New York’s Yotel

Oct 152011

by Denise Mattia

Early in October,writers met at Dohyo, one of the four restaurants in YOTEL the innovative Tenth Avenue and 42^nd Street hotel, which opened in June 2011, and were treated to Chef Richard Sandoval’s signature communal dishes – plates of spicy tuna roll, vegetarian roll, pork and foie gras gyoza, wild muchroom egg roll and grilled salmon — ingredients from around the globe. In the wide-open space, designed in the size and shape of a Japanese sumo-wrestling ring, long communal tables rise out of the floor thanks to a patented hydraulic system. Connecting spaces categorize this 18,000 square foot area that serves as a meting/lounge/entertainment space for guests and New Yorkers “in the know.”

The Terrace, New York’s largest outdoor hotel space fringes the restaurant, and the Club Lounge, an informal space, is perfect for work and relaxation. Club Cabins are available to rent by the hour or the day for smaller group events. Each cabin is fitted with banquette seating, a coffee table that converts into a full-size dining table and a flat-screen TV and video game console.

We were divided into two groups to view the hotel rooms, a series of smart, compact, functional spaces. Some members met CEO and founder Gerard Green, who conducted a mini-tour of the executive spaces. Green’s on a mission to revolutionize the hotel industry and save guests from expensive and boring hotels. And from the look of YOTEL on 42^nd, he’s succeeded.

The YOTEL is part of the Related Company’s 1.2 million square-foot, 60-story LEED-silver complex and is the first YOTEL hotel opening outside of its current European airport locations.

About Denise Mattia

A writer and photographer, Denise Mattia’s works are published nationally and internationally and include all aspects of leisure travel: art , culture, resorts, spas, food and wine and sports’ activities. She's the founder of the soon to be launched Yum-Yum-Traveler, a site devoted to reviewing restaurants in addition to her travel articles from around the world. She lives and works in Manhattan, where she was born.