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HOSPITALITY

Hidrock Realty Brings Rooftop Lounge to 960 Ave. of the Americas
Manhattan-based owner Hidrock Realty recently announced a deal that will put a 3,500-square-foot lounge atop the soon-to-open Courtyard by Marriott, located at 960 Ave. of the Americas. The creation of a well-established operator, the upcoming lounge is slated to open in the third quarter of 2012. Hidrock’s Steven Hidary, principal, and Robert Kaplan, director of leasing, represented both the tenant and the landlord, 960 Associates, LLC, an affiliate of Hidrock.
Hidrock is performing base building work, as well as relocating HVAC equipment on the roof, extending the elevator shaft, installing sound proofing in the floor, and building a greenhouse structure to allow for year-round use. The tenant will design a first-class installation to fill the space.
“As tourism grows in this corner of Midtown, more and more service-oriented businesses are following suit to accommodate the shifting populace that now inhabits the area,” said Hidary. “We’re excited to be part of this lounge, which is sure to enhance the personality of the neighborhood,” said Hidary.
960 Ave. of the Americas is an office-to-hotel conversion under development by Hidrock. Located across from Macy’s and Herald Square Park, construction is underway for an October 2012 opening. The 167-room hotel will feature stunning views of Central Park, the Empire State Building, and both the Hudson and East Rivers.

Hidrock Realty (Hidrock) is a private real estate firm with properties throughout the East Coast. Based in Manhattan, the company provides fully integrated real estate services through its in-house departments that specialize in joint venture acquisitions, asset and property management, office and retail leasing, and commercial and residential development. Hidrock owns, manages and leases several office buildings in Manhattan’s Fashion District, including: 35 West 36th Street, 53 West 36th Street, 65 West 36th Street and 240 West 35th Street. In addition, the company is developing two hotels in the neighborhood: 960 Sixth Avenue at 35th Street and 25-29 West 37th Street. For more information on Hidrock Realty, please visit www.hidrock.com.

Hilton Garden Inn Share Hospitality Plans To Go ‘ABOVE’ and Beyond
Hoteliers Lois and Richard Nicotra have announced details on the newest addition to the event and accommodation space in the Corporate Park of Staten Island. Construction will start on the Hilton Garden Inn expansion within the next 90 days. The grand new event space and upscale accommodations will be housed in a grand tower connected to the left of the Hilton Garden Inn in an area that currently serves as a service parking lot. The first six stories will be elegantly appointed rooms while a seventh story christened ‘ABOVE’ will feature a 6,000 square foot ballroom with 20 foot floor to ceiling windows surrounding the grand space. Additional 6,000 square feet of outdoor space will be located on a rooftop garden bar.

More than 65 guest rooms will be added along with 15 chic Presidential Suites designed in response to the growing customer base looking for upscale amenities when traveling. The Presidential Space will also host brides interested in a well-appointed room to prepare for their wedding day. The large, well-lit suites will be suited to hosting a bride and her attendants along with their beauty consultants.

Hilton Garden Inn rendering The Nicotras’ hallmark attention to grand design, respect for the environment and comfort of their guests is in the forefront in the construction preparation. The event and overnight space is booking clients for spring of 2012. Mr. Nicotra also shared that the construction is also in the planning to open 60 additional rooms to the Hampton Inn & Suites in the spring of 2013.
The Hilton Garden Inn is home to Nicotra’s Ballroom, a 30,000 square ft. banquet space. The Hilton Garden Inn also houses Lorenzo’s Restaurant, Bar & Cabaret and the swanky Lobby Lounge. World-renowned stars such as Lucie Arnaz, Danny Aiello, Lainie Kazan, Rita Moreno and Chazz Palminteri have performed on Lorenzo’s stage while the adjacent Lobby Lounge serves as a sophisticated setting for private parties and dancing on Friday and Saturday nights.

Nestled in 415 acres of protected woodlands, The Hilton Garden Inn Staten Island is a grand hotel offering a full service spa, world-class cabaret, and the elegant event space. The Hilton Garden Inn Staten Island is an exceptional gathering spot for those seeking fine dining and sophisticated elegance. Minutes from Newark Liberty International Airport and Manhattan, the Hilton Garden Inn Staten Island is easily accessible.

Quantifiably Green Distrikt
Distrikt Hotle at twilight Interconnecting with the hospitality world on the dynamics of sustainability, the Distrikt hotel is a prime example among boutique hotels responding to the opportunity to have a quantifiable green platform in place.

The hotel located at 342 West 40th Street has embarked on various ‘green’ projects. Distrikt is installing occupancy sensors and bi-level lighting in all public areas which reduce light output to code minimum levels when an area is unoccupied.

Distrikt Hotel suite with king size bed With a high focus on energy efficient lighting, every sleeping room has high-efficiency fluorescent lamps and lobby lighting is comprised of LED lamps which are run off timers to reduce energy use. The timers turn off unnecessary interior and exterior lights during the day to maximize daylighting.

Heating and Air Conditioning units within guestrooms are attached to occupancy sensors returning the rooms to a preset temperature when unoccupied thus reducing excessive waste. These systems are known to have an estimated reduction in energy consumption by 35% to 45%.

Distrikt has also made it a goal to procure energy through suppliers that purchase 25% of energy through renewable sources. Procurement assisted by R3 Energy.

Overall, the hotel’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions and save energy emanate the larger goal of New York City’s focus on sustainability being implement through PlaNYC: Greener Greater Buildings Plan.