NYC Hotels Complete Structural Renovations

The Ritz-Carlton Central Park last month completed 16 expanded suites, while the boutique Roger Hotel, formerly known as the Roger Williams, in March unveiled a top-to-bottom renovation that included a new mezzanine level. Unlike most hotel renovations, which stop at replacing soft goods in guest rooms and furniture in the lobby, the changes at the Ritz-Carlton and Roger are examples of more sweeping structural changes that owners of Manhattan hotels increasingly make.

"As the local market continues to strengthen and the prospects for increased revenues begin to pay off, owners are willing to make capital improvements," said Bjorn Hanson, head of the hospitality and leisure practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers. "In many cases, the capital expenditures are quite significant, but are only going forward because owners are confident they'll see a return娗 substantial return峱n their investment."

Many travel managers prefer when owners upgrade properties. They want hotels in their programs to be as comfortable and appealing to travelers as possible. They remain cost-conscious, however, and draw the line when owners make improvements solely as a justification to raise room rates, not to maintain or improve the quality of their hotels.

Creating the enlarged suites at the deluxe Ritz-Carlton has resulted in the room inventory shrinking from 277 to 261. "All the new suites include an additional full bathroom that comes with two flat-screen televisions and expanded closet space," according to general manager Rick Evanich. "Many suites also feature sweeping Central Park views."

Travel buyers who would not usually negotiate rates for upgraded rooms or suites might make exceptions for VIP travelers or situations in which a suite is being pressed into use as a meeting room. "In fact, the higher-end suites contain a dining room that can be converted into use for just such high-level business meetings," Evanich said. Given that the property is residential in feel, the hotel can assure participants that meetings held in suites will be low-profile and discreet.

The overhaul at The Roger, which is located at Madison Ave. and 31st St., came as part of a change in ownership and repositioning from a traditional business hotel to a boutique property. "We wanted to open up the lobby to create more of a sense of place," said general manager John Flannigan. "Structurally, this meant taking out the ceiling above the lobby and installing a dramatic staircase that now leads to a new mezzanine level." The mezzanine is used for breakfast.

Meanwhile, more traditional guest room renovations recently have been completed or still are underway at the Grand Hyatt and Millennium Broadway hotels, among others. Neither involved structural changes to the building. At both the Grand Hyatt and Millennium Broadway, a more minimal, Asian-inspired room décor was chosen as the new look. The Hyatt renovation included replacing the bed with the chain's new signature Grand Bed. At the Millennium, the Asian influence was chosen because of its calming effect. Included is a Japanese-style platform bed that sits close to the ground. As in most upscale hotels, however, the bed linen still is Italian and high thread-count.