Viceroy Hotel Group is to open a new property in New York on October 9.
The first Viceroy-branded hotel in the Big Apple for the luxury US-based operator, the 29-storey, 240-room property is located in Midtown on West 57th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues.
Both the structure and the interiors of the new-build have been designed by New York-based company Roman and Williams.
Viceroy chief executive Bill Walshe told Business Traveller it had a "grown-up" feel.
He said: "The building has been deliberately styled to be a wonderful collision of Uptown and Downtown New York."
Rooms and suites from the 19th floor up have "fantastic" views of Central Park, located two blocks away, said general manager Gerard Denneny. All rooms also feature Sferra linens, Illy coffee machines and Neil George toiletries.
Tech features include free wifi and phones that can be used to control the TV, set the temperature, order room service and act as mobile devices.
"If you didn't want to use your phone, you could use it as your own personal device with a dedicated number – we have a SIM in there and offer special rates for people who want to use it as their actual phone in New York City as opposed to having to rack up expensive room rates," Denneny said.
Signature restaurant and bar Kingside, led by chef Marc Murphy, will serve "new American" cuisine. It has its own street entrance and will be open 6am-2am. Rooftop bar and lounge Paramount, which will be launched in mid-November, will have indoor and outdoor spaces and be open year-round.
The property will also have a Technogym-equipped fitness centre, a plunge pool and 130 sqm of meeting space, including a 12-person boardroom.
Viceroy also runs the 165-room Cassa hotel in New York’s Midtown, part of its boutique Urban Retreats collection (see news, February 2012).
Other Viceroy Hotels and Resorts properties are located in California, Miami, Colorado, Mexico, the Caribbean, the Maldives and Abu Dhabi (click here for a review). There are also Urban Retreats in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Future openings include a 68-room Istanbul property overlooking the Bosphorus in the first quarter of next year, and a Dubai hotel on the Palm with more than 400 rooms, due in mid-2016.
Walshe said further hotels would be announced this year.
He added: "London is without a shadow of a doubt my number one strategic target for the group. I believe that we will be here soon. We'll come here when we have the right opportunity that fits with what the brand stands for in a great location, and hopefully that won't be too far away."
Michelle Mannion
