With the holiday season coming up, these new bars, lounges, nightclubs, restaurants, private rooms, raw spaces, and more—even a yacht—in and around New York can accommodate corporate groups small and large for company holiday parties of every type.
1. The EMM Group's new meatpacking district restaurant Catch, which sits opposite the Hotel Gansevoort on Ninth Avenue and serves a seafood-focused menu from Top Chef winner Hung Huynh, is topped with a glass-enclosed space that measures 1,600 square feet and has the capacity for about 200 guests. Private groups can also book other areas, including the third floor—which can be broken up into a a series of private sections—and the semiprivate chef's table with room for as many as 30 people.
2. Billed as the first hydrogen hybrid yacht, the eco-friendly Hornblower Hybrid is a 600-passenger vessel powered by hydrogen fuel cells, solar panels, and wind turbines and outfitted with recycled materials and LED lighting. The yacht is designed for meetings and events. In addition to a vessel-wide sound system, it offers Wi-Fi access, touchscreen tablets, and packages with locally sourced dishes.
3. Sustainable fare is the focus of Flatiron eatery Greensquare Tavern, a spot smaller groups can use for outings. Chef John Marsh is behind the farm-to-table cuisine served at the restaurant, which has a cozy back dining room furnished with a working fireplace, a skylight, and brick and tile work. This section has the capacity for as many as 45 seated or 50 for receptions. The entire restaurant is available for buyouts and has room for 80 seated or 150 for receptions.
4. Although the space has yet to officially open, the Liberty Theater is currently available for private event rentals. Booked through William Curran of Curran Affair Events, the former theatrical performance site has a wealth of space as well as architectural details from its original 1904 construction, including high ceilings, curved moldings, and theater boxes. The 24,000-square-foot venue was renovated to make it more suitable for receptions and seated functions. Amenities include a full kitchen, custom sound system, LED lighting, motorized rigging points, and large projectors and screens. The entire space has the capacity for as many as 1,500 people for receptions or 600 seated.
5. Those looking for a historic space can also take over one of the floors inside the Empire State Building. Earlier this year, the historic Midtown landmark began offering corporate event rental of some areas, including the 80th floor, which has mosaic tiling, Art Deco-inspired design elements, and the capacity for 150-person receptions. A more blank slate-style space for 300 is also available. Planners using the Empire State Building can arrange access the 86th-floor Observatory.
6. Oenophiles can head to Corkbuzz Wine Studio, master sommelier Laura Maniec's wine-focused venue scheduled to open in Union Square later this month. The 2,500-square-foot facility, which will house areas for classes and tastings as well as events, includes private rooms and a 65-seat bar. Sommeliers, glassware, and audiovisual equipment is available for private functions.
7. Double Seven, the meatpacking district nightclub from David Rabin, Jeffrey Jah, Will Regan, and Mark Baker that closed in 2007, reopened in September in a new location on Gansevoort Street. Designed and furnished much like its predecessor, the new Double Seven is slightly larger with the capacity for 163 people. The nightclub offers a cocktail menu created by Sasha Petraske as well as a selection of small bites.
8. Inside the former Church of the Holy Communion is CrossBar, a casual 99-seat restaurant and lounge from chef Todd English. The spot, which is furnished with wooden pew seating, wrought-iron lighting fixtures, and a cross-shaped table, serves English's interpretation of classic American fare alongside an extensive list of bourbons, Scotch, and whiskey. On the second floor is a 20-seat private dining room that comes equipped with two high-definition flat-screen televisions.
9. The same company that operates raw spaces in SoHo and Midtown West now handles corporate events at the west Chelsea space home to Punchdrunk's Sleep No More. Planners can bring groups to Skylight at the McKittrick Hotel, taking over the 100,000-square-foot site for a private viewing of the production or an outing in one of the venue's prop-filled areas.
10. Tucked beneath the Chelsea Market is the Tippler, a new 3,000-square-foot bar from Tad Carducci and Paul Tanguay of the Tippling Brothers. The site, which was formerly used as the building's storage space, is now furnished with reclaimed wood from water towers, old support beams repurposed as highboys, auto parts recycled as lighting fixtures, and vintage Frigidaire appliances used a coolers.
