parking-lot site at 326 W. 37th St. The property is being designed by Gene Kaufman Architect.
NYC’s first Moxy Hotel, via Marriott International and The Lightstone Group, is slated to open in May with 618 rooms at 485 Seventh Ave.
• The first Moxy Hotel in New York City is slated to open next May with 618 rooms at 485 Seventh Ave. at 36th St. Marriott International and The Lightstone Group are partnering on the conversion of an existing building and Magna Hospitality Group will operate the hotel.
• A 164-room, new-build hotel project is underway for a July opening at 16 E. 39th St. and will be managed by M&R Hotel Management.
• Lam Generation is developing a 330-room Renaissance Hotel at 112 W. 25th St. It is projected to open next summer.
• Late next year, the Aloft Hotel New York Midtown is set to open with 180 rooms at 25 W. 38th St. Fortuna Group Realty is in pre-development to convert a historic building in the Garment District to a luxury boutique hotel with a spa, rooftop bar and lounge.
• A new-construction, the 200-room Aloft Hotel Midtown,* is reported to be opening at 44 W. 30th St. in December 2017, with The Lam Group developing the project.
• An unnamed 91-room hotel* is set to open sometime next year at 439 W. 54th St.
• The 452-room Edition Hotel by Marriott* is under development at 701 Seventh Ave. at 47th St. with a projected opening for next year. The 39-story building will be the second hotel for the brand in the city.
• On the West Side, a 399-room Courtyard by Marriott* will debut next year at 461 W. 34th St. at Tenth Ave. Construction is underway by developer David Marx. Marx also has an unnamed 109-room hotel project* under construction at 42-44 W. 29th St.
• An unnamed pod hotel project* with 527 rooms that will be part of a mixed-use development at 400 W. 42nd St. at Ninth Ave. is under construction. The MUD will house 35 condominium apartments above the 14-story pod hotel.
• Fortuna Realty Group is developing a 310-room luxury hotel extension* above a midtown office building at 1150 Sixth Ave., near Rockefeller Center. The hotel, designed by Ismael Leyva, will occupy 38 stories and feature a spa, restaurant, lounge, meeting rooms and rooftop area. Opening is slated for late 2017/early 2018.
• Paul Kanavos is developing a 40-story, 146-room hotel* at 1185 Broadway at 28th St. The new property, expected to open in late 2017/early 2018, is being designed by Rafael Viñoly.
Jump to 2018
• The Dream Hotel Times Square* will bring on 238 rooms in a 29-story building at 560 Seventh Ave. at 40th St. and incorporate a street-level retail center. Development is by SoHo Properties and Dream Hotel Group; Stonehill & Taylor is the designer.
• New York Masterpiece, an Oetker Collection hotel, is set to open in Spring 2018 at 550 Madison Ave. with 170 rooms, including 60 suites, in the Philip Johnson SONY Building at 55th St. The hotel will include a bar, restaurant and spa.
• The first Virgin Hotel* in New York City is being developed by The Lam Group at 1225-27 Broadway between W. 29th and 30th Sts. When open in 2018, the hotel will feature 463 rooms in a 38-story glass tower with retail, restaurants and a banquet room.
• Construction has begun on a campused property developed for Marriott select-service brands Fairfield Inn & Suites/SpringHill Suites,* and will offer 286 rooms and 280 rooms, respectively, at 338 W. 36th St.
• It has a name—The Pestana Hotel*—but the room count is yet to be determined as is an opening date for this project at 338 W. 39th St. Under development as a joint venture between McSam Hotel Group and Barone Management, it will be the first hotel in the city from Portugal’s Pestana Hotel Group.
• Nearby, Quadrum Global is partnering with Sam Chang to develop a 500-room hotel at 351-353 W. 38th St. On the same street at number 333, a 21-story Gene Kaufman Architect-designed project with 79 rooms is slated to open.
• A few blocks over, Chetrit Group is planning a 300-room hotel* at 255 W. 34th St. between Penn Station and the Hudson Yards.
And for 2019…
• The Hard Rock Hotel New York* is slated to open with 445 rooms at 151-159 W. 48th St.
• According to NYC & Company, Thor Equities is seeking permits for a hotel/condominium tower* at 516-520 Fifth Ave. at 43rd St. on Fifth Ave. that is expected to have a 208-room hotel and retail within the first 24 stories, with the condos above.
• Also in 2019, the Aloft Hotel Hudson Yards* is set to open with 438 rooms at 450 Eleventh Ave. at 37th St. The 18-story hotel will be sited across from the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
• And finally—for the moment—an unnamed hotel and condominium project* with an unknown number of rooms is being developed by Sherwood Equities at 360 Tenth Ave. at 30th St. The vision is a spur of the High Line that runs over Tenth Ave. will connect to the second floor of the 240,000-sq.-ft. hotel/condo being developed. HB
