MadParkNews.com, covering New York City's Madison Square Park & Flatiron

The Hotel Thirty-Thirty (30/30) at 29 East 29th Street has been renovated and re-opened as the LOLA Hotel this month. The multi-million dollar renovation has sought to restore and yet modernize the glamor of its prior incarnation as the women-only, Martha Washington Hotel of the early 1900′s. Susan Jaques lead the design effort.

It is unclear if the property ownership changed hands, but the new hotel is reportedly under the ownership/management of the Rockpoint Group and Highgate Hotels.

Photo via www.hotellolanyc.com

The 276 rooms “feature beautiful, sleek and spacious bathrooms with fabulous backlit mirrors and slate tiling…plush down duvets, and 300 thread-count bedding as well as 37” HD flat-screen TVs, iPod/iPad docking stations and WIFI.” According to their website, the hotel also has a new fitness center, a restaurant called Zana’s Cafe, and a bar called Lola’s Living Room.

For their grand opening, rooms are 30% off and can be booked in January for as low as $106/night, an amazing deal for such a central room in Manhattan.

For more info go to www.hotellolanyc.com.

The Real Estate Weekly reports that Marriott is the previously unnamed buyer of the historic MetLife Clock Tower building adjacent to Madison Square Park (5 Madison Avenue). Marriott reportedly will turn the building into one of their upscale and contemporary Edition brand hotels.

The deal is slated to close December 15th.

The building was owned by Africa Israel and has been the subject of several proposed plans in the past, including very large (4,000+ square foot) ultra-high-end condos designed by Donatella Versace, and then revised to be condos about half the size with a new designer involved, and then more recently a deal with a group including Tommy Hilfiger that intended to turn part of it into a hotel.

The Met Life Clock Tower was built in 1909 and was at one time the world’s tallest building.

According to Crain’s, a deal with a group including Tommy Hilfiger that intended to buy to buy the MetLife Clock Tower building adjacent to Madison Square Park, has collapsed, reportedly due to financing and other issues.

The plan was originally reported to be that Hilfiger and JSR Capital would buy the famous building and turn at least a portion of it into a hotel.

The building has been the subject of several proposed plans in the past, including very large (4,000+ square foot) ultra-high-end condos designed by Donatella Versace, and then revised to be condos about half the size with a new designer involved.

The historic building was built in 1909 and was at one time the world’s tallest building.

For those who follow this stuff, the NY Post reports that newly married Kim Kardashian and her husband NBA player Kris Humphries will move into the Gansevoort Park Avenue Hotel (420 Park Avenue South between 28th and 29th Street).

She will be staying there while filming this season of Kourtney & Kim Take New York, the reality show on E!

According to Crain’s, the developers of the MAvE Hotel (62 Madison Avenue at 27th Street).

The hotel does still appear to be open though (www.themavehotel.com) and you can check rates and specials at www.themavehotel.com/specials.

The boutique hotel opened in July 2009 just north of Madison Square Park and was one of the first of a string of new boutique hotels planned for the area (Ace Hotel, Nomad hotel, Flatiron Hotel).

The Wall Street Journal reports that the buyer of the famous Hotel Chelsea (222 West 23rd street) is real estate investor Joseph Chetrit, who has had experience in renovating historic hotels. The report says he intends to renovate it and keep it as a hotel. Built in 1883 to the west of Madison Square Park, [...]

A group lead by clothing designer Tommy Hilfiger have purchased the Met-Life clock Tower building (5 Madison Avenue) on the east side of Madison Square Park, according to the Wall Street Journal. The plan is to turn it into a hotel.

The building has been the subject of several proposed plans in the past, including very large (4,000+ square foot) ultra-high-end condos designed by Donatella Versace, and then revised to be condos about half the size with a new designer involved.

The historic building was built in 1909 and was at one time the world’s tallest building.