Spanish Hotelier to Establish Beachheads in US

By Scott Baltic, Contributing Editor

70 Park Ave., New York City

New York—In barely two weeks, Iberostar Hotels & Resorts will open its first property in the United States, with the second to follow later this year, the Spanish company announced late last week.

First to open, on June 15, will be a four-star boutique hotel featuring 205 rooms on 16 floors at 70 Park Ave. in the heart of Manhattan, near Times Square, Grand Central Station, the U.N. headquarters, Bryant Park and the Flatiron District.

The hotel, a Kimpton until June 15, according to to an Iberostar spokesperson, is housed within a 1928-vintage stone-and-red-brick building. The ground floor of the Iberostar 70 Park Ave. reportedly will feature a variety of cuisine options, such as Silverleaf Coffee & Tea and Silverleaf Tavern, a baroque-inspired lounge.

“With its prime location and focus on service, this new hotel is the perfect way to mark our entrance into the U.S. market,” José Antonio González, vice chairman & CEO America of Grupo Iberostar, said in a prepared statement.

In December, Iberostar is scheduled to open its second U.S. hotel, the Iberostar Berkeley in Miami’s popular South Beach district. Located in a renovated 1940s Art Deco building, it will feature 96 boutique rooms.

Dollar figures have not be released for either property.

The company, which is based on Majorca, in Spain’s Balearic Islands, focuses on four- and five-star beachfront hotels. It owns and operates more than 100 hotels in 16 countries in the Americas, Europe and Africa, including three in Brazil, three in Jamaica, ten in Mexico and six in the Dominican Republic.