These 3 New York Hotels Get You Into The Hottest Broadway Shows
An usher opens the stage curtains of a Broadway show.
getty
It's rare for a hotel room to prepare you for an event you're about to attend. But Room 309, usually known as the Shanti Suite, at The Chatwal, New York does exactly that.
The Stay Gold Suite at The Chatwal, New York
Angela Conners Treimer
Guests who stay there as part of this luxury Theater District hotel's Stay Gold Suite Experience will get two tickets to The Outsiders, the Tony Award winner for Best Musical on Broadway last year and still standing room only. But first in this renamed, redecorated suite, they'll be surrounded by themes of the show. Signature lines from the production adorn the entry wall, a remote control signals a projector to show films from the 1960's, the musical's era, including Cool Hand Luke and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid starring the main character's idol Paul Newman. A vintage record player has albums from the decade (plus the musical's cast album), popcorn and glass bottles of Coke are set out as movie watching snacks and in the closet: a jean jacket to help a guest look like part of the cast's gang.
A movie from the 1960s projected on the wall of the Stay Gold Suite at The Chatwal, New York
Angela Conners Treimer
Broadway has had a booming season as it heads to this year's Tony Awards on June 8 and hotels around the city's Theater District are linking in special offers with productions. '2025 is currently projected to be the first year that 2019 sales records are broken for both Broadway and NYC tourism as a whole,'explains Nathaniel Hill, Founder & CEO of Broadway Plus which works with hotels on their offerings. 'It's great to have finally recovered and see New York thriving,'
A jean jacket in the Stay Gold Suite closet.
Angela Conners Treimer
That's due, he says, to a couple of reasons. 'The success of the Wicked film brought Broadway back into the forefront of the public conversation, and has been great for sales of many shows, not just Wicked on Broadway. Any time Broadway is in the national media, people are reminded about what a unique and incredible opportunity it is to see a show, and we see an increase in web traffic and requests. This especially happens every year around Tony Award nominations and the Awards ceremony.'
Broadway theaters along West 44th Street.
getty
Another reason is the unusually large number of A list Hollywood stars such as George Clooney, Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal taking to the stage.The increase can also be traced to current events. 'In such trying times, a bumper crop of hilarious new shows that bring joy and put a smile on people's faces has been great for business,' he says. 'Oh, Mary!, Death Becomes Her, SMASH, and BOOP! The Musical all offer a wonderful evening in the theater that takes your mind off what's going on in the world.'
The MO Lounge at Mandarin Oriental, New York, the site of its Meet and Greet with a Broadway performer.
Shawn Talbot Photography
The Chatwal may have made the most effort in fashioning a room experience around a show but other hotels also feature unique experiences. In its Broadway VIP Experience, the Mandarin Oriental, New York offers a Meet and Greet with a Broadway performer accompanied by champagne and light fare in the MO Lounge; two orchestra seats to new and long running hits such as Death Becomes Her, SUNSET BLVD., SMASH, Hamilton, Cabaret, Hadestown and Wicked are included as well. Other add ons (subject to availability and additional fees) include a Black car Mercedes S-Class sedan transportation to and from the hotel's Columbus Circle location and the theater, a private concert with Broadway artists and for those with theatrical aspirations, a private coaching session in acting, singing, and dancing led by a Broadway actor.
The Petit Salon at Baccarat Hotel New York, site of that hotel's Meet and Greet with a Broadway performer.
ERIC LAIGNEL
The Baccarat Hotel New York also offers a Meet and Greet with a Broadway performer over champagne and light bites in the crystal filled Petit Salon as part of the Exclusive Curtain Call experience. Premium orchestra seats to shows such as Wicked, MJ The Musical and The Lion King are a guaranteed part of the offer; other shows can be attached if available.
Spring Lamb Ravioli at The Terrace and Outdoor Gardens at the Times Square EDITION.
