A superlative secret

With an excellent location, this Manhattan hotel is just from a two minutes walk of Central Park and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. It is an ideal place for walking in the most popular parts of Manhattan. Times Square and interesting circuits of theaters on Broadway are also located just 20 minutes away. The Museum of Art and Design is within five minutes and Columbus Circle is four blocks south.

The Empire Hotel was extensively refurbished in 2007. The most popular search is the fantastic pool at the roof garden, a beautiful terrace with comfortable seating to enjoy panoramic views of New York. Imagine taking a tasty cocktail and something to eat in the summer, served by the pool deck. Why not enjoy a pool overlooking Central Park? The rooftop lounge offers magnificent Empire State views and majestic scenery of the Hudson River. The lobby, with its wooden floors and metal accents, is a successful tribute to architecture from the Lincoln Center, which was a predominant design in the 1960s.

 

 

Upper West Side

The Upper West Side is not the most exclusive area of the city, but it’s a great place to move around and discover the highlights of the city of New York, beyond the tourist clichés and simple things to do showed on TV. Like anywhere in New York, this is also an easy place to find great restaurants. Now, in this zone you will not be able to find the big night clubs with velvet carpets, fashion boutiques or art galleries. In this area, the most populous and casual clothing shops and bars predominate. 

In addition to the Folk Art Museum, we can find the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, the American Museum of Natural History and the Hayden Planetarium, making Upper West Side a recreational area for families seeking alternatives to crowded spaces like  Times Square, which is a real magnet for tourists.

 

 

The boutique Empire Hotel has 422 rooms. It should be mentioned that some of them are not very large, but this is characteristic of the Manhattan universe. All rooms are tastefully decorated. Each combines the colors of earth tones which predominate in Central Park and the modernism of Lincoln Center. It is a place where comfort and sophistication are under balance. Functionality and romantic touches of Italian linens which dress elegant beds are spotted. The service, with a cosmopolitan and multilingual staff is outstanding, very professional, friendly and attentive.

The rooms include a bathroom with showers that have a tropical rain effect, plus teak floors. Among the benefits they include an MP3 docking station and large flat screens. With free accommodation for children under 12, always occupying the same room as their parents or guardians, using existing bedding.

The guestes of the Empire Hotel can enjoy excellent gastronomy in Ed’s Chowder House, his restaurant is specialized in seafood. The Rooftop Bar & Lounge, can be found on the 12th floor and it also offers several dishes. This elegant bar counts with a salon that has a chimney and moving ceiling in order to enjoy rest without any weather conditions. The views of the city are very attractive and a real source of inspiration. The Lobby Bar, on the other hand, provides an intimate setting for an aperitif before lunch or dinner. Located in the hotel lobby, with comfortable sofas and a more appropriate lighting for the evening. It is the busiest area of the establishment.

 

 

 

Of the oldest in Manhattan

An important detail to note is the nearby holding of the New York Fashion Week, which takes place each time in Bryant Park of Lincoln Center. Just a few steps from the hotel, you can see the fashion room and watch people come and go from the catwalk to the evening parties.

Maybe a Thursday night you might find the pleasant surprise of finding a DJ “ serving “ music of the 80s and 90s. Other amenities that can be highlighted are the spa, a small gym  with weights and some machines, as well as pet services offering beds for cats and dogs. 

Beautiful stone houses from decades past are mixed in the district with tall buildings and flashier modern apartments. The Empire is one of the oldest hotels in Manhattan, but with the renewal it has become a modern retreat with an interesting elegant rooftop lounge, with a pool and bar. It Retains its characteristic of the giant neon sign from 1920, a primarily symbol of the flashing red light.

 

 

Text: Amura ± Photo: CLOUDFRONT / JETCDN / DICK JOHNSON / MULTIPRESS / JKST / WALD