Head over to The Informed Traveler blog and check out Mary’s article on the Jumeirah Essex House and their brand new renovation (pictures and details included of course).

The Essex building previously housed a St. Regis and Westin Hotel (they shared the lobby, but with different elevator banks), but is currently owned by Jumeirah.

Some fun facts provided by Wikipedia include:

- On January 13, 1979, R&B singer Donny Hathaway was found dead from an apparent suicide on the sidewalk in front of the Essex House in New York City, where he had been living.

- Angelina Jolie owns the penthouse apartment at the top.

Most hotels like to talk up their deluxe or premier rooms and suites - they don’t often feature or try to sell their standard rooms by providing lots of pictures and information. Our recurring feature - “Standard Rooms - What You Get“, goes to the luxury hotels of New York and provides you with more information on what a guest in a standard or basic room will be offered.

At the Jumeirah Essex House on Central Park South in Manhattan, the most standard room is considered the Traditional Guest Room, not to be confused with the Traditional Guest Room Park View. The Traditional Guest Room offers around 300 square feet (28 square meters) and the choice of King or Queen bedded rooms with marble bathroom. All 515 rooms at Jumeirah Essex House are non-smoking and feature high-speed internet access, in-room safe, cable TV with premium-channels and DVD’s upon request.

A $70 million refurbishment is underway, so redesigned rooms - no matter the category - are the way to go when making your reservation at the Jumeriah Essex House. (renovated room pictured)

Our friends at Luxist.com just wrote an article on “The Lavish Plans For 75 Wall Street.” They note that the former office building of JP Morgan Chase in Manhattan will be changed from office building “to luxury condos and a hotel.” 75 Wall Street’s 250-room hotel will be part of the new Hyatt Brand ‘Andaz’ (read those details here from Hyatt), which means “personal style” in Hindi - so look forward to an interesting new hotel on Wall Street on the way.

Most hotels like to talk up their deluxe or premier rooms and suites - they don’t often feature or try to sell their standard rooms by providing lots of pictures and information. Our recurring feature - “Standard Rooms - What You Get“, goes to the luxury hotels of New York and provides you with more information on what a guest in a standard or basic room will be offered.

At the Loews Regency Hotel in New York, located at 540 Park Avenue (at 61st Street), their most basic standard room is the Superior Twin Room. With approximately 225sq. ft./21sq. meters, the Superior room provides 2 twin beds which can also be arranged as a King bed. The room overlooks the courtyard and can accommodate a maximum of 3 persons.

According to a new NY Sun article from April 19th - which HotelChatter alerted us to, a “developer has proposed building a 90-plus-story hotel near the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.” If built as planned, rising 980 feet, this hotel would be the nation’s tallest. Three different development firms are fighting for the state contract to build the structure at 35th Street and Eleventh Avenue, and the proposals range from 1,200 to 1,300 room hotels. Last year, New York approved the expansion of the Javits Center for an additional 340,000 square-feet and the hotel is just one part of the planned expansion.

Read the full NY Sun article here.

Most hotels like to talk up their deluxe or premier rooms and suites - they don’t often feature or try to sell their standard rooms by providing lots of pictures and information. Our recurring feature - “Standard Rooms - What You Get“, goes to the luxury hotels of New York and provides you with more information on what a guest in a standard or basic room will be offered.

At the Whiteface Lodge in Lake Placid the most basic, standard room is the “Junior One-Bedroom Suite“. Each graciously appointed Whiteface Lodge suite is designed to conjure the sepia-tinted essence of a moment in Adirondack history, and these Junior One-Bedrooms are no different. This standard room category features:

- One bath with heated floors and jetted Jacuzzi tubs;
- Private cedar and mahogany balcony;
- Queen-size pull-out sofa;
- Approximately 500 square feet of space;
- Rates starting from $315;
- Max occupancy of 4.

Most hotels like to talk up their deluxe or premier rooms and suites - they don’t often feature or try to sell their standard rooms by providing lots of pictures and information. Our recurring feature - “Standard Rooms - What You Get“, goes to the luxury hotels of New York and provides you with more information on what a guest in a standard or basic room will be offered.

At the Four Seasons Hotel New York, with the fun address of 57 East 57th Street, the standard room is a “Moderate Room” located on the 5th to 14th floors of the hotel. Moderate rooms offer:
- 500 square feet, or 46 square meters;
- One King Bed and one rollaway bed or crib (by request);
- Slightly obstructed views of 57th or 58th Street;
- Sitting area and two large windows and marble bathroom with a single vanity and shower;
- Max occupancy of 3 adults, or 2 adults and 1 child;
- A light, contemporary colour scheme with silk-padded walls accented by English sycamore furnishings.

Most hotels like to talk up their deluxe or premier rooms and suites - they don’t often feature or try to sell their standard rooms by providing lots of pictures and information. Our recurring feature - “Standard Rooms - What You Get“, goes to the luxury hotels of New York and provides you with more information on what a guest in a standard or basic room will be offered.

At The Pierre Hotel in New York City, formerly a Four Seasons and located on Central Park at Fifth Avenue and 61st, the basic or standard room is the “Superior” category and features the following:

- Interior views with 280 sq ft (26 sq mts);
- European style colour themes of white English rose, blue Oriental toile and black rose;
- Sitting area with a wingback chair, writing desk, night tables and armoire;
- Black and white marble bathroom with a tub/shower combination;
- and One King or two twin beds and the space to fit one rollaway or crib.

In New York City, the Mobil Travel Guide chose 4 restaurants worthy of their 2007 Five-Star rating. The only overlap with the AAA 5 Diamond ratings went to Jean Georges within the Trump International Tower & Hotel - described by Mobil as a restaurant “Drawing influences from around the world” and “impeccably executed by celebrity chef/owner Jean-Georges Vongerichten.” The other three restaurants that made the cut were Alain Ducasse (closed January 2007), Masa, and per se.

At Masa, prepare to spend $400 minimum just by walking in the 2,500-year-old Japanese cedar door (before you get drinks or food) - and Mobil recommends perching on the “23-foot-long bar where the chefs will serve you course by course.”

At per se, you benefit from the distinctive hands-on approach of Napa Valley’s THE FRENCH LAUNDRY brought to New York City. There are only 15 tables featuring views over Central Park. Mobil recommends that “the best way to enjoy Per Se is to order a tasting menu and then sit back for three hours of culinary epiphanies exemplified by small dishes such as truffles and custard in an eggshell and foie gras accompanied by various salts.

Mobil’s complete guide of New York City restaurants can be found here.

The New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) is back to the Jacob Javits Convention Center from April 6th - 15th, 2007 for this year’s show. The official Dates, Times & Happenings can be found at the NYIAS website but for a guide on “where to stay, what to eat, and how to fill your time after the car show closes for the night” visit Gridskipper’s “Auto Aficionado’s Guide to New York“.

P.S. The official hotel of the show is the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers, but the closest luxury “official” hotel for the show is the W Times Square Hotel.