10/3/2014 Tony Hotels and Restaurants Spice Up NoMad - WSJ http://online.wsj.com/articles/tony-hotels-and-restaurants-spice-up-nomad-1412302126 1/4 Live Help WSJ WSJ LIVE MARKETWATCH BARRON'S MEMBERSHIP DJX MORE NEW YORK New Jersey Nun to Be Beatified 1 of 10 NYC Won’t Aid Feds’ Pursuit of Immigran... 2 of 10 'Alternate Universe' Materializes at Li... 3 of 10 End of School Cell Phone Ban Would be B... 4 of 10 NY REAL ESTATE RESIDENTIAL Tony Hotels and Restaurants Spice Up NoMad New High-End Hotels Are Opening in Once-Bland Office District Oct. 2, 2014 10:08 p.m. ET The advent of luxury apartments and the influx of a younger workforce around Park Avenue South and the 30s have sparked interest from hoteliers and restaurateurs to take a look at this once rather bland office district as the next area for expansion. Several highend hotels, most with posh amenities and design, are sprouting in the northeastern corner of NoMad, while some older hotels are undertaking $20 million plus renovations to keep up with the competition. One of the splashier newcomers is the SLS Park Avenue, slated to open in late 2015. Early plans for the 190room hotel include a large restaurant, an indoor and outdoor lounge on the 14th floor, as well as a lounge in the basement. “We thought building our flagship hotel brand here was an opportunity to bring this part of Park Avenue to life,” said Sam Bakhshandehpour, president of sbe, owner and operator of SLS hotels. “We’d like to be a destination.” Mr. Bakhshandehpour said the hotel would be similar to the SLS Beverly Hills, which is known for its highenergy bar and rooftop pool scene. The bar at Roof at Park South Hotel. Andrew Lamberson for The Wall Street Journal View Graphics What's This? Popular Now ARTICLES St. Louis to America: Don’t Be Jealous 1 Dallas Man Tells of U.S. Ebola Patient’s Decline 2 Undercurrent in Hong Kong Protests: Christianity vs. Communism 3 TOP STORIES IN NEW YORK By KAYA LATERMAN Email Print 0 Comments KAYA's Journal c r News, Quotes, Companies, Videos SEARCH
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10/3/2014 Tony Hotels and Restaurants Spice Up NoMad - WSJ
WSJ WSJ LIVE MARKETWATCH BARRON'S MEMBERSHIP DJX MORE
NEW YORK
New Jersey Nun toBe Beatified
1 of 10
NYC Won’t AidFeds’ Pursuit ofImmigran...
2 of 10
'Alternate Universe'Materializes at Li...
3 of 10
End of School CellPhone Ban Wouldbe B...
4 of 10
NY REAL ESTATE RESIDENTIAL
Tony Hotels and Restaurants Spice Up NoMadNew High-End Hotels Are Opening in Once-Bland Office District
Oct. 2, 2014 10:08 p.m. ET
The advent of luxury apartments and the influx of a younger workforce around ParkAvenue South and the 30s have sparked interest from hoteliers and restaurateurs totake a look at this once rather bland office district as the next area for expansion.
Several highend hotels, most with posh amenities and design, are sprouting in thenortheastern corner of NoMad, while some older hotels are undertaking $20 millionplus renovations to keep up with the competition.
One of the splashier newcomers is theSLS Park Avenue, slated to open in late2015. Early plans for the 190room hotelinclude a large restaurant, an indoor andoutdoor lounge on the 14th floor, as well
as a lounge in the basement.
“We thought building our flagship hotel brand here was an opportunity to bring this partof Park Avenue to life,” said Sam Bakhshandehpour, president of sbe, owner andoperator of SLS hotels. “We’d like to be a destination.”
Mr. Bakhshandehpour said the hotel would be similar to the SLS Beverly Hills, whichis known for its highenergy bar and rooftop pool scene.
The bar at Roof at Park South Hotel. Andrew Lamberson for The Wall Street Journal
View Graphics
What's This?Popular Now
ARTICLESSt. Louis toAmerica: Don’t BeJealous
1
Dallas Man Tells ofU.S. Ebola Patient’sDecline
2
Undercurrent in Hong Kong Protests:Christianity vs. Communism3
To be sure, there are many hotels that dot the area, including those in Rose Hill andKips Bay, but many of them are middlemarket establishments. Besides the celebratedAce Hotel New York and the NoMad Hotel farther to the west, there only are a handfulof boutique or luxury hotels in this area, including the Gansevoort Park Avenue at 29thStreet and the Roger hotel on Madison Avenue and 31st Street.
“We noticed all these plans for luxury residential buildings going up in theneighborhood about four years ago, which indicated to me that the neighborhood wasready to welcome additional fourstar hotels and amenities,” said Tom Glassie,managing director of Atlantic Stars Hotels & Cruises, owner of the Park South Hotel on28th Street.
Mr. Glassie said the hotel’s $20 million renovation project, which is expected to finishnext summer, includes modernizing the rooms, gutting the lobby area and adding anadditional entrance.
The hotel also lured noted Boston restaurateurs Tim and Nancy Cushman to curate itsfoodandbeverage operation, which includes the newly opened rooftop bar.
“I wanted our guests to say that not onlywere their rooms great, but they hadgreat drinks and food as well,” Mr.Glassie said.
Also undergoing a $25 million renovationis the Martha Washington, a historicbuilding that was designated as alandmark by the city’s LandmarksPreservation Commission.
The hotel originally opened in 1903 foronly female guests and once served asthe headquarters of the InterurbanWomen’s Suffrage Council. The hotel
had many notable residents, including actress Veronica Lake and poet Sara Teasdale.
The hotel, which still houses about 50 permanent residents, has updated all the roomsand continues to reconfigure the lobby area, which includes moving the main entrancefrom 30th Street to 29th Street.
It is also now home to Marta, a new Italian restaurant that is part of restaurateurDanny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group.
“I wanted the hotel to be more upscale, in line with the other fullscale hotels that arecoming to the area,” said Ed Scheetz, CEO of Chelsea Hotels, owner of the Martha
Marta chef Joe Tarasco. Andrew Lamberson for The Wall Street Journal
Mr. Scheetz, who is also planning toopen two additional, but smallerrestaurants on the northern side of thehotel, said he wanted Marta to beattractive to local residents and officeworkers first.
“Visitors want to eat where the locals go,so that’s the (dining) experience we wentwith,” he said of Marta, which has been
packed since opening last month.
Other newcomers will include theMarmara Park Avenue on 32nd Streetand the tommie 31st Street hotel,between Fifth and Madison avenues.
The Marmara, expected to open in midDecember, is looking to catch the eye oflongterm visitors and will offer manylarge suites with kitchens that feel like ahome away from home, said generalmanager Nur ErcanMagden. The hotelplaced major emphasis on design andmany items were handmade by localartisans.
“I think the neighborhood can certainlyuse more hotels since demand isincreasing,” said Ms. ErcanMagden. “Weexpect interest from both corporate andleisure travelers, even families withnannies.”
Commune Hotels & Resorts startedconstruction recently on a new brand called tommie and looks to open in about twoyears.
The 40story hotel will have a selfcheckin system, cocktail lounge with an outdoorterrace, as well as a rooftop bar.
A rendering of the main lobby at Marmara ParkAvenue. Marmara Park Avenue
Enlarge Image
Sommelier Natalie Fackelmayer at Marta in theMartha Washington. Andrew Lamberson for The WallStreet Journal
