We came across this photo in the New York Public Library's digital archive, and were kind of stunned it was taken in New York City... Staten Island, to be exact. But precious little information is available about this place. The library's caption simply reads: "May's—view of building, patio with umbrella tables, dance hall entrance, sign advertising May's Hotel Bar and Grill." more ›

One moment, you're in the coffee shop at the Parker-Meridien. The next, the neighboring building's construction crew somehow breaks through the wall and sends a river of concrete onto the floor. Bernard Gershon told NBC New York that he was "there with a friend when they heard debris falling behind the wall, and a rustling noise. 'Then we heard a cracking sound, so we thought we should get up. Then we heard loud cracking, then we were running like mad out to 57th Street.'" more ›

The death of prominent French scholar Richard Descoings in the Michelangelo hotel Tuesday doesn't, on first blush, appear to be foul play, but that doesn't mean it hasn't gotten a bit of intrigue in the latest news cycle. The NYPD says the initial autopsy requires further study and is awaiting a toxicology report, so of course the Post today has gone and added a homosexual twist to the sad story. Oh la la! more ›

A 53-year-old French academic was discovered dead in a midtown hotel room yesterday, naked in bed, with his cellphone lying on a landing four floors beneath his seventh-floor room. Because of the phone, police are treating the death of Richard Descoings, the director of France’s Sciences-Po institute (a school attended by France's last three presidents), as suspicious. more ›

Someone should tell the MTA that not all contract negotiations have to get serious after a contract has expired. Sometimes, they can wrap the whole thing up months before—and they can even include good news for employees. Take hotel workers, for instance. If their new contract is ratified on Monday (months before the old one ends) not only will workers start making more, but some of them will be getting outfitted with personal panic buttons—to try and prevent DSK 2: The Wrath Of Kahn, naturally. more ›

Hotels were created so people had a place to do all the weird stuff they couldn't do at home: world leaders can canoodle, impromptu "best-ass contests" can be held, and of course, celebrities can have "booze-and-blow" binges. And to that end, a new lawsuit contends that boxing legend and noted women's neglige aficionado Oscar De La Hoya threw just such a booze-and-blow fueled sex party at The Ritz-Carlton on Central Park South, complete with cross-dressing, veiled threats, and unnamable sexual positions. “It was beyond kinky. Things that I don’t even know how to explain were done with him,” model Angelica Marie Cecora told the Post. more ›

Working in the service industries is never easy—just ask some delivery guys—but it sure can be funny. Having seen our fair share of Fawlty Towers, we knew that hotels could be hotbeds of humor, but the truly absurd questions that appear on the Guests From Hell Twitter feed really hammer the point home: "Is there a 9/11 gift shop?" more ›

Charlie Sheen is inside the building. Or rather, he has arrived in New York City. According to the Daily News, the MaSheen checked in to Trump International Hotel this morning (he was banned from The Plaza, and several other establishments), which was surrounded by paparazzi. The Post reports that he booked 12 rooms at the hotel for four nights. He's all ours until Monday, New York! And TMZ will be helping us cherish every moment by documenting his every move. more ›

The Rhode Island woman who was raped by hotel employee Jaime Marin Lopez Mendoza while staying at Midtown's Dream Hotel in December 2009 is still haunted by the horrific incident. A month after her rapist was sent to jail for 15 years she's filed a lawsuit Surrey Hotel Associates, the Hotel's parent company. more ›

A hooker who set up a tryst with a man who answered her ad on Backpage.com was assaulted by him earlier this week. The Post reports, "the 37-year-old prostitute from San Pablo [California] met the unidentified john in a room at the Candlewood Suites late Monday afternoon... After asking the woman how much she charged, the madman pulled a hammer from his jacket and began bashing her over the head." more ›

"You've dreamed about it..." the Grand Prospect Hall hotel! The 118-year-old Park Slope banquet hall is currently most famous for its amazing commercial (below), but its history is one of a kind. More on that later, but right now the owners hope to expand with a luxury hotel next to their current space. Owner Michael Halkias says it would be an 11-story, 150-room hotel, and told the Daily News, "The Marriott killed me. I have a gorgeous, spectacular space. I have more space than most hotels in the city... But I don't have sleeping rooms." more ›

