Checking In: Hotel Openings, February 2017
by Jessica Montevago /
United States
Lifestyle-driven Hotel Hayden opened in the Chelsea area of New York City. A rooftop lounge offers views of the Freedom Tower and city skyline. The boutique hotel also includes 120 guestrooms and suites with custom color-block headboards, a 24/7 fitness studio, a business center, a full-service bistro and a Greek restaurant, Mykonos Blue.
Marriott International opened its second Aloft Hotels branded property in the “live music capital of the world,” Austin, TX. The Aloft Austin Northwest features 130 loft-style rooms and 1,000 square feet of meeting space. Its signature W XYZ Bar will host “Live At Aloft Hotels,” a series of live acoustic, jazz, blues, rock and roll and country music performances.
Near Clearwater Beach in Florida, the Wyndham Grand Clearwater offers 343 guestrooms and suites, including 3,000 square-foot bi-level Presidential Suites with three bedrooms and private elevator access. There is also more than 22,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, a full-service spa, an outdoor swimming pool and deck, and beachfront views.
The Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach. Photo: Facebook
A short subway ride from New York City, Aloft Long Island City - Manhattan View shares its Queens neighborhood with major airline hubs like LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport. The 176-room hotel includes a W XYZ bar as well as 1,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, a rooftop terrace and an outdoor courtyard.
For meetings and events deep in the heart of Texas, the 1,000-room Marriott Marquis Houston provides quick access to the George R. Brown Convention Center via a pedestrian sky bridge. It boasts a rooftop complete with a lazy river (in the shape of Texas), heated infinity pool and bar. There’s also a full-service spa and fitness center, and several dining options, including the two-story Biggio's Sports Bar.
State-shaped lazy river at the Marriott Marquis Houston. Photo: Facebook/Robert Villanueva
The first beachfront JW Marriott in the Continental United States, the JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort opened along a private three-mile stretch of white sand beach. The property, previously the Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort, Golf Club & Spa, underwent an 18-month, $320 million transformation that added new adult-exclusive guest rooms, a celebrity chef-featured restaurant, state-of-the-art fitness and entertainment areas, and more than 100,000 square feet of flexible event space in the new Lanai Tower.
Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America
Cachet Hospitality Group has opened its first property in North America, the Cachet Corazon in Cabo San Lucas. The beachfront hotel has 77 rooms, a spa and a seafood restaurant. Hong Kong-based Cachet will complete the property in 2018 with its second phase, the 204-room Cachet Deluxe Los Cabos.
The Cachet Corazon in Cabo San Lucas.
Located in the up-and-coming coastal town of Las Catalinias on the Guanacaste coast of Costa Rica, Casa Chameleon Las Catalinas offers 21 private villas with unobstructed views of the ocean and personal salt-water infinity pools. The 365-degree “zero edge” swimming pool and poolside bar lounge are perched on the top of a cliff, providing scenic views. Focused on sustainability, the hotel kitchen uses fresh fish provided by local fisherman, as well as local and organic produce.
Private villa at the Casa Chameleon Las Catalinas.
Blue Diamond Resorts will open the Grand Lido Negril, an au naturel all-suite boutique hotel for adults over the age of 21, later this month. It will offer 26 oceanview suites with butler service, a secluded au naturel pool and the Reggae Bar and Grill. Guests also will get preferred access to all services and facilities at the neighboring Royalton Negril or the adults-only Hideaway at Royalton Negril.
After undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation, the El San Juan Hotel in Puerto Rico is reopening as part of Curio – A Collection by Hilton. The project upgraded the 1958-built property, including remodeled guest rooms, and added a new pool, 22 luxury cabanas, a new fitness center and spa facilities, and new restaurants.
Africa:
Meliá Llana Beach Resort & Spa, the brand’s fourth property on the African archipelago of Cape Verde, opened on the southwest coast of the island of Sal, just a few minutes from the airport and the city of Santa Maria. The all-inclusive, adults-only property features more than 300 rooms and suites; a swimming pool; YHI Spa offering beauty, wellbeing and health treatments; and a gym. It has four restaurants and four bars.
The Meliá Llana Beach Resort & Spa. Photo: Meliá Hotels International