With more than 1,300 guest rooms and 55,000 square feet of meeting and function facilities, the Grand Hyatt New York is one of the city's largest hotels, and last week the property unveiled the $12 million renovation of its biggest event space, the Empire Ballroom. Redesigned by architectural firm Looney & Associates, the 18,000-square-foot site now has a spiffed up look and new lighting and staging capabilities, complementing the hotel's recently upgraded conference level and 14th-floor boardrooms.
Evocative of its historic past and the decorative accents of the adjacent Grand Central Terminal, the redone Empire Ballroom sports metal grillwork, original tin tiling, and an Italian white marble foyer. More contemporary additions include beaded glass draping at the entrance and chandeliers comprised of 7,000 pieces of hand-blown glass in the ballroom.
Beyond the aesthetic changes are new components to give meeting and event planners more flexibility with the space. LED lighting and a new control system provide ways to alter the look and feel of the foyer, and amber spotlights in the ballroom's chandeliers can be utilized to pin spot individual tables. Functions in the ballroom will also have the use of three new drop-down projection screens, revamped air walls that divide the area into five sections, and a permanent stage that can extend and retract.
