Courtyard by Marriott Hotel to Replace 83-Year Old Building; Charles Schwab Corp. Expands NYC Footprint

By Veronica Grecu, Associate Editor

Marriott International will develop a new 168-room Courtyard by Marriott hotel on the northeast corner of 6^th Avenue and 35^th Street, near Macy’s and New York’s Penn Station. This will be the hotel chain’s seventh Courtyard-branded facility in the city, and it is scheduled to be complete in early 2012. According to the group’s official statement, it will occupy the former Atlantic Bank of New York Building, a 17-story tower that was built in 1928.

Some of the building’s features, such as the façade with 5,000 square feet of leased retail space on the ground floor, will be maintained, while the hotel’s third floor will be occupied by a signature lobby featuring an exclusive 55-inch LCD interactive touch screen packed with local information, maps, weather and news, business and sports headlines.  Floors four through 17 will be occupied by guest rooms. Each of them will be equipped with a flat-panel television, complimentary Wi-Fi access and a functional area with a multi-level desk.

In other news, the Charles Schwab Corp.’s is expanding its footprint in New York City. The company, a financial services leader headquartered in San Francisco, has opened two new branches in the city—an 8,100-square-foot Grand Central branch that opened in late September and a 10,300-square-foot Rockefeller Center branch that is expected to open in early November. Schwab’s Upper West Side branch has been expanded and upgraded as well, and a new branch was added in October in central Forrest Hills, at 10709 70th Rd in Queens.

According to Schwab representatives, the upgrades and expansions at  Grand Central and Rockefeller Center offer high-end features such as complementary WiFi and iPad access that are meant to enhance New York investors’ experience. Both branches feature expanded meeting areas—1,150 square feet in Grand Central and 1,480 square feet in Rockefeller Center.