STAMFORD, Conn.—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. announced the grand opening of The Westin New York Grand Central. The new hotel opens 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 guestrooms, more than 12,000 square feet of meeting space, 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.
“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, in an announcement. “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 today 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.”
Each of the 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.
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, the hotel can accommodate 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.
