Technological advances are often crucial for event planners to have a marketing edge. Here are new and recently renovated New York venues that have stayed on top of upgrades and improved offerings for tech-savvy guests. The hotels, conference centers, restaurants, private rooms, and other spaces can accommodate groups large or small for private and corporate events, conferences, meetings, weddings, business dinners, teambuilding activities, cocktail parties, and more.
Sony Square NYC, a showplace for the latest in Sony entertainment and technology, opened in August at Sony Corporation of America's headquarters in Midtown's NoMad neighborhood. The 2,500-square-foot space, which holds 150 for receptions, is available for private events, although events not affiliated with Sony will be chosen selectively. The venue serves as a showcase for new products and ideas from the electronics company including a PlayStation allows visitors to check out the latest games, experience virtual reality with PlayStation VR, and try out PlayStation Vue, Sony Interactive Entertainment's nationwide cloud-based TV service. Sony's LifeSpace UX products at the venue include Glass Sound Speaker, LED Bulb Speaker, and Portable Ultra Short Throw Projector.
In October, the iPic movie chain opened its first New York location in Downtown Manhattan's South Street Seaport neighborhood. The 42,766-square-foot iPic Fulton Market has eight screening rooms that can seat a total of 500 people. The venue, which offers restaurant-style cuisine and waiter service in each screening room, can hold about 840 for receptions. The theater has NEC Digital projectors, Strong/MDI screens, and a bar called the Tuck Room. Each room has custom seating pods with sound-absorbing technology to ensure guests experience the full effect of iPic’s 7.1 channel Dolby digital sound as well as built-in cubbyholes for guests to stash shoes and bags. Guests can opt for premium levels of service that offer perks such as courtesy pillows, blankets, and unlimited popcorn, as well as push-button access to a “dining in the dark” menu by chief restaurant officer Sherry Yard, along with libations from master bartender/advanced sommelier Adam Seger.
Expected to open in November in Manhattan's Union Square, the 3,500-square-foot Project Farmhouse from Grow NYC will be a combination of a test kitchen, a conference room, and a vertical grow wall with moving trays. The venue, which is in the space formerly occupied by the nightclub Spa, can hold 240 for receptions, and will host events and classes on sustainability and nutrition, as well as other events for nonprofits. Designed by architecture firm ORE Design, the space implements cutting-edge technology through its kinetic hydroponic growing wall that rotates, requiring less water and light using LED technology. The high ceiling will be flanked with an acoustical baffle design reflecting a timber farm feel while disguising the mechanics of the space. The acoustical tiles are made from recycled water bottles. The counter tops in the teaching kitchen are made of re-engineered lava from an active volcano in Italy. Wood features throughout the space are built from repurposed woods from a demolished building in Manhattan, as well as tropical hardwood rescued after 40 years of being submerged in a man-made lake in Panama.
Kimpton Ink48 Hotel, a 222-room property in Hell's Kitchen, is wrapping up an extensive renovation. Upgrades to guest rooms (including adding USB ports and outlets) were completed in August, while the hotel's lobby modern industrial redesign will be completed by the end of November. The hotel offers an on-site Tech Butler to assist guests with tech-related queries, such as locating the closest Apple store, the nearest shop to fix a broken phone, or the best retailer to find the hottest gadget. The hotel also launched a new technology version of Kimpton’s signature “Forgot It? We’ve Got It!” amenities program, which loans items to guests during their stay such as charging power packs, Bluetooth speakers, a Mifi, chargers for computers and mobile devices, USB remote for PowerPoint presentations, and a wireless mouse. The hotel has 6,000 square feet of meeting space, including four meeting rooms. The 2,000-square-foot Halo room is the largest and holds 100 for receptions or seats 90 for banquets. The Heaven Over Hell Penthouse Suite, a 1,100-square-foot space, is available for meetings and events. The suite can hold 60 for receptions or seat 40 theater-style.
