With planning for corporate and office holiday parties under way, these new and recently renovated New York venues provide suitable options for company celebrations. The venues, which include bars, lounges, nightclubs, restaurants, private rooms, rooftop spaces, and hotels, can accommodate small and large groups for Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's Eve, or holiday parties of any type.
Following debuts in Tokyo and Dubai, luxury carmaker Lexus has brought its hybrid restaurant, bar, cafe, and gallery space to New York. Intersect by Lexus — NYC, located in a three-story, 16,500-square-foot space, opened in November in the meatpacking district. The sleek space was designed by interior designer Masamichi Katayama of Wonderwall and nods to the brand through features such as a sweeping two-story art installation that incorporates historic Lexus vehicle parts. The space will have programming such as performances, panels, and other special events. For private events, the restaurant's main dining room seats 50 and has a 12-seat private dining room. The cocktail lounge seats 31 or holds 44 standing. The third-floor private gallery, measuring 1,200 square feet, holds 120 for receptions. The Green Room—designated as the personal office of Akio Toyoda, President of Toyota Motor Corp. and Lexus Master Driver—can serve as a V.I.P. space during events. Union Square Hospitality Group operates the food and beverage outlets, and a rotating chef-in-residence program will keep the cuisine fresh. The space officially opened in November.
A new cultural hub on the East River, Pier 17 is a multi-space venue with expansive space both indoors and on its rooftop. Located in the Seaport District, the venue, from the Howard Hughes Corporation, offers a backdrop of the Brooklyn Bridge and views of other city icons such as the Empire State Building. For the holidays, the venue will open the Rooftop at Pier 17 Winterland on December 14. The seasonal installation, designed by the Rockwell Group, includes an outdoor ice-skating rink, a warming hut, and a restaurant and lounge, R17. Also on the roof is the Skyline Hall, a temperature controlled, clear span tent with Plexiglas walls and amenities such as rigging points and audiovisual capabilities. It seats 400 or holds 1,200 for reception-style events.
For a holiday blowout, Union West in Chelsea offers a spacious blank slate for a planner's creative vision. Overall, the dedicated event venue spans 18,000 square feet and can hold events for as many as 1,000 people. For smaller events, there are five distinct spaces, including the 5,000-square-foot Great Room, which is column free and includes a 16- by 9-foot LED wall. Other amenities include a 600-square-foot catering kitchen, a 500-square-foot kitchenette, and a green room.
Benno Restaurant, a new concept from chef Jonathan Benno, opened in November at the Evelyn Hotel. The fine dining restaurant focuses on coastal Mediterranean fare such as olive oil-braised abalone, skate almondine, and spaghetti with clams, sea urchin, and scallions. The Art Deco-inspired design from Parts and Labor, pays homage to the building's history with updates such as custom furniture in rich colors. The centerpiece of the dining room is a 14-foot domed skylight with a sculptural brass light fixture that hangs from it. For full buyouts, the restaurant's main dining room seats as many as 60 guests. Smaller groups can opt for the private dining room, which features original wood paneling, molding, and a fireplace now used as a hidden liquor display cabinet. The room seats eight or holds as many as 35 for receptions.
An East Coast answer to Mr. C Beverly Hills hotel, Mr. C Seaport opened in South Street Seaport in July. The 66-room luxury hotel from Maggio and Ignazio Cipriani offers views of the East River, Brooklyn Bridge, and New York skyline. Its restaurant, the Italian-focused Bellini, seats 60 guests, and the Bellini bar offers a variety of Italian wines and spirits as well as its namesake cocktail. Other amenities include a fitness center with Technogym equipment and transportation via a Lincoln Continental or Navigator for destinations within 20 blocks of the hotel.
One of New York's signature restaurants, now in a new midtown home, debuted a new private event space in October. The Treehouse at the Four Seasons Restaurant, a champagne and cocktail lounge, sits on the second floor overlooking 49th Street. Intended for receptions with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and desserts, the space features jewel tones and teak wood banquettes. The space seats 40 or holds 60 for a reception. A larger private dining space, available for lunch or dinner events, seats 112 guests or holds 150 for receptions.
Just across the Hudson River, 18 Label is an 8,000-square-foot studio and event venue in Montclair, New Jersey. The raw space—think concrete floors and exposed brick walls—includes four studios. The newest, the Annex, is suited for holiday parties for as many as 250 guests. The building features large loading docks, in-house furniture inventory, and catering. It also has something that few Manhattan spaces offer: private parking. The venue opened in April.
Treadwell Park West, a third Manhattan location of the beer hall from Merchants Hospitality, opened this fall with more than 20 draft beers and ciders, a cocktail menu, and a menu of comfort food fare. It also boasts a flux capacitor to control the blend of nitrogen and carbon dioxide in each beer recipe. The venue's industrial design is from Peter Virostko & Corbin Plays and features reclaimed wooden tables, a 25-foot bar, and painted graffiti murals by the Colombian artist Brian Boerner, as well as a year-round photo booth. The venue seats 200 guests.
For a destination party, Resorts World Catskills is a casino property two hours from Manhattan in the Catskill Mountains. Overall, the resort offers 48,000 square feet of meeting and event space, 10 bars and restaurants, and 100,000 square feet of gaming. It opened a 101-room lifestyle hotel, the Alder, in December and in 2019 plans to open another hotel along with a Rees Jones-redesigned golf course and an indoor water park.
Celebrate the holidays with superheroes at Metropolis Gallery, a comic book gallery with more than 150,000 collectibles. The gallery opened in 2015 but only became available for events this fall, debuting during New York Comic Con. The space holds as many as 150 guests for reception-style events and consists of two 11- by 18-foot galleries plus a long hallway lined with comic art. Curator and co-owner Vincent Zurzolo and partner Stephen Fischler are available to give presentations at events.
