Conrad New York Hotel Opens in Lower Manhattan, Seeks LEED Gold Certification

By Veronica Grecu, Associate Editor

Conrad Hotels & Resorts, the global premium brand of Hilton Worldwide, has opened its first New York City hotel—a 16-story all-suite luxury facility located at 102 North End Avenue—in Lower Manhattan’s Battery Park neighborhood.

Designed by architects Monica Ponce de Leon and Marianne Mckenna of Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg and Kohn Pedersen Fox, the 463-room hotel aims to offer a unique experience for independent travelers, business clientele and Manhattanites seeking a stylish setting in the heart of America’s most dynamic city.

Conrad New York’s suites start at 430 square feet and rent for $249 per night on weekends. Each suite includes two flat panel TVs, one-touch technologies, a mini bar, wireless internet access and an iPod sound dock. From May through October, guests will have access to Loopy Doopy, a rooftop bar offering 180-degree views of the Lower West Side and the Statue of Liberty. Atrio, the hotel’s signature full-service restaurant, will serve Mediterranean cuisine overseen by Executive Chef Anthony Zamora, who formerly worked at the Four Season Hotel New York.

The new hotel’s high-end character is reflected in the 15-story atrium highlighted by Loopy Doopy and a dramatic Sol LeWitt painting rising 13 floors above the registration desk. Apart from the Sol LeWitt work, the Conrad Hotel New York also houses some 2,000 contemporary art selections curated by the Public Art Fund and Elizabeth Gould Vales.

With more than 30,000 square feet of flexible space, the Conrad can easily accommodate business meetings and artistic events. According to a The Downtown Express review, the hotel’s 6,200-square-foot Gallery Ballroom has already been booked by the Tribeca Film Festival for the award ceremonies in April.

Strongly committed to sustainability, the Conrad New York is pursuing a LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council and, once certified, it will be the first LEED Gold new construction project in an existing building in New York. Apart from the green roof and the chef’s roof garden, the hotel’s sustainable amenities include bike racks for public use, low-flow plumbing fixtures, LED lights for more than 60 percent of all  lighting, low VOC materials for better indoor air quality and Energy Star kitchen equipment.

Illustration courtesy of Conrad Hotels & Resorts website