Here's a look at the most anticipated New York restaurants, hotels, party rooms, corporate event venues, conference centers, and private rooms to open this year. These new and renovated New York venues can accommodate groups large or small for private and corporate events, meetings, business dinners, cocktail parties, conferences, weddings, and more.
1. The National September 11 Museum is scheduled to open in the spring. Designed by Davis Brody Bond, the museum will have 110,000 square feet of exhibition space including and auditorium for lectures, film screenings, panel discussions, performances, and other events.
2. SBE is set to open its first New York property, the 190-room SLS Hotel New York, in the first quarter of the year. In partnership with Moinian Development and designer Philippe Starck, the Park Avenue hotel should instantly become a popular venue choice with its signature restaurant, nightlife, and rooftop concepts.
3. Loews Regency Hotel is reopening following a yearlong $100 million renovation. The redesign covered the hotel's 379 rooms and as well as four private meeting spaces. The hotel also opened a new restaurant, the Regency Bar & Grill, and will debut the new Julien Farel Restore Salon & Spa flagship in March.
4. The famed Rainbow Room is slated to reopen this fall atop 30 Rockefeller Plaza. A restoration of the historic landmark by Gabellini Sheppard Architects will include the main event space and restaurant, plus a new cocktail lounge, SixtyFive, which will connect to a new terrace. The 65th-floor venue will offer Manhattan skyline views. Las Vegas restauranteur Elizabeth Blau's Blau & Associates is overseeing the reopening.
5. Located on the lower Manhattan waterfront, Pier A Harbor House is set to open in May. The 28,000-square-foot venue will include food and beverage outlets as well as space dedicated to special events. With panoramic views of the Hudson River, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the financial district skyline, the third floor is a dedicated event space that will accommodate 170 people. The pier will have a promenade that can be tented for outdoor events. Its second floor will house a fine-dining restaurant with a balcony, while its first floor will have a more casual dining and bar scene, along with a visitor's center.
6. Baccarat Hotel & Residences, which includes a 114-room luxury hotel, is expected to open this year across from the Museum of Modern Art. The 50-story glass tower will include a grand salon, a "crystal bar" pavilion surrounded by a terrace, a Baccarat spa, and a French restaurant.
7. Chef David Bouley's latest venture is Bouley Botanical, a performance kitchen designed for private events. The light-filled space features more than 400 edible species of plants growing in vertical window gardens, and events include seasonal floral arrangements. To customize the TriBeCa space, planners have access to color LED lighting, a media wall, and sound and video equipment. The space accommodates 65 people for a seated dinner or 100 for a standing reception.
8. A $250 million renovation of Brookfield Place—office space with extensive retail, dining, and event space—continues with various parts of the project expected to be finished this year. The renovation will update the Winter Garden, a 10-story glass-enclosed hall with views of the Hudson River, Ellis Island, and the Statue of Liberty. The atrium will seat 800 or hold 1,500 for receptions. A 600-person dining terrace is under construction and should open early this year with 14 eateries including Umami Burger and Sprinkles Cupcakes.
9. Chef Bobby Flay closed his flagship Mesa Grill in 2013 but will open a new concept called Gato on Lafayette Street as early as February. While it has a Spanish name, the 147-seat restaurant will have a Mediterranean menu with items such as lamb tenderloin and scallop tartare.
10. The popular Brooklyn ice cream shop Ample Hills Creamery plans to open a 3,600-squar- foot two-story "ice cream paradise" in Gowanus with dedicated event space. The facility will include a retail shop with counter and outdoor seating, a manufacturing facility, and a second floor and adjoining deck available for events. Ample Hills hopes to open the location in May.
