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Brian Povinelli, Global Brand Leader, Westin Hotels & Resorts
Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City
Edward Maynard, General Manager, The Westin New York Grand Central
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Eco-Friendly Guestrooms, State-of-the-Art Meeting Space
and Bar and Food Concept from Gerber Group
Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) and Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc.
(NYSE:HST) have opened The Westin New York Grand
Central.
The new hotel is in the former New York Helmsley Hotel
after the completion of a $75 million renovation.
The brand’s second
Manhattan hotel features a complete redesign of the hotel’s interior
including 774 spacious guest rooms equipped with Westin’s signature
amenities, more than 12,000 square feet of meeting space with the latest
technology, a 3,000-square-foot WestinWORKOUT® fitness studio and the
upcoming addition of THE LCL: Bar & Kitchen, NYC, the first bar and
food concept from Gerber Group in a Westin property.
The
Westin New York Grand Central joins its sister property, The Westin New
York at Times Square, as a business epicenter in midtown Manhattan.
Located just blocks away from both Grand Central Terminal and the United
Nations, the hotel maintains its New York City landmark status while
providing guests the premium Westin experience with signature amenities
and services designed to inspire well-being in a sophisticated and
elegant setting.
“We
have greatly anticipated the opening of The Westin New York Grand
Central as it marks a new era for this historic hotel and its
neighborhood, said Brian Povinelli, Global Brand Leader, Westin Hotels
& Resorts. “Our new landmark property will become a hub for both
business and leisure travelers due to its prime location and the draw of
the signature Westin experience, designed to provide our guests a bit
of well-being in the center of bustling New York City.”
"This
is a great day for Westin Hotels and Starwood - some of the biggest
names in our city's growing hospitality industry," said Mayor Michael R.
Bloomberg, who cut the ribbon to open The Westin New York Grand
Central. "Even when New York City was struggling to recover from the
last national recession, Starwood was very bullish about our future.
Their investments here have turned out to be smart ones, because a
record number of tourists are flocking to New York City, and now this
renovation gives them one more reason to visit."
Eco-Friendly Guestrooms Give Heavenly Experience
Each
of the 774, 300+ square-foot guestrooms, including 11 one-bedroom
suites and one three-bedroom presidential suite, maintain the highest
standards of environmental responsibility with the brand’s signature
eco-friendly materials such as energy-conserving LED and CFL lights,
water conserving low flow plumbing and recycle-able carpet pads, low VOC
finishes for casegoods and GreenGuard certified solar shades. Each
guestroom is also equipped with Westin’s luxurious amenities including
the coveted Heavenly Bed. The revamped design scheme includes calming,
tonal colors that create a soothing environment, allowing guests to
leave feeling better than when they arrived.
Redefining the Traditional Hotel Lobby Bar and Hotel Restaurant
The
renovation also extended the hotel’s lobby to 42nd street to include
THE LCL: Bar & Kitchen, NYC, coming soon. Once open, THE LCL: Bar
& Kitchen, NYC, will be the first bar and food concept in a Westin
property from leading nightlife proprietor Gerber Group and will
redefine the traditional hotel lobby bar and restaurant. Located on the
ground floor of the hotel, THE LCL will offer an extensive selection of
local small-batch spirits, regionally brewed craft beers, as well as,
organic, sustainable and biodynamic wines. The signature and seasonal
cocktail selections will feature house-made infusions and market fresh
ingredients. THE LCL will also offer a kicked up comfort food menu from
sunrise to well after sunset. The menu will feature locally sourced
items such as Roasted Beets and Coach Farm Chevre Cheese Salad, LCL
Flame Grilled LaFrieda Burger and Great New York Cheddar Cheese and Mac.
In addition to locally sourced food, THE LCL will also serve Stumptown
Coffee, Organic Avenue juices and fresh grab-and-go options in the
morning for guests on the move.
State-of-the-Art Meeting Space
Conveniently
located in the Midtown East neighborhood, the hotel is positioned to
become a business epicenter. With more than 12,000 square feet of
renovated meeting and event space, including four new break-out rooms
and an expanded 4,100 square-foot ballroom with sweeping city views, the
hotel is an ideal host for everything from intimate business affairs to
large-scale corporate meetings accommodating up to 450 guests. In
addition, all rooms have new carpeting and lighting, while preserving
some of the hotel’s historic elements including wood paneling and New
York photography from the hotel’s original decoration.
As
part of the overhaul, all event spaces are now equipped with
teleconferencing capabilities, fiber optics and some of the highest
bandwidth in Manhattan. The hotel’s history and close proximity to
Grand Central is also reflected in the meeting room names, which include
a space entitled “Track 61,” the name of the mysterious once-secret
train platform located in Grand Central Terminal.
