|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Contact: |
KB Network News |
| |
|
Karine Bakhoum |
| |
|
Helen Medvedovsky |
| |
|
Meryl Scheinman |
| |
|
(212) 777-3455 |
| |
|
kbnn@kbnetworknews.com |
The Doubletree Metropolitan Hotel
Celebrates One-Year Anniversary in the Big Apple
Popular Midtown Hotel Looks Back on 2005
Achievements,
Community Service & National Recognition
NEW YORK, January
2006 – This January, The Doubletree Metropolitan
Hotel (569
Lexington Avenue at 51st Street;
212-752-7000)
celebrates its
one-year anniversary as a Doubletree branded
property.
Following a $35
million renovation in 2005, the hotel joined its
corporate family and was officially renamed
Doubletree Metropolitan Hotel, New York City.
In just one year, the bustling Midtown hotel has
been designated a historical landmark by the
Landmarks Preservation Committee of New York, lead
and participated in numerous community outreach
efforts and cemented its place in Irish history.
The completely
remodeled, 755-room hotel is Doubletree’s largest
property to-date. The upscale hotel is located in
the center of Manhattan, and offers guests fully
renovated accommodations, spacious meeting rooms,
luxurious amenities, a completely redesigned lobby,
bar and restaurant, in addition to an automated
business center, fitness room, high-speed wired
Internet access, 24-inch flat-screen Zenith LCD
televisions, and the “Sweet Dreams by Doubletree
Sleep Experience.” The hotel’s interior redesign
echoes the forward-thinking and Mid-Century
Modernist aesthetic originally created for the
Metropolitan Hotel by world-renowned architect
Morris Lapidus, a pioneer in the Modernist
movement. Upscale guestroom amenities have been
custom designed with the frequent business and
leisure traveler in mind.
As 2006 unfolds,
the owners and employees of the Doubletree
Metropolitan Hotel look forward to another
prosperous year, but not without remembering the
hotel’s significant achievements in 2005:
Morris Lapidus’
“Metropolitan” Hotel Recognized
The Doubletree
Metropolitan Hotel was designated as a New York
City Landmark by the Landmarks Preservation
Committee in fall of 2005. From the outset, the
owners of the hotel recognized the significance of
the architectural heritage of Morris Lapidus and
embraced his vision and original architecture
throughout the renovations and redesign. The owners
of The Doubletree Metropolitan Hotel enlisted Morris
Lapidus’ son, Alan Lapidus, who was an architect on
the original project management team in the 1960's,
to ensure that the essence of his father's original
vision was respectfully preserved. Today, the
signature sea foam-colored “wave” and modern design
details of the Doubletree Metropolitan Hotel have
become a significant part of New York City’s
architectural landscape, and the building is one of
the city’s remaining Modernist and Lapidus-designed
buildings.
Doubletree Metropolitan
Hotel Preserves Irish History
On September 15,
2005, The Doubletree Metropolitan Hotel held a
tribute to Eamon de Valera, the third
President of Ireland who was born at The Children’s
Nursing Hospital located at 51st and Lexington
Avenue, now the site of the Doubletree Metropolitan
Hotel. Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg,
Bertie Ahern, T.D (Irish Prime Minister/Taoiseach),
The Irish Consulate and other political dignitaries
and community leaders came together to re-dedicate a
plaque to Eamon de Valera, the great Irish leader.
The plaque to commemorate his birth once hung in the
hotel, but over time and due to renovations, it was
moved. Now, the plaque that hangs prominently in the
front entrance of the hotel has become a frequent
stop for members of the Irish community both locally
and internationally, as well as those interested in
New York City’s vast contributions to Irish history.
Teaching Kids to CARE the
Doubletree Way
This May, the
Doubletree Metropolitan Hotel partnered with the
Doubletree brand and the National Arbor Foundation
to participate in the annual and nationally
acclaimed program, Teaching Kids to
CARE,
a community-based outreach program to educate
children about making conscious decisions, including
caring for their community. In celebration of
spring, the season of re-growth and renewal, the
hotel partnered with St. Bartholomew Community
Preschool students and parents to plant 75
evergreen seedlings at the hotel. Representatives of
the hotel worked directly with teachers to educate
the St. Bartholomew’s students with a lesson plan
that was developed in conjunction with The National
Arbor Day Foundation. Together they educated
children on the importance of caring for the
environment through the acts of planting trees and
recycling.
In the fall,
Hurricane Katrina was on the forefront of everyone’s
hearts and minds, and along with the Doubletree
brand, the hotel took a new direction with Teaching
Kids to CARE. The culmination of the program was a
“Cookies for a Cause” Fundraiser held during
the months of October and November 2005, where all
participating Doubletree hotels simultaneously
donated 2,005 cookies to their adopted school class.
With the help of St. Bartholomew’s Preschool
and
Ossining High School
in Westchester, NY, The Doubletree Metropolitan
Hotel supported and organized numerous bake sales
for the American Red Cross and Hurricane Relief
raising more than $12,000; with Doubletree
matching the funds. The program, organized by
Doubletree Hotels across the country, raised
$250,000 to benefit recovery efforts for victims
of Hurricane Katrina, Rita and Wilma.
“The Doubletree
Metropolitan Hotel has celebrated many milestones in
our first year and was received so positively by New
Yorkers and travelers to the city,” says Sam Kapadia,
General Manager. “We have built many strong
relationships not only within our community, but
also with a new base of loyal Doubletree customers
and visitors to Manhattan. We look forward to
another successful year.”
To make
reservations at any Doubletree hotel, travelers can
visit our website at
www.doubletree.com, contact their preferred
travel professional or call 1-800-222-TREE in the
U.S. and Canada.
*
* * |
