New York City Reawakens: Tourism Rebound Coming With New Hotels and Attractions

April 21, 2021 Jim Byers

New attractions for the whole family. Sparkling new hotels. Outdoor and indoor dining. And, perhaps best of all, the return of Broadway theatre.

New York City’s tourism group put on a stellar virtual show on Wednesday, displaying the immense progress the city has made and tempting would-be visitors with a series of coming attractions and new things to see and do as part of an “NYC Reawakens” program.

The Big Apple “is alive, it’s thriving and it’s getting ready to welcome back the world,” said NYC & Company President and CEO Fred Dixon.

Just prior to the virtual event, Dixon joined Mayor Bill de Blasio and Chef Daniel Boulud at the Mayor’s daily news briefing to announce the largest-ever $30 million marketing campaign for tourism recovery that will launch in June.

The mayor also joined NYC & Company’s press conference to communicate the new campaign and reinforce the city’s resilience as he addressed more than 200 domestic and international travel writers, including Canadian Travel News.

NYC & Company predicts 36.4 million people will visit New York City this year, recovering more than 50% of the record 66.6 million visitors that came in 2019. They’re projecting 69.3 million visitors, a new high, for 2024.

“Tourism accounts for hundreds of thousands of jobs in this city, and building a recovery for all of us means welcoming tourists back to the greatest travel destination in the world,” said Mayor de Blasio. “The ‘NYC Reawakens’ initiative will show travellers everywhere that New York City is not only ready to host them – it’s creating a fairer, better, and more vibrant city than ever before.”

“As the ship turns toward tourism recovery, we’re pleased to present ‘NYC Reawakens’ as a call to action to encourage visitors and meetings delegates to plan and visit the five boroughs this year and experience the City’s unmatched energy, excitement and dynamism,” Dixon said. “With a packed cultural calendar, world-class hotels, a new outdoor dining scene and so much more, visitors can experience the best of everything right here in New York City.”

Here’s a look at a few things they have coming up.

NEW AND IMPROVED ATTRACTIONS

Opening in the fall, SUMMIT will be NYC’s newest observation deck and immersive experience at the crown of the iconic One Vanderbilt. SUMMIT will take visitors to the highest vantage point in Midtown with views of The Chrysler Building, Empire State Building and north to Central Park, and glass floor ledges that overhang Madison Avenue. The observation deck will also offer food and beverage options.

The Frick Collection recently opened the Frick Madison, its temporary new home while the main building is under a years-long renovation. Located at the Marcel Breuer-designed building—the former site of the Met Breuer and the Whitney Museum of American Art—the Frick Madison features new acquisitions and highlights from the collection organized chronologically and by region.

A flagship Harry Potter store will open in early June in the Flatiron District.

Governors Island, which offers tremendous views of Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Statue of Liberty, opens for visitors on May 1.

The Whitney Museum of American Art will debut Day’s End by David Hammons in May, as a permanent public art project located in Hudson River Park, directly across from the museum, that will pay homage to Gordon Matta Clark’s 1975 artwork of the same name in the same location, and change with the light of day and atmospheric conditions. Day’s End will allude to the history of NYC’s waterfront from the heyday of the City’s shipping industry in the late 19th century to its role as a gathering place for the gay community in the 1970s.

ON BROADWAY

Broadway is projected to return this September with classics like Aladdin, Chicago, The Phantom of the Opera and more, and newer productions including Hadestown, Jagged Little Pill and Moulin Rouge. Brand-new shows will also debut, including Thoughts of a Colored Man, Diana and Mrs. Doubtfire. Victoria Theater will open as an addition to the Apollo Theater this fall, marking the first expansion in its history. The theaters at the Victoria, located down the street from The Apollo, are two new and flexible performance spaces, one with 99 seats and the other with 199 seats. The space will be used by artists, students, audiences and cultural partners, extending The Apollo’s role and mission to support artistic creation and collaboration in Harlem. The Victoria Theater redevelopment project will also include residential units, retail space and a hotel, the Renaissance Hotel Harlem.

