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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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?

The 2010 legislation that forbids some properties from being listed on sites like Airbnb–whole apartments without the original tenant present, for example–was just given more firepower. WSJ reports that both houses of the New York City legislature just passed a bill stating that advertisers of those illegal short term rentals could be smacked with fines of up to $7,500. According to Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, a Manhattan Democrat who sponsored the bill with Staten Island Sen. Andrew Lanza, “This bill will clarify that if you engage in such renting, there will be stiff penalties.”

Who’s for it, who’s against it

As the city’s war against Airbnb rages on, hotels and bed and breakfasts across the city continue to see their guest numbers drop. But the decrease isn’t necessarily due to the lower costs of Airbnb rentals (although we certainly wouldn’t discount it) but the fact that visitors to our fair city are looking for an authentic New York experience. DNA Info reports that new hotels across the city are looking to recreate the “real experience” of staying in New York by channelling a “more urban” atmosphere with cool perks—bars amongst them—that lure local residents within their towering walls to hang with their guests.

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A 22-story limited-service hotel is gearing up to rise in Midtown at 4-6 West 37th Street. According to new building permits filed this past weekend, a 120-key 60,000 square-foot development will go up at the 4,200 square-foot lot situated between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.

Two charming six-story buildings, erected in 1920, will be be demolished for the 210-foot tall project designed by notable hotel designer Nobutaka Ashihara Architects. The firm recently opened the city’s tallest hotel, the Marriott Residence Inn New York Manhattan/Central Park at 1717 Broadway.

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• A Floating Hotel in Rockaway: Take a snooze on the Truck-A-Float, a platform of four floating sleeping pods made from old car parts in Queens. Check out the details on how to book a stay on Cool Hunting.
• An Entire 3D-Printed Estate: Proving that the possibilities of 3D printing are endless, Inhabitat reports that one architect plans to 3D-print an estate with a pool and 2,400-sq-ft home in Gardiner, New York.
• Shelving Unit That Hides Your Stuff and Displays Your Favorite Books: Show off your favorite books in a creative way without completely ripping them apart! Aust & Amelung’s ingenious Book Box uses your books’ covers to hide away your junk. Check out more photos on FastCo.Design.
• The Brooklyn Children’s Museum Gets A Cool New Rooftop Pavilion: Brownstoner featured renderings of the museum’s new rooftop structure that’s made of “high-tech material that is lighter and more durable than glass and is non-stick so dirt falls off on its own.”

Images: Truck-A-Float Hotel courtesy of ComboColab via Cool Hunting (left); Book Box courtesy of Aust & Amelung via FastCo.Design