First in 1939, and then again 50 years ago in 1964, New York City hosted the World’s Fair at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, each time presenting bold visions of the future.
With discussions underway to save the 1964 fair’s crumbling landmarks, the Big Apple is readying for the future with one of its boldest transformations ever. The city is also partnering with the state to synergize its global brand power with other New York destinations, including neighboring Long Island and Westchester County, where creative reinvention is also the theme.
Tomorrow, Today
In 2002, New York City attracted 35.3 million visitors. When commencing its ongoing global tourism marketing strategy in 2006, promoting all five boroughs as destinations, NYC & Company set 50 million as the target for 2015. Hitting that in 2011, the 2015 goal became 55 million, which the city expects to reach this year.
With another major major milestone forecast for 2014—nearly 105,000 hotel rooms—the city has confirmed its place as America’s tourism leader. As New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo noted during the state’s second annual Tourism Summit, held in May at one of Manhattan’s signature cultural and event destinations, the American Natural History Museum, this visitor boom nicely complements New York’s meetings, events and convention industry.
Increasingly configured for tourism, New York is not only physically changing, but undergoing a dramatic personality makeover as well.
“That’s putting it mildly,” remarks Tom Milmore, guitarist for longtime NYC group The Rousers, a former fixture at two legendary Manhattan venues, CBGB and Max’s Kansas City, and available nowadays for private events. “The changes are wild.”
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In Manhattan’s new deck, some cards are moving, like the acclaimed Whitney Museum of American Art’s relocation from the Upper East Side to the Meatpacking District. Opening next spring, the striking new 220,000-square-foot facility will feature 13,000 square feet of outdoor exhibition space and the city’s largest column-free gallery. Others have been upgraded, like the smartly expanded Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
Then there are the new aces in the mix: Hudson Yards and Lower Manhattan, including the World Trade Center site.
Introducing 17 eye-popping skyscrapers on a 28-acre site atop Penn Station’s rail yards, the $20 billion mixed-use Hudson Yards development, including hotels, retail, dining and parks, promises to be as revolutionary as its price tag.
With major hitters like Conde Nast and Time Inc. relocating downtown, along with an influx of creative and technology companies, Lower Manhattan is booming. According to a May 2014 report from the Alliance for Downtown New York, the 15 area hotel projects presently under construction, plus another three in the planning stages, will add 3,700 rooms to the area by 2016, doubling current capacity.
At the nearly complete 104-story, 1,776-foot One World Trade Center, visitor assets will include retail, dining, an observation deck and possible event space, adding to function facilities available at 7 World Trade. Visitors can also now access the 9/11 Memorial Pools and just-opened National 9/11 Museum.
No less alluring is Midtown, where planners have a crop of superior new and reborn hotels for meetings and events.
Group space at the new 487-room Hyatt Times Square includes the city’s highest rooftop lounge. Offering dramatic views from its outdoor terrace plus indoor seating, the 54th-floor Bar 54 is a stellar choice for daytime events, and at night, as available.
Reanimating an artful 1929 building on 57th Street is The Quin, featuring 208 luxurious rooms and a 10-person executive boardroom, along with private function space at the attached Wayfarer restaurant.
In April, New York Hilton Midtown, Manhattan’s largest hotel, finished the first stage of a multimillion-dollar refurbishment of all 1,985 guest rooms. The project is scheduled for completion in 2016. Additional enhancements wrapping this year include property-wide Wi-Fi and ballroom complex upgrades.
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Reopening this summer with 40 suites among its 330 units, Times Square’s legendary Knickerbocker Hotel, which debuted in 1906, offers a 2,200-square-foot event space, 7,500-square-foot rooftop bar and terrace, and cuisine from master chef Charlie Palmer. Guests also have priority access at Palmer’s Michelin-starred Aureole around the corner.
Apple a la Mode
The four outer boroughs are also getting in on the action taking place throughout the city.
In April, charismatic former Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz was named NYC & Company’s new vice president, borough promotion and engagement. Over the past 12 years, Markowitz helped transform Brooklyn into one of the world’s hottest visitor destinations. He continues to promote tourism and economic activity in his native borough along with Queens, The Bronx and Staten Island.
Pointedly underscoring the city’s metamorphosis is the extension of tourism to these outer boroughs, which have received some 40 percent of the city’s hotel growth since 2006.
“Smaller groups seeking authentic local experiences have a growing number of affordable options outside of Manhattan,” says Christopher Heywood, NYC & Company’s senior vice president, communications. “Planners can work with our Conference Express department to learn about options for small meetings in the outer boroughs.”
With Marriott and Sheraton among the group hotels in its booming downtown area, Brooklyn leads the way. Home to the popular Brooklyn Nets of the NBA, the 18,000-seat Barclays Center is the go-to venue for major national events such as the MTV Video Music Awards. In their 2013 report, Billboard and Venues Today ranked Barclays the top-grossing venue for concerts and family shows and top-seller of tickets in the U.S.
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Brooklyn’s former deteriorated East River waterfront is now a vibrant 85-acre multiuse park and recreational complex, including sports fields, cafes and beer gardens. With Lower Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge as backdrops, the park is a supreme new asset for groups. Permits are available for gatherings; ferries depart Pier 6 for nearby Governor’s Island, itself exceptional for scenic events.
Home to LaGuardia and JFK Airports, Queens offers mainly mid-range brands and boutiques ideal for smaller meetings. Long Island City, across the East River from Midtown Manhattan, is a vibrant visitor draw, while the newly reopened Queens Museum is a historic choice for events on the World’s Fair campus.
Meet in the South Bronx? Opened in 1913, the Bronx Opera House once hosted Harry Houdini, the Marx Brothers and other luminaries on its stage. Reborn as the luxurious Opera House Hotel, the 60-room boutique hotel accommodates groups of up to 25 in the George Burns room. The property is near Yankee Stadium and the express subway to Manhattan is one block away.
Two mega-development projects slated for 2016, the New York Wheel and Empire Outlets, promise to transform long-ignored Staten Island into a major tourist destination. Standing 60 stories tall, the former will be the world’s largest observation wheel, accommodating 1,440 people per ride, while the latter will include 100-plus designer stores, restaurants, a banquet facility and a 200-room hotel.
