We love the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. A classic liminal period, it’s an opportunity to work less (or not at all), see a movie, read a book, catch your breath. And if you’re like us, you’ll probably stop by a hotel (or two). Here are 10 worth checking out even if you don’t check in. (more…)

Hyatt Lex48 lounge.

Come early January, slow season at the city’s hotels, New York’s record-breaking tally of 90,000 hotel rooms may seem more like a glut than a victory lap.

What to do with all those rooms? Take a tip from Macy’s – or New York’s wildly successful Restaurant Week – and orchestrate a sale.

The first ever Hotel Week runs from January 6 through 15 at eight hotels, namely those with ties to the New York public relations firm that dreamed up the idea. (more…)

Funny how something that seems so out of place in February or April looks utterly perfect in December and early January. We’re talking trees, of course – Christmas, holiday, whatever you may call them. And they’re lighting up hotels all around town. We found a dozen we love, each with a distinct style. That big tree at Rockefeller Center isn’t the only game in town! (more…)

As hotels have edged into endeavors that have nothing to do with lodging – art galleries! screening rooms! bingo nights! – retail scores high as a splashy extracurricular effort.  With Barneys edging out Walgreens as a role model, it can be easier to find a one-of-a-kind necklace than a newspaper – remember those? – in the shop adjacent to the lobby.

This can be a good thing as the holidays move into full swing. We set out on an informal shopping spree, camera in hand, and came up with a sampling of items that would look good under a tree, from stocking stuffers to big ticket.

Behold, the first annual Overnight New York holiday gift guide. (more…)

The 2011 holiday tree.

Last year the Grand Hyatt New York, in the throes of a massive renovation, strung holiday lights from the construction scaffolding. This year the scaffolding is history, and a towering Christmas tree constructed from glass balls brings on the cheer.

A $130 million renovation is worth cheering – in part because it’s finished (the work unfolded in phases over three years). But the changes are smart, embracing nearly every inch of this midtown behemoth. “We’ve modernized,” said Mark Pardue, general manager, at a party celebrating the new building.

What they really did was de-Trump the place. (more…)

The Standard.

Ever since The Standard opened in 2009, looming high over the High Line and West Side Highway with its floor to ceiling windows, it’s been waiting for its close-up. At last, the sleekly sexy hotel — and its windows — figure prominently in a new movie, and wouldn’t you know, it’s rated NC-17?

Shame, the unsparing film with Michael Fassbender as a sex addled bachelor prowling Manhattan, features a prominent scene in a corner room at the Standard.  For anyone who ever wanted a peek behind a door, the chicly contemporary Roman & Williams décor (and lots more) is on view – the clean lines, white walls, wood paneling and quiet luxury, with a large flatpanel TV in front of a window. (more…)

Ah, the crisp, chill days of December. They may not be here yet, but they’re coming. And with them our thoughts turn to salchows, toe loops and flips – or more realistically, trying to not to belly flop on the ice.

Each winter outdoor rinks sprout up throughout Manhattan. (more…)

Occupy North Pole.

After Occupy Wall Street could Occupy North Pole be far behind? Hey, elves have issues, too. And they’re writ large in gingerbread, gumdrops, icing and candy canes on a stand-out gingerbread house on view in the third annual show of gingerbread creations – houses and otherwise – at Le Parker Meridien hotel.

Brandishing signs like “Make Candy Not War” and “Visions of Sugar Plums Won’t Feed My Elfin Kids!!” cookie elves voice their demands peaceably atop mounds of white icing in front of Santa’s merrily decorated gingerbread workshop by Tribeca Treats, a specialty bakery. (more…)