The new Extreme Wow Suite at the W New York—Times Square is a high-energy party venue. The hotel suite is designed to double as a reception space with room for 85 guests spread over its 1,200 square feet. Much of the furniture has double uses, such as the mirrored console in the entry that functions as a DJ booth and a buffet in the boardroom that is also a bar. The design reflects the Times Square location with features such as a light fixture that looks like a deconstructed Times Square mirror ball, bar glasses decorated with peep-show performers, custom wallpaper of images of Broadway ticket stubs, and framed art featuring Elmo and other costumed characters. Located on the 57th floor, the suite offers views of Times Square, Central Park, and the Hudson River. The suite connects to a double room that serves as a staging area, and catering is available from Blue Fin, the hotel's restaurant.
With everything inside the Minus5 Ice Bar made, appropriately, of ice, the chilly venue makes sense as a holiday party venue. The bar, which opened in July, has hand-carved ice sculptures that depict New York icons such as the Statue of Liberty and Central Park and will update them with seasonal carvings, corporate logos, or other images for private events. As the name suggests, the interior temperature stays at minus 5 degrees Celsius (29 degrees Fahrenheit). Located on the lobby level of the New York Hilton Midtown but with its own street entrance, the venue holds about 60 guests and has a 10-person V.I.P. room.
Michelin-starred chef Paul Liebrandt opened the Elm, a contemporary French restaurant, at King & Grove hotel in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn in July. The buzzy restaurant, with an interior from Parts and Labor Design, features a living green wall, exposed beams, and polished concrete. The dining room and bar seat 73, and a private dining room seats 20. In the fall, the restaurant will offer an eight-seat chef’s counter adjacent to the open kitchen that serves a multicourse tasting menu.
Malbec and Tango House opened this summer in NoHo. Available for buyout, Malbec offers two levels of event space. The main level has a 65-seat restaurant and wine bar, and a 70-seat wine bar is downstairs. The floors are attached to Tango House, a theater space that used to be a 1920s cabaret. Architect Orestes Gonzalez designed the venues; highlights include a glass-enclosed wine cellar and a wall of wine corks in the dining room, plus a graffiti mural of the word "Tango" from artist Meres One of 5Pointz in Tango House.
For a downtown party, GoldBar offers a chic lounge in NoLIta with 12-foot vaulted ceilings adorned with gold leaf and crystal chandeliers. The space is divided into two sections: a front area with the bar and high-top tables and the main room with banquettes, cocktail tables, and 2,900 gold-plated skulls lining the walls (they can be covered with gold-hued curtains for the less adventurous). The 2,500-square-foot space accommodates 175 people and includes a DJ booth, V.I.P. space, and kitchen.
Andaz Wall Street reopened its Concourse Level—home to event facilities, meeting rooms, and a spa and fitness center— this month after damage from Hurricane Sandy forced it to close. The renovation expanded the level to 7,000 square feet from 4,000 square feet, allowing the hotel to host larger events. The 4,700-square-foot Gallery room holds as many as 450 people and can be subdivided into four smaller spaces. A newly remodeled open kitchen can serve as pre-function and breakaway space. Three new event spaces called Stock, Bond, and Exchange range from 740 to 1,900 square feet and come with LCD TVs, open pantries with personal espresso machines, and audiovisual equipment. The hotel's spa was also renovated.
Atop the 12-story NoMad Hotel, the rooftop offers all-weather event space with views of the Empire State Building. The rooftop has an 850-square-foot indoor space that can seat 40 banquet-style, 50 theater-style, or 75 for receptions. On the northwest corner, a restored turn-of-the-century cupola can seat 10 for private dinners. In warmer months, the hotel offers its 1,100-square-foot outdoor space for events of as many as 105 people. The rooftop has its own full kitchen.
Chef David Santos, a veteran of Per Se and Bouley, has opened Louro, which means "bay leaf" in Portuguese. The globally influenced menu includes dishes such as lamb neck rillette with Portuguese kimchi; roasted heirloom carrot salad with toasted miso, and octopus Bolognese with house-cured goose pancetta. The neutral-toned interior features white walks and dark leather banquettes, as well as minimalist chandeliers from designer Zach Bliss. The dining room seats 55, while the white marble-topped bar seats 12. Semiprivate dining at a 14-seat communal table in the rear of the restaurant is available.
The Hyatt Union Square, a 178-room hotel, opened in June. The new-build hotel sits behind a restored two-story limestone façade and offers several spaces for events. At 1,400 square feet, Singl is a spacious lobby-level bar that also serves small plates. The two-level restaurant the Fourth, an American brasserie from One Five Hospitality, seats 100 in the dining room and has a 45-person private dining room.
The Garden City Hotel on Long Island debuted a renovated grand ballroom in June. The nearly 6,000-square-foot space includes ornate touches such as golf leaf on the ceiling and crystal chandeliers. The hotel also added new carpeting that extends to reception spaces, Versailles-style chairs, and new tabletop items. The ballroom seats 500 guests and can be divided. Overall, the hotel has 25,000 square feet of meeting space among its 16 function rooms.
