News
HOSPITALITY BLUES
November 20, 2009
| Feeling blue? You might want to check out Chelsea's newest hotspot,Hotel Indigo. Developer and operator Morris Moinian of Fortuna Realty Group showed us around the 122-room upscale boutique hotel, located at 127 W. 28th. |
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| Morris, in the azure-inspired lobby (check out the 250 lb. stainless steel replica of the Wall Street bull) says that although the hotel's construction began in the downturn, he had faith in the location, near the bustling Chelsea neighborhoods and Garment District. Although many questions arose, he bucked up and made sure all the suppliers and contractors were paid, which has been a problem for many hotel developers. |
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| General manager George Buchelli took us for the grand tour, which you can see was anything but the normal beige and taupe (even the hotel's exterior glows blue in the evening). The rooms include custom-designed imported Italian furniture and décor inspired by the Fashion District, while the hotel—from the "Phitness Center" to "Meetin' Space"—is filled with artwork by fashion photographer Marco Glaviano. And Fido is welcome, too. Rooms range from $300 to $1,200 per night. |
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| The hotel also has a new American bistro, appropriately called Blu, which we sampled last night. We snapped this photo of chef Roberto Bellissimo (in uniform, formerly of Le Cirque 2000) with service manager Christine Ra and director of operations Herman Allenson. There’s also an upcoming rooftop lounge, Glass Bar, which will open in '10. Morris tells us that Fortuna's in discussions with InterContinental Hotels Group, the flag's franchiser, to develop four more Hotel Indigos in NYC. |