NEW HOTELS

Occupying the Crown Building in the heart of Manhattan on Fifth Avenue, Aman New York is expected to open in June with 83 rooms and suites, 22 private residences, three restaurants and a spa spanning three stories and featuring an indoor swimming pool, sauna and steam rooms, hot and cold plunge pools, as well as an outdoor terrace with cabana, daybed, and fireplace.

Opening in June, Margaritaville Resort Times Square will offer an island oasis at the crossroads of the world. Featuring 234 guestrooms and amenities such as an outdoor heated pool, retail store and fitness center, Margaritaville Resort Times Square will bring an island vibe to the bustling neighborhood.

Situated on the Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island, the Graduate Roosevelt Island (see photo) will offer guests views of Manhattan and Queens upon opening in June. The pet-friendly hotel will feature futuristic themes with nods to Roosevelt Island’s history.

Ace Hotel Brooklyn is expected to open in July in Boerum Hill, on the cusp of Downtown Brooklyn. Designed by Roman and Williams, the 287-room hotel will feature a communal lobby, a verdant indoor garden room, multiple event spaces, a large-scale installation by artist Stan Bitters, and guest rooms that feature floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic views of Manhattan, Staten Island and the Statue of Liberty.

Opening near Hudson Yards, the Pendry Manhattan West will feature 164 guest rooms including 30 suites, a signature restaurant, a lounge and open-air terrace bar when it debuts in July. Expected to open this fall a few steps from Madison Square Park.

Development is underway on the 210-room Renaissance Hotel Harlem, which is expected to open this fall above the historic 1917 Victoria Theater. Near the Apollo Theater on West 125th Street, the development also includes a cultural center, retail and apartments.

The 40-story Ritz-Carlton New York NoMad will be the City’s second Ritz[1]Carlton when it opens on 28th Street and Broadway later this year, and will include an outpost of the Mediterranean restaurant Zaytinya, by Chef José Andrés.

The Virgin Hotel will be the brand’s first NYC property upon opening in NoMad later this year. The new hotel will feature 463 guest rooms, multiple food and beverage venues and a rooftop pool and bar.

FABULOUS FOOD

With COVID-19 numbers down, New York City is now allowing up to 50% occupancy for indoor dining. Here are some great places to check out.

SONA: Featuring Indian dishes from the subcontinent and beyond, SONA recently opened in the Flatiron District with dishes such as Malabar chicken biriyani and tandoor roasted beets. The elegant restaurant resembles Mumbai in the late 1930s with an art deco lounge that flows into a rear dining room.

MELBA’S MUSSELS: Melba Wilson, the chef and owner of Melba’s, will open a new seafood restaurant in August, Melba’s Mussels, located in South Harlem. The restaurant will offer mussel dishes inspired by notable icons such as Sophia Loren and Frida Kahlo.

LE PAVILLON BY DANIEL BOULUD: Massive Midtown Seafood Restaurant Le Pavillon by Daniel Boulud will open in May at the base of One Vanderbilt with 100 seats, a 30-seat bar and a flowering garden with real black olive trees. The seafood establishment is a nod to the first haute French restaurant in NYC that opened in 1941 and closed in the early 1970s.

JOSE ANDRES OFFERINGS: This fall, José Andrés will open an outpost of Mediterranean restaurant Zaytinya in the new Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad. Bazaar will follow later in the year, also in the new hotel.

BLACK and LATINO TOURISM

NYC & Company also is highlighting Black, Latino and Asian tourism in the city. They’re encouraging locals and visitors alike to plan an “NYCcation” in the culturally diverse neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant, otherwise known as Bed-Stuy. On the heels of the launch of NYC & Company’s new content hub, The Black Experience in NYC—celebrating the diversity and nuances within New York’s Black community and what makes it unparalleled compared to every other Black community in the world—NYC & Company will be highlighting various neighbourhoods across the boroughs with a commitment to inclusivity and a more equitable future as travel restarts.

On display through September 26, Estamos Bien—La Trienal 20/21 is El Museo del Barrio’s first large-scale survey of Latinx contemporary art, featuring works by 42 artists and art collectives from throughout the US, including Puerto Rico, and representing various cultures, from Chicano to Dominican.

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