NYC Hotel introduces guests to life on Lexington Ave.

by Melanie Nayer on

If living the life of a Park Avenue socialite intrigues you, one New York hotel is willing to feed your curious mind. The Renaissance New York Hotel 57 recently renovated its suites to look like a typical Manhattan luxury home, and the results would make even a Hilton sister proud.

The Renaissance New York Hotel 57, a Marriott boutique hotel, redesigned its carriage house suites to resemble the “ambiance of a private New York City residence.” Make no mistake: you won’t find shower curtains separating a 300-square-foot room into two bedrooms, or a kitchen table that pulls out from the wall. These newly designed “carriage houses” are meant to give guests a glimpse of what living on Lexington Avenue must be like.

The carriage house suites are located on floors 4 and 5 of the hotel, with hardwood floors throughout, wooden shutters for plenty of natural light, plush bedding and marble-tiled bath and walk-in shower. The ‘homes’ look out on the southwest corner of East 57th Street and Lexington Avenue.

Located near some of New York’s best art galleries, you can walk out of your “house”, grab your cup of coffee and mosey your way into the latest exhibit on the East Side.
A far cry from today’s speckled NYC apartments, but a beautiful glimpse of what living the high life must be like in Manhattan.

Valentine’s Day at The Pierre

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Nothing beats Valentine’s Day in Manhattan. You have an endless supply of amazing restaurants at your fingertips, Broadway is never far and at night, the city takes on new vibrancy. To anchor your Valentine’s Day experience, the hotel must be nothing short of perfect. So, kick around a stay at The Pierre this time around. Located on the southeast corner of Central Park, this year’s package for the most romantic day of the year includes two nights in a suite, dinner for two at Le Caprice, a surprise confection from the pastry chef to be enjoyed in your room, a bottle of champagne and breakfast in bed. And, you can enjoy it for only $1,100 a night with a two-night minimum.

So, start planning your stay now. Maybe get a ride through the park on one of the horse-drawn carriages that line up along Central Park South, or catch a show only a short cab drive away.

Take a stroll down Lover’s Lane at the Strand

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Warning: if you surprise your lover with a trip to the Strand this Valentine’s Day, you’ll have a hell of a time coming up with a gift next year.

Manhattan‘s newest midtown hotel, the Strand is offering a fantastic deal for the romantically inclined. Stay any weekend in February, and you can take advantage of the “Lover’s Lane at the Strand” package. For $498, you’ll get two nights in a deluxe room with overlooking the Empire State Building, a daily European continental breakfast, a dinner at the Black Duck Bistro (by candlelight, of course) and limo travel to and from the airport. As if it couldn’t get any better, you’ll also enjoy champagne and truffles at the hotel’s rooftop bar, Top of the Strand. The retractable room will protect you from the elements.

The Strand has only 177 guestrooms and junior suites, so you won’t need to worry about running into too many other guests, and two-storey waterfall is sure to grab your attention.

Some business travelers benefit from the recession

by Tom Johansmeyer on

A growing number of business travelers is trading the appellation “road warrior” for “day tripper.” Tighter corporate travel budgets are prompting these frequent fliers to complete their roundtrips in one day, rather than assume the expenses of a hotel stay and meals while on the road. Also, it comes with the perk of not being able to entertain, which cuts travel expenses further. These jaunts tend to involve flights of no more than three hours, even though some people are going coast-to-coast and back without bothering to check in to a hotel.

For some, it isn’t just a case of budgetary discipline, though that factor will never disappear in a recessionary environment. Business travelers are also drawn to the notion of being able to get home at night. Even a late-night arrival means plopping your head on your own pillow and having breakfast with the family.

Of course, these one-day runs are grueling. Even for a two-hour flight, you have to get to the airport an hour early, and unless you live right next to the airport, you’re probably looking at another hour to get there. So, to catch a 6 AM flight, you’re leaving the house at 4 AM (with a wakeup of around 3:30 AM at best), and you’re not touching the ground at your destination until 8 AM … assuming there are no delays. Depending on traffic and distance, you get to the office at 9 AM and work the entire day. To catch a 7 PM flight, you leave the office at 5 PM to get there an hour early. After two hours in the air (again, assuming nothing goes wrong), you’ll probably get home by 10 PM. That’s an 18-hour day; it’s tough.While the actual cost savings is being questioned, in my experience, it’s substantial. In 2003 and 2004, I made frequent runs from Boston to New York. With the rate my company had with the Delta Shuttle, coming home at night was a no-brainer. On longer trips, the savings may not be as substantial — as you have a higher fare and likely a less expensive hotel than you’ll find in Manhattan — but you’re still looking at more than $200 a night, assuming a $150 room and meal expenses.

The cost savings, however, may come at the expense of your health. Some experts see this sort of aggressive travel as rough on your body … and I can tell you it’s a bit rough on the spirit, too. But, if you have enough time between one-day runs, it isn’t so bad at all.

And, don’t worry: even though you lose the hotel points, you’ll still pick up the miles.

Gadlinks for 1.6.2010

by Katie Hammel on

Looking for more nuggets to satisfy your hunger for travel news and information? Check out some of these links from around the internets.

  • National Geographic’s Intelligent Travel Blog team found this one, but I had to pass it on. Check out Fun with TSA for a list of “travel safe activities” that you can still do on a plane, even in that last hour of flight. Some in-flight college courses anyone? [via Intelligent Travel]

More Gadlinks here.