Sheraton Four Points First To Open At JFK In 20 Years
<B> Sheraton Four Points First To Open At JFK In 20 Years</B>
By Frank Rosci
New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani led a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Aug. 4, which officially opened the new Four Points Sheraton at JFK, the first new hotel in 20 years at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The property, formerly the Kennedy Inn, recently completed a 20-month, multimillion dollar renovation.
"The Four Points Sheraton, part of the larger picture of capital development taking place at JFK, is proof that airport hotels can be luxurious," Giuliani said. "Thanks to its owners, Hampshire Hotels and Resorts, a private company that has breathed new energy and life into the former Kennedy Inn, the hotel is the cornerstone of a revitalized neighborhood bordering the airport."
Commonly referred to as the "Cinderella Hotel" because of the property's rags-to-riches story of going from a rundown welfare hotel to a shining example of urban rebirth, the 185-room (including 15 suites) hotel boasts luxury accommodations, amenities and services, said Barry Shatoff, general manager.
Positioned as a midprice (10 to 15 percent less than other Sheratons), but still full-service brand, guest rooms feature three telephones with two lines and data port, desks with generous work space and a 27-inch color TV with complimentary cable. Rack rates range from $239 to $305 per person, per night.
"The hotel was designed and built to be a first-class home away from home for business and leisure guests just a few minutes from the airport. It was developed as a boutique hotel that creates a luxury standard for hotels at an American airport," Shatoff said.
Evidence of the hotel's European-style flair includes marble floors, crystal chandeliers, plush carpets and fine furnishings, as well as high quality table settings and cuisine in the dining room.
It's expected that corporations in the tristate area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut will use the hotel liberally," Shatoff said, since there are no hotels of comparable luxury at other area airports. "From the date of our soft opening on September 27, the hotel has rapidly become the location of choice for business travelers who converge from cities around the world for business meetings convenient to the airport, and who don't want to travel into the city."
Since the hotel is not in the flight paths of arriving or departing aircraft, guests can be assured a night's sleep free from the whine and roar of jet engines, he said. Shatoff also has pegged the property "as an overnight haven for travelers who may have missed their connections or whose flights may have been canceled."
Another plus is the hotel's cosmopolitan Manhattan-style restaurant featuring small-town prices and an executive chef hired away from 26 Hudson, one of New York's trendy restaurants, Shatoff said.
The 140-seat Birchwoods Restaurant, open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., serves American cuisine complemented with American and international wines. Travelers in a rush may choose lunch in the Fitzgerald Lounge.
For meetings, the property offers the multi-purpose, state-of-the-art Hampshire Ballroom, and flexible meeting space best suited for medium-sized corporate meetings and social functions.
"With our 3,800 square feet of meeting and banquet space, groups in the midsize range (40 to 75 attendees) are the meeting market we target and accommodate," Shatoff said. The ballroom holds up to 250 guests (300 for cocktail receptions) and can be subdivided into four sections. In addition, there are four breakout rooms, four meeting rooms and an executive boardroom.
A fitness room, gift shop, concierge, free hotel parking, complimentary 24-hour shuttle service to the terminals at JFK and complimentary newspaper round out the property's list of services.