The Terrace and Outdoor Gardens at the Times Square EDITION
On the culinary front, apart from the fare offered in the meet and greets, there are other options for a quick pre-theater meal in the neighborhood. Guests of The Chatwal can take advantage of the $100 Stay Gold Suite site credit for either the pre-theater menu in The Lambs Club featuring dishes such as Rouget Tagliatelle and Roasted Lamb Saddle with Merguez, Asparagus and Morels or the more casual menu a floor above in the Lambs Bar. The Terrace and Outdoor Gardens at the Times Square EDITION also has a three course Broadway Express menu with options such as Oysters Rockefeller, Loch Duart Salmon with grilled asparagus, marinated feta and mint and Tiramisu but if diners order dishes off the regular menu, recently revised for spring, such as Pasta Primavera and Parmesan Crusted Lamb Chops, the servers are adept at getting customers out before curtain.
A selection of hand rolls at Akoya at The Knickerbocker.
Briana Balducci
Another choice for a light, delicious and very quick meal: hand rolls such as Yuzu Cured Scallops or Australian Wagyu Tataki at the recently opened Akoya at the Knickerbocker Hotel. Much more substantial are the offerings of the new GUI Steakhouse blending Korean and American techniques in prime Ribeyes, Prime Rib, Japanese A5 Wagyu and other top cuts either pre or post theater (the kitchen is open until 10.) Or for those heading to a Wednesday matinee, there are two very affordable for a steakhouse weekday lunch menus: charcoal grilled steak au poivre, market salad and fries ($23) or a three course menu with choices such as Tuna Tartare, Steak Frites or Chicken with Mushrooms and Diane Sauce and Devil's Food Cake with Jang Caramel and Vanilla Ganache. ($37) It's a good thing to know about even on non-matinee days.
The $23 charcoal grilled Steak au Poivre at GUI Steakhouse.
GUI Steakhouse
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
12 minutes ago
- Washington Post
McCarthy, Vikings value Jefferson's presence and leadership in offseason practices
EAGAN, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings urged Justin Jefferson to fully participate in their offseason program, a commitment some established NFL stars aren't willing to make each spring. The sixth-year wide receiver was already a step ahead of the coaching staff. This is a critical offseason for Jefferson and the Vikings, breaking in a new quarterback in J.J. McCarthy , so he was planning to make his attendance a priority. 'It's definitely important to gain a little bit of a sight of what the new year is coming to look like, to build that connection with my teammates and especially with my quarterback,' Jefferson said after practice on Monday. 'It's definitely great to be out here early to kind of get into the feel.' These late spring practices, known in league parlance as organized team activities, are when the basic installation of the playbook begins, even though only the three-day minicamp next week is contractually mandated. It's also a prime opportunity to build that rhythm and trust between the quarterback and his receivers. 'He's a tremendous talent, tremendous leader, but his leadership really shows up when he's here,' said McCarthy, who accompanied Jefferson to a Timberwolves playoff game last month when they sat together in courtside seats. 'Just being able to get that chemistry building on and off the field has been invaluable.' Jefferson, whose 7,432 receiving yards are the most in league history through a player's first five seasons, said he doesn't concern himself with the style or tendencies of who's throwing. 'As long as the ball gets close to my face, I'm going to try to catch it,' he said. 'It doesn't matter how fast the ball is going, the spin of it or if it's coming from a lefty or a righty. My job is to catch the ball.' What's most important to Jefferson is the quarterback learning to adjust to his route-running preferences, with an exceptional stride length and side-to-side agility that helps set him apart. 'It's that timing, those reps,' McCarthy said. 'All of that has to be built up over time.' Which is why Jefferson being around all the time is so valuable. 'He's an energy igniter of the whole building, and I think he's come back with a purpose and a mindset,' coach Kevin O'Connell said. 'You hear his voice, you hear his interaction with teammates, and they just carry such a long way.' Not just for the quarterback. 'The guys in that locker room know, 'If this guy, one of the best in the world at what he does, is pushing himself in May and June, I sure as heck better be doing the same thing,'' O'Connell said. McCarthy, whose rookie season was spