Marriott International has just opened the tallest hotel in the western hemisphere and the first double decker hotel in the US. It’s also the model for a roll-out of dual pack Courtyard and Residence Inn hotels and an example of how strong brands can be flexible when it comes to art and design. Marriott International president and CEO Arne Sorenson and the hotel owner, Harry Gross of G Holdings, tell Louise Oakley why this New York City skyscraper is such a special addition to their portfolios...
There has to be a pretty special reason for a Dubai-based hotel reporter to leave the hype of the emirate’s hotel industry for an overseas launch, particularly when this means abandoning the balmy January climes of the UAE for the west’s bitter winter chill.
But, just a matter of days after the world’s largest firework extravaganza lit up Dubai’s skyline at the dawn of another year, I jetted off to New York City and plunged into the polar vortex for the opening of the Residence Inn and Courtyard by Marriott Central Park, a hotel with enough accolades to rival the records normally reserved for Dubai.
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The building is the first double-decker hotel in the US, housing two select-service Marriott brands on top of one another: a 378-room Courtyard by Marriott Central Park, and a 261-suite Residence Inn by Marriott Central Park.
Comprising over 370,000ft² and rising 68 floors above street level, it is the tallest dedicated hotel building in the western hemisphere, located right in the heart of Midtown NYC.
The hotel cost owner Harry Gross US $340 million, with significant investment into telecommunication meaning it’s the first hotel in the US to offer free international phone calls, while equal attention paid to art and style has culminated in full wall murals created by renowned abstract expressionist artist, William DeBilzan, who also designed artwork for the world’s tallest building, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa.
The property is the result of a long-standing relationship between Marriott International and G Holdings, the company headed by Harry Gross, and it’s now set to be the model for a roll out of Courtyard by Marriott and Residence Inn by Marriott dual-packs.
The launch comes at the peak of New York’s tourism trade, with 2013 attracting an all-time high of 54.3 million visitors, including 42.9 million domestically and 11.4 million from countries outside the US.
The city is practically a year ahead of schedule of meeting its target of 55 million tourists by 2015. It will also reach another milestone in 2014, with 100,000 rooms due to open by the year end, finally giving this bucket list destination the inventory it so desperately needs.
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