St. Regis launches ‘E-Butler’ application for guests

by Melanie Nayer on

Need a last-minute wake-up call or tickets to a sold-out Broadway show? No problem, if you’re staying at the St. Regis New York. The luxury hotel recently launched the St. Regis New York “E-Butler,” a PDA application that allows guests to interact with the hotel’s butlers and concierge via their iPhone or iPad.

This application will offer guests the ability to “chat” directly with The St. Regis E-Butler in real-time via their iPhone or iPad, before and during their stay. The hotel also included the help of New York personalities including André Leon Talley, Jason Wu, Alexis Bittar, Alain Ducasse, Doug Blonsky, President of the Central Park Conservancy, Danny Meyer, David Rockwell, Dale DeGroff, Harold Koda, Michel Musto, Peter Som and Preston Bailey to share their favorite shops, restaurants and city landmarks.

Once guests have made their reservation at The St. Regis New York, they will receive an email confirmation, including a link to download the St. Regis New York E-Butler application directly to their iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Andriod or other smartphone. Guests will also be able to download The St. Regis E-Butler application via iTunes. The St. Regis New York E-Butler will allow guests to speak directly with their butler prior to and during their stay.

The best part? The E-Butler is a complimentary service offered to all guests in residence at The St. Regis New York. The St. Regis does have plans to launch a version of this E-Butler to the general public, which will include a number of features such as the Insider’s Guide to New York and the seasonal calendar of events.

Setai Fifth Avenue opens in Midtown Manhattan

by Melanie Nayer on

Add another luxury hotel to the New York scene. In addition to everything that Fifth Avenue has to offer, The Setai Fifth Avenue, managed by Capella Hotels and Resorts, finally opened its doors this week.

Located in the heart of midtown Manhattan at 400 Fifth Avenue, between 36th and 37th Streets, The Setai Fifth Avenue features 157 guest rooms, 57 suites and three penthouse suites. The building also includes a collection of condominium residences on the tower’s top floors.

The new hotel claims to have some of the most spacious rooms in Manhattan (the majority at 700 square feet or larger), in addition to a new restaurant from acclaimed chef Michael White, Ai Fiori; a Julien Farel Salon; an Auriga spa; and a new fixture at street level, the Bar on Fifth. A state-of-the-art fitness center, endless meeting space and around-the-clock services are available to guests.

While we haven’t had the pleasure of seeing the rooms first hand, we know they are decorated with Duxiana beds, Pratesi linens, and custom-built desks. Baths are clad in stone and walnut veneer, with deep-soaking tubs by Zuma, rain showers, and televisions inset into the bathroom mirrors.

The ‘to-die-for’ element? The Auriga spa, which takes over the entire fourth floor and spans more than 11,500 square feet. The spa features eleven private treatment rooms, wet rooms, experiential showers, a vitality pool, sauna, steam room, and hammam.

The price for decadence? We did a quick check of room rates for this coming weekend and found a “Superior Room” for $595 a night; a “Premier Room” for $895 a night; and “Studio Suites” starting at $995 a night.

W New York Downtown opens on Wall Street

by Melanie Nayer on

Downtown New York has been slowly building up its reputation for years, but 2010 seems to be the year of openings. In June we showed you the exclusive images of the first hotel to be open in the Wall Street area with views of Ground Zero, and now more planned hotels are finally opening their doors to travelers in an effort to help rebuild the downtown New York area.

The W New York Downtown – the newest W Hotel in Starwood’s collection – finally opened the doors to the Downtown and The Residences at W New York, offering another hotel options for business travelers and leisure guests looking for a place to stay in the downtown Manhattan area. The hotel is located in New York City’s Financial District on the corner of Washington and Albany Streets.

The 58-floor, 217 guest room and 223 W-branded residences is placed perfectly to give guests city views of the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Hudson River and Battery Park. The hotel will offer the Living Room Bar & Terrace on the fifth floor with floor-to-ceiling window views of New York City, featuring specialty cocktails from resident mixologist Charlotte Voisey and light bites provided by BLT Bar & Grill, the hotel’s signature restaurant. The second floor dining room features a larger menu of fresh salads, grilled meats, market-driven pastas, pizzas, sandwiches and the signature sides and desserts.

The W New York Downtown will offer the same guest amenities typical in W hotels – W signature feather-top mattresses, 350 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets, goose down comforters and pillows, state-of-the-art in-room entertainment and a fully stocked Munchie Box (the W brand’s take on the hotel mini bar).

Starwood to open seven hotels in NYC this year

by Melanie Nayer on

New York City is getting a few new addresses.

Starwood Hotels and Resorts announced its plans to open seven more hotels in New York City, upping the hotel’s portfolio by 50 percent in the Big Apple. Starwood currently operates 12 hotels in New York City across six of its nine brands, and expects to have 18 properties open in the city by year’s end, including the local debut of the Aloft and Element brands.

From Starwood:

“While nearly 80% of our future hotel pipeline is outside of the United States, we have more hotels in New York City than any city in the world and we will open more hotels right here in our backyard than anywhere else, which speaks to New York’s enduring stature as the most global gateway city in the world,” says Starwood CEO Frits van Paasschen.

Coming soon: Aloft hotels in Harlem and Brooklyn and Starwood’s first Element hotel in Times Square.

In addition to the new brands, Starwood’s Sheraton hotels is making a splash in the big city. Of the seven hotels opening, Sheraton will debut two New York hotels including the Sheraton Brooklyn New York Hotel the Sheraton Tribeca New York Hotel. Starwood’s most popular brand, the W, continues to operate four hotels in NYC including its landmark W New York and W New York-Times Square.