Meet on Bowery, a modern twist on a small conference center, is the second downtown location from owners Sara and Marc Schiller, who opened Meet on Chrystie in 2015. Open since July, Meet on Bowery has three rooms: a 2,500-square-foot penthouse loft that can seat 36 guests in theater- or classroom-style or accommodate 74 for receptions, a glass-enclosed breakout room/meditation lounge that seats 10, and a 1,500-square-foot adjoining roof garden with seating capacity for 16 people. In addition to having high-speed Wi-Fi, Meet on Bowery has a 65-inch plasma screen TV on a cart with HDMI input in the main meeting space, a 55-inch plasma screen TV on a swinging wall mount with HDMI input in the meditation lounge, iPod hook-up for music and built-in sound, an integrated sound system, a Polycom conference phone, and VGA inputs.
Alamo Drafthouse Downtown Brooklyn, which opened in October, is the first New York City location for the dine-in movie theater chain, which shows new and retro releases, and has waiter service for each screening room. Located inside the City Point shopping and dining complex, the venue has seven theaters that can seat a total of 796 people. All theater screening rooms have Sony 4K Digital capabilities, while two theaters are equipped for RealD 3-D, and one theater can show 35mm films. The venue has additional event spaces beyond the theaters. House of Wax is a 2,079-square-foot restaurant, bar, and museum that has more than 140 items, such as waxwork sculptures, life-size displays of human oddities, animal attractions, and death masks of famous figures such as Napoleon. House of Wax—inspired by the 1953 horror film of the same name, as well as Alamo Drafthouse's vinyl record labels Mondo and Death Waltz Records—has seating capacity for 92 or standing capacity for 177. The venue also has a patio that can hold 74 for receptions.
In October, the team behind GoldBar, Sweetwater Social, and Mr. Jones opened Sons & Daughters of NYC, an American restaurant/bar in Chelsea. Executive chef Jon Bignelli oversees the menu at the 1,800-square-foot venue, which seats 75 inside and 22 outside. For receptions, the restaurant holds 140 guests inside and 50 outside. The venue comes equipped with five smart 4K LED TVs with streaming capabilities.Â
Courtyard New York Downtown Manhattan/World Trade Center Area, which is expected to open in November, is located near the National September 11 Memorial & Museum and One World Observatory. The 317-room hotel has a 320-square-foot meeting room that seats 10 people. Mobile check-in and check-out are available on the Marriott app, which can alert guests when their rooms are ready for check-in. The app also allows guests to make special requests and chat directly with the hotel's staff.
In August, InterContinental Hotels Group's Even Hotels opened its fourth hotel and second New York location in Brooklyn's Boerum Hill neighborhood. The 202-room Even Hotels Brooklyn is adjacent to sister property Holiday Inn Brooklyn Downtown, which opened in June. The hotel has 1,308 square feet of event space, including a boardroom that can seat eight people. The Flex Room can seat 36 theater-style, while a courtyard can hold 40 for receptions. The one-site eatery Cork & Kale Market & Bar can accommodate receptions for 72 people. With an emphasis on health and wellness, Even Hotels has an in-room fitness zone with 25 fitness channels, with an additional two created exclusively for the Brooklyn property by celebrity trainer David Kirsch. Guest rooms have color LED mood lighting and a selection of white noise. The hotel also allows members of its loyalty program to check in using a mobile app and select preferences for their stay. But the end of 2016, the app is expected to add a virtual assistant that will handle general inquiries. Beyond the physical property, the hotel brand sponsors the wellness travel website wellwellwell.com, which offers content such as articles and tips on how to exercise, eat, rest, and find the best local places while traveling.
Arlo NoMad, from developer/investment firm Quadrum Global, is a 350-key hotel that is set to open in November in Midtown Manhattan’s NoMad neighborhood. On the first floor the Massoni restaurant seats 70 or holds 100 for receptions, while the Massoni bar adds another 50 for receptions. On the second floor are a 538-square-foot bar which seats 25 or holds 60 standing guests, as well as an event studio and a terrace, which each offer seating for 40 or hold 100 for receptions. An 1,530-square outdoor rooftop can seat 40 or hold 100 for receptions. The property will offer a mobile app that includes tools such as a mobile key to unlock guest rooms and features to check in, check out, and make room reservations.
