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

The rooftop of the Flatiron Hotel (1141 Broadway at 26th Street), aka Toshi’s Penthouse, will open to the public in May and it looks like they did a nice job with its design (see photo below). It’s 4000 square feet of space that can handle a 150-person banquet or a 350-person cocktail party. It has views out on to the New York City skyline and the Empire State Building. Currently they are booking the space for birthdays, weddings and events, but word is they will open to the general public select nights of the week in May and will kick things off with a launch party (Check out the Toshi’s Living Room & Penthouse Facebook page for more info). This place looks like it is going to be a great spot for drinks this summer (it’s hard to imagine those hot summer nights right now but we know they are coming).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="557"] Photo via www.toshislivingroom.com[/caption]

It was late last year when we got word that the guy behind Hotel Toshi, actor, businessman and underground party hoster Robert ‘Toshi’ Chan, would be taking over management (if not even ownership) of the newly created Flatiron Hotel (1141 Broadway at 26th Street).

Well if you have walked passed the open glass, street-level corner stage at Broadway and 26th recently, you will often find a crowded room with some sort of performance going on at what has been named Toshi’s Living Room. It’s a very active calendar of both music of all sorts from rock, jazz, electronic, funk, pop and even Broadway. Most events are free and you can order drinks and food. They also have the occasional ticketed event, like the upcoming performance by RENT’s Anthony Fedorov, who will perform originals and songs from his roles in Joseph, The Fantasticks, Hairspray, RENT and his run through American Idol. (Read more here)

Check out the full upcoming schedule at www.toshislivingroom.com/public_html/events.php.

And while you are there, you can get an up close look at the 2-story 20,000 gallon fish tank in the lobby.

Source: Roger Hotel

The Hotel Roger (131 Madison Avenue at 31st Street) re-launches today after a $12 million redesign under the leadership of John Flannigan, President of JRK Hotel Group. The hotel originally opened in 2004, but with the resurgence of boutique hotels in the Nomad area (Ace Hotel, Nomad Hotel, MAve Hotel, Flatiron Hotel), the property got a full upgrade. The key people involved in the re-design included “hospitality guru Steven Kamali (Capri, Thompson Hotels, Rushmeyers, Surf Lodge, Nobu, many more), designer Anna Busta (W South Beach), mixologist Johnny Swet (Jimmy, Hotel Griffou), and chef Julia Farias (Goat Town).”

One great feature of this hotel are the rooms with terraces. (Photo: above right)

They currently have a 15% off re-launch promotion (code is RELAUNCH) as well in case you have out of town guests coming to the city. Book at http://www.therogernewyork.com/#specials/3. And here is the current menu and drinks menu.

And here is a before and after photo of a redesigned room:

Source: Roger Hotel

The Nomad area continues to be popular in recent years for new boutique hotels including the opening of the Ace Hotel (29th and Broadway), the Nomad Hotel (28th and Broadway), the Flatiron Hotel (26th and Broadway), The Gansevoort Park Hotel (32nd and Park Ave South), and the MAve Hotel (27th and Madison), plus the recently announced Commune Hotel.

Reports are in that a new boutique hotel will be constructed in the Nomad neighborhood at 11-13 East 31st Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue. The hotel is owned by SDG (Simon Development Group), but will be managed by Commune Hotels, which is the new name resulting from the merger of the stylish Thompson Hotels and Joie de Vivre Hotels (JDV).

The hotel is slated to have 260 rooms on 33 stories, as well as a 125 seat restaurant, a lounge and a rooftop bar with unobstructed views. Construction should start in ‘early 2013 with an opening in 2014′, according to the SDG website.

This will be one of the first hotels managed by Commune, but Thompson Hotels currently has 5 popular hotels in New York City. Most of the Joie de Vivre hotels are in California.

The Nomad area continues to be popular in recent years for new boutique hotels including the opening of the Ace Hotel (29th and Broadway), the Nomad Hotel (28th and Broadway), the Flatiron Hotel (26th and Broadway), The Gansevoort Park Hotel (32nd and Park Ave South), and the MAve Hotel (27th and Madison)

We all know the Nomad Restaurant (1170 Broadway at 28th Street) opened to the public Monday, March 26th, but the Nomad Hotel is also now open for reservations (there are even rooms open tonight). You can even make reservations now at www.thenomadhotel.com/#/reservations/rooms. From the website, it looks like rooms start at $295/night for the opening, [...]

The yet-to-be officially launched Flatiron Hotel (9 West 26th Street at Broadway) is looking for artists and performers to be part of a weekly series of live performances right in the lobby. The stage will be visible from all angles (including through the glass windows on to Broadway and 26th Street) for maximum exposure.

All creative types should get in contact with them. Writers, producers, photographers, performers, musical directors, playwrights, songwriters, librettists, composers, choreographers, and singers are all encouraged to apply. It’s all part of Toshi’s Playhouse, named after new hotel owner and actor (The Departed, lots of tv) Robert ‘Toshi’ Chan.

Applications in the form of a cd, script, transcript, photos, music, and ideas should be submitted to:

The Curator
Flatiron Hotel
9 West 26th Street
New York, NY 10010

Call 212-839-8000 curator@flatironhotel.com for more info.

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