NEW YORK, May 2001 - With 64% of its business coming from business travelers, Manhattan East Suite Hotels, headquartered in Manhattan, is planning a multi-million dollar renovation of its suites to better meet the needs of executives away from the office.

The Dumont Plaza, at 34th Street and Lexington Avenue, will complete a $12 million renovation of all 248 suites by the end of the year.  The hotel's lobby will also be re-designed to create a welcoming urban gathering place.  

The Southgate Tower, at 371 Seventh Avenue, has renovated two-thirds of their rooms and completely upgraded the kitchens and bathrooms.   The hotel is also creating five floors of superior suites, most of which feature balconies and oversized bathrooms.  Additionally, the Southgate has redesigned 27 of its rooms to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. 
 

The next property scheduled for renovation is Manhattan East's Plaza Fifty, located at 155 East 50th Street.  The façade and canopy of the building were completely replaced this spring to create a more modern stylish entrance.  The lobby and suites will be redesigned in 2002.   "Our suites must have all the bells and whistles of a sophisticated office combined with the comforts of home," said Chief Marketing Officer for Manhattan East Suite Hotels, Robert Tully.  "We are not giving lip service to this market.  Rather, we are embarking on a company-wide renovation to stay on the cutting edge of the business traveler's needs."

Manhattan East Suite Hotels is New York's first and largest collection of all-suite hotels. A family business for over three  decades, Manhattan East Suite Hotels is owned and operated by members of the Denihan family. Since 1962, the Denihans have built  the company from one 130-suite hotel to ten all-suite properties  featuring more than 2,100 units and employing over 1,000 people.

Manhattan East Style

The Dumont suites are the benchmark for the other eight hotels in the Manhattan East collection.  The rooms offer executive desks, task lighting and the one item every business traveler longs for, an ergonomic Herman Miller Aeron® chair.  Two-line cordless telephones with voice mail and easy access dataports will be offered in every suite.

Di Leonardo International of Warwick, Rhode Island has designed the new Manhattan East suites to replicate sleek urban apartments.  Each property's décor will be unique, yet all will evoke a feeling of luxurious comfort with timeless sophistication, featuring plush carpeting, oversized furnishings and soft customized lighting.  Personal touches such as throw pillows, chenille wraps, and artisan pieces will make guests feel as if they are at home.

Guests will enjoy a perfect night's sleep on the custom-made bed which features a Serta® mattress created exclusively for Manhattan East.  Luxurious down comforters and pillows complete the scene. To further enhance guest comfort, the rooms will feature a lounge chair and matching ottoman, a 27" television, adjustable reading lights and a CD player/clock radio.

For that home away from home feeling, the rooms all include fully equipped kitchens with a refrigerator, stove, microwave, dishes and utensils as well as a coffeemaker.  One-bedroom suites also feature dishwashers.  The kitchens provide a full honor bar, and the hotel's staff will custom stock the refrigerator for guests with special requests.  

Manhattan East Suite Hotels is the fifth largest hotel operator in New York City. The group is the largest all-suite hotel collection in the city featuring ten properties in Manhattan's best East Side and Midtown neighborhoods.