08.14.09 Leona Helmsley, Renovation, history
IN WITH THE NEW — WITH A FEW SPECIAL EXCEPTIONS
Those who love the old face of The New York Helmsley will miss the relics like Mindy’s for lunch. But don’t fret, the good news is some of the relics of The New York Helmsley Hotel’s 80s glam heyday will remain.
The 1920 Art Deco clock stays, though its location will be found elsewhere.
Fact: That gem is from the Old Franklin Savings Bank on 47th Street.
The 1919 bronze mailbox in the lobby is also a keeper!
08.11.09 New York Helmsley
HELMSLEY GOES UNDER THE KNIFE
We can admit, it’s been a while since the Helmsley Hotel had work done, so its only natural then to go under the knife for a face lift along with some nips and tucks. Call it a rebirth, even a renaissance; the renovation of the famed hotel is getting the kind of work done that will attract young and older men and women.
Here’s what you can expect when The New York Helmsley Hotel emerges all sexy, shiny and new:
+ An 18-foot tall back lit alabaster wall in the lobby (think slim, sleek new body.)
+ Eco chic Brentano fabrics (totally new wardrobe)
+ Murano glass chandeliers (new bling!)
+ Bisazza mosaic tiles (a little micro dermabrasion never hurts anyone, right?)
We’re most excited about the new welcome experience reception desks. No more Ft. Apache-styled front office desk, and gone is that guardian of the gate presentation! Mama’s getting a brand new bag!
See more of the renovation here.
08.06.09 Leona Helmsley, Renovation, history
THE QUEEN OF GREEN
The hotel business has typically been a man’s business. We could list those male surnames with hotel towers globalizing the world, but why talk about the competition? Historically, nary was there a woman to represent a hotel until Leona Helmsley — sporting a red three-piece skirt suit vs. the tired gray-blue of those other guys — grabbed the helm. Girl took a multi-million dollar business and transformed it into the billion-dollar hotel empire it still is today. It turns out a woman commandeering it all makes the difference. Gone was the sterility and stark masculine aesthetic. Instead, a hotel like The New York Helmsley Hotel found a way to flaunt strength and power along with style and grace. No other woman has come close to the ranks of Leona. The Helmsley name is the name du jour in hotels. They earned their reputation for being both impeccable and fabulously rich. Recent press reports estimate her net worth as in excess of $8 billion. So forget the old Queen of Mean label, Leona, as the most famed female hotelier, was the Queen of Green.
07.30.09 Leona Helmsley, Renovation, history
The New York Helmsley Hotel: A Mega Boutique Hotel
Steve Rubell may have coined the phrase “boutique hotel,” but we give credit to The New York Helmsley Hotel GM Mark Briskin for dubbing his hotel a “mega boutique hotel.”
“We give customer service like a boutique hotel but still with the backing of a bigger box hotel so it’s a perfect combination of both worlds,” says Briskin.
After all, the boutique definition has gone from a small hotel of 200 or less rooms to this loose definition that is really more about a lifestyle. Under Briskin’s management, The New York Helmsley has managed to take the 800 rooms and bring customers a boutique experience with mega-reliable service and infrastructure.
“The size and scale of our hotel has always afforded us the ability to deliver consistent customer service to business and leisure travelers. But the attention to detail and our literal focus on the customer experience with the renovation reinforces our position in a new ‘mega boutique’ category that fills a void in the marketplace,” Briskin said.
07.28.09 Leona Helmsley, Renovation, history
The Helmsley Hotels: One Big Family?
Even with all the famed firing and re-hiring, The Helmsley Hotels notoriously had a family feel. And of course the great detail about family is that you can love it and you can hate it at times. The staff at the Helmsley Hotels, says long-time staffers, were and are a big family thanks to their loyalty and continual work within the storied walls.
“The sense of family is stronger in the Helmsley Hotels than in other hotels I have worked in,” says Mark Briskin, GM of The New York Helmsley Hotel.
Competing big name and family name hotels typically adorned big portraits of the patriarchs of the hotel. Not The New York Helmsley.
“The Helmsley chain created more of a familial feel. And while everything may have revolved around the Park Lane Hotel, The New York Hemlsey hotel was bigger and made more money.” And as we know, the Helmsley’s loved money!