As the legend of the Hotel Chelsea evaporates (allegedly!), one Mr. Andre Balazs may be interested in stepping in and reviving what's left of the institution... or at least capitalizing on its history while marketing it towards a celebrity crowd. According to Page Six the hotelier was spotted in the lobby and meeting with management last week (he's eyed the place in the past, too). more ›

In October there was a rumor going around that Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino (of Jersey Shore fame) would be pairing up with The Plaza and possibly becoming a partner and the face of a luxury gym there. But apparently the posh hotel, and national landmark, had enough bad press from the Charlie Sheen incident, and now the NY Post reports that the reality fameball won't be G, T, or L'ing there anytime soon. In fact, he "has been barred from getting involved"! more ›

After years of criticism that rivaled the reviews of Godsend, Robert De Niro appeared in front of the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission to present revised renderings for a controversial two-story penthouse at the Greenwich Hotel in TriBeCa. The Observer was on the scene, noting that when De Niro and son, a real estate broker, entered, "with preservation consultants, land-use attorneys and architects in tow, three paparazzi sprang into action, as well as half-a-dozen reporters with point-and-shoot cameras. It was a rare event for the ninth floor of One Centre Street." more ›

A woman visiting NYC from Florida says she was bitten by bedbugs while staying at the fancy Waldorf Astoria, a hotel popular with heads of state and celebrities. After waking up with welts and rashes on her arm, the unidentified woman complained to the hotel's management, who were not very proactive, according to her account. Sure, they upgraded her to a $700-a-night suite in the "super-fancy" Waldorf-Astoria Towers section, but she tells the Post that managers wouldn't take her word for it, and asked her to display her bites. more ›

Have you heard of Lauren Hildebrandt? Well, she's a pop singer, according to USA Today, and she was apparently bit by a bed bug in a "unidentified luxury hotel...in New York City's Union Square neighborhood." Hildebrandt will not identify the hotel while the case is being investigated, but says the establishment is being "very good in their response to the situation so far." She also warns her fans about the dangers of sleeping in such opulence: "People should be aware of the danger in NYC hotels right now. I couldn't sleep at night, because I kept thinking they were in my bed." Someone tell Bieber he's in terrible danger! more ›

Because many more students than expected have have decided to attend NYU this fall, some students may be living in hotel rooms. The Washington Square News reported, "250 students guaranteed housing for the fall semester have yet to be issued room assignments. As of Friday, August 6, 98 of the 250 students could not fit into any NYU residence hall. The other 152 students may be split up from housing pairs to fill remaining beds that are still empty." more ›

The economy and job market may be sluggish, but the hotel business is booming, and to capitalize on record-high tourism in NYC, there are 46 new hotels rushing to open this year—more than any other city in America, according to the Times. Last week we took a tour of one of these, the 18-story "Gansevoort Park Ave NYC" on the corner of Park Avenue and 29th Street. It's pretty swish, and it better be, because after next week's soft-opening introductory rate of $275 a night, it will bump up to $400 by September. But of course you don't have to get a room to throw money around here. more ›

Everyone loves a nice, cool dip in the water on sweltering summer days, but unless you have the luxury of having a private pool in your building—or rich friends in the suburbs—your options are pretty limited. You can schlep out to the beaches to freeze yourself in the Atlantic, or brave the unsanitary nightmare that is a public pool. But some hotels are wising up, and are letting outsiders enjoy the luxuries of summertime swims...for a fee. more ›

Looks like Williamsburg isn't the only neighborhood where the illegal hotel business is booming. Times Square is starting to get its own cropping of shady lodgings, and the city is having a hard time shutting them down. more ›

Did you hear about the cute couple who just got hooked up with 1950s pricing at the Waldorf-Astoria, after not staying there since their wedding night on May 20th, 1950? The Daily News has Edith and Robert Scalise's story, which began at Brooklyn's PS 157 when they were around 12 years old, and was made official in 1950 when they wed at a Williamsburg church. more ›