Rendering of the proposed cornice at Hotel Wales by Form4Design Studio and Higgins Quasebarth & Partners, LLC; via LPC

The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday approved plans to retrofit Carnegie Hill’s historic Hotel Wales, which is set to be converted into luxury condominiums. The proposal from Form4 Design Studio and Higgins Quasebarth & Partners retains the hotel’s Beaux-Arts facade, terra cotta elements, and scroll-bracketed balconies, as CityRealty reported. But the biggest alteration planned for the Carnegie Hill Historic District building is the new cornice and rooftop addition, the design of which the LPC on Tuesday said needs to be modified.

Find out more

Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

New York City’s hotels have seen more than an 80 percent drop in occupancy since the coronavirus crisis, but that unfortunate fact has at least opened one positive door. As Mayor de Blasio announced in his press conference yesterday, 20 hotels have signed contracts to be converted to temporary hospitals, which will add roughly 10,000 additional beds. As NY1 reported, on Wednesday, Dr. Mitchell Katz, CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals, said, “We are in disaster mode so that contracts can be quickly signed. When it’s operational, patients who don’t need to be incubated, who are recovering but not well enough to leave the hospital, will be sent to hotels.”

Read more

Rendering by Noë & Associates/The Boundary

Residential condo sales have launched at the newly-imagined Waldorf Astoria, which has been closed for renovations since 2017. The launch, complete with a new website offering a sneak peek inside the iconic building, comes at a time when ultra-luxe apartments have become a tougher sell in a market loaded with competition and unsold units, as The Real Deal reports. The residential portion of the building sits above the renovated hotel, with 375 condos and 50,000 square feet of amenities including private bars, a 25-meter pool and a fitness center.

Get a closer look

Courtesy of the TWA Hotel

Between giving Connie, its vintage airplane cocktail lounge shared billing with “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” in a publicity partnership last December and offering runway ice skating, the TWA Hotel at JFK Airport is doing its best to share its Eero Saarinen-designed mid-century fabulousness with the public rather than keeping it under wraps. A new opening adds yet another reason to visit the cool transportation destination: The hotel’s rooftop bar is being transformed into a “runway chalet” for the rest of the winter season.

Find out more

Photo courtesy of Conrad New York Midtown

A new hotel in Midtown is offering the ultimate New York City holiday experience. Conrad New York Midtown has partnered with iconic toy store FAO Schwarz to bring a 1,800-square-foot one-bedroom suite full of toys, including 10-foot stuffed animals, train sets, and of course, the famous dance-on piano. The playful stay does not come cheap; the holiday suite package starts at $3,000 per night.

How to book

Image courtesy of MCR and Morse Development

It’ll cost you a pretty penny—$340 per person, to be exact—but you can now take a private helicopter to brunch at JFK’s buzzy new TWA Hotel. Helicopter service Blade and the Gerber Group have partnered on the limited-edition offering, which is open for reservations on Sundays only through November 3rd.

More info

Image via Pixabay

After receiving an endorsement from the New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council (HTC) for his long-shot presidential campaign in June, Mayor Bill de Blasio has asked the city’s planning council to look into the process for implementing a city-wide special permit for hotel development, as Crain’s first reported. If adopted, new hotel projects throughout the five boroughs would have to undergo the city’s land-use review process, ULURP—something that the HTC has long advocated for.

More info

Image via CC.

New York City could make hostels legal under a bill, set to be introduced this week in the City Council, that would permit the super-budget accommodations to operate again after a state law made them illegal, the Wall Street Journal reports. The bill would provide hostels with their own separate department and classification under city law. The city’s hostels all but disappeared after a 2010 law covering multiple dwellings took aim at short-term rentals.

Will hostels thrive in the Airbnb era?

Photo credit: Nico Schinco courtesy of Soho House Dumbo House.

The ever-expanding Soho House brand added a Dumbo, Brooklyn “house” to its collection of exclusive, design-savvy members’ club locations in 2018. As Dezeen reports, this summer the hospitality hotspot heats up even more with a new rooftop lounge that features a pop-up taco eatery, Siete. A laid-back retro feel to the decor complements the location’s jaw-dropping river and bridge views with bright tropical hues like those used by celebrated Mexican architect Luis Barragán.

See more of this rooftop haven

Photo by Nikolas Koenig

A slice of New York City luxury moved to the Jersey Shore last week. The Asbury Ocean Club, a 17-story hotel-condo, officially opened its doors on the boardwalk of Asbury Park, an evolving seaside community in Monmouth County. The 54-room hotel occupies the building’s fourth floor, overlooking both the ocean and pool deck. Marketed as just a 70 minute-drive from NYC, the Asbury Ocean Club hopes to attract New Yorkers with its proximity and its prices. During peak season, rooms start at an introductory rate of $425 per night and go up to more than $1,050 per night for a penthouse suite. In the winter, rooms are offered as low as $195 per night, according to the hotel’s website.

See inside