Welcoming Guests with Special Opening Offer
In
celebration of the Grand Opening, The Westin New York Grand Central is
extending a special limited-time offer available until March 31, 2013, which includes 10% off best available rates and daily
complimentary in-room breakfast for two. Hotel rates start at $269. www.westinnewyorkgrandcentral.com/grandopening
New
York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has approved
and licensed the use of “Grand Central” for The Westin New York Grand
Central. For more information on Westin Hotels & Resorts, please
visit www.westin.com,
Facebook or follow Westin on Twitter. SPG Members earn unparalleled
access to experiences such the Ben Folds Five concert – and so much more
– at SPG.com/moments.
About Westin Hotels & Resorts
Westin
Hotels & Resorts offers innovative programs that transform every
aspect of a stay into a revitalizing experience. All Westin signature
services – like the Heavenly Bed, delicious SuperFoods and WestinWORKOUT
studio – have been designed with the guests’ well-being in mind. Westin
hotels, with more than 190 hotels and resorts in nearly 40 countries
and territories, is owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide,
Inc. (NYSE: HOT). Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one
of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1,112
properties in nearly 100 countries and 154,000 employees at its owned
and managed properties. Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator
and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following
internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®,
Westin®, Le Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, Aloft®, and
ElementSM. The Company boasts one of the industry’s leading loyalty
programs, Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), allowing members to earn and
redeem points for room stays, room upgrades and flights, with no
blackout dates. Starwood also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., a
premier provider of world-class vacation experiences through villa-style
resorts and privileged access to Starwood brands. For more information,
please visit www.westin.com
About Host Hotels & Resorts
Host
Hotels & Resorts, Inc. is an S&P 500 and Fortune 500 company
and is the largest lodging real estate investment trust and one of the
largest owners of luxury and upper-upscale hotels. The Company currently
owns 104 properties in the United States and 16 properties
internationally totaling approximately 65,000 rooms. The Company also
holds non-controlling interests in a joint venture in Europe that owns
14 hotels with approximately 4,400 rooms and a joint venture in Asia
that owns one hotel with approximately 300 rooms in Australia and a
minority interest in seven hotels with approximately 1,750 rooms in
India, two of which recently opened in Bangalore and five that are in
various stages of development in two cities. Guided by a disciplined
approach to capital allocation and aggressive asset management, the
Company partners with premium brands in the operation of properties in
over 50 major markets worldwide. For additional information, please
visit the Company’s website at www.hosthotels.com.
About Starwood Preferred Guest
Starwood
Preferred Guest® (SPG®) is an innovative, award-winning frequent
traveler program that unites each of Starwood’s 9 distinctive hotel
brands and includes more luxury hotels in more destinations around the
world. SPG reinvented the hospitality loyalty landscape when it
launched in 1999 with its breakthrough policy of no blackout dates, and
over the years has continued its tradition of innovation with
enhancements such as Cash + Points, SPG MomentsSM, and most recently
Your24TM and SPG LifetimeTM. In addition to Free Night Awards at over
1,100 hotels and resorts and Award Flights on over 350 major airlines
without blackout dates, the Starpoints ® that members earn through SPG
can be redeemed for access like to no other to experiences in music,
sports and the arts through SPG Moments. SPG also has an ongoing
commitment to digital innovation to meet the needs of today’s connected
global traveler – from the SPG app for iPhone that utilizes state-aware
technology to create a more personalized hotel stay to Starwood’s Best
Rate Guarantee on SPG.com, to SPG’s integration within various social
media platforms. Offerings such as these have helped SPG build a
passionate member base among the world’s most frequent travelers. Learn
more at spg.com and spg.com/moments and connect with us on
facebook.com/spg, twitter.com/spg, foursquare.com/spg,
pinterest.com/spglife, and youtube.com/spg.
About Gerber Group
Gerber
Group – known as the most influential nightlife proprietor in the world
– encompasses 23 iconic venues internationally under such brands as The
Whiskey, Whiskey Blue, Living Room and Stone Rose Lounge. Since opening
its first bar, The Whiskey, at New York City’s Paramount Hotel, the
extraordinary successes of the group’s brands have established them as
pre-eminent tastemakers, with an uncanny ability to create cool, chic
and classic bars with modern glamour. Rande Gerber founded Gerber Group
in 1991, in which his brother Scott Gerber was one of the original
investors. Today, Scott Gerber manages the company and its full
portfolio of properties. Gerber Group is positioned to continue as the
preferred partner to Starwood Hotels & Resorts, W Hotels Worldwide,
Strategic Hotels & Resorts, Related Companies, Westin Hotels &
Resorts and Noble Investment Group. For additional information about
Gerber Group and its complete portfolio of properties, please visit www.GerberBars.com.
CYNTHIA BOND
PUBLIC RELATIONS & PARTNERSHIPS
STARWOOD CANADA
123 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario, M5H 2M9
Direct: 416/947-4827
Fax: 416/947-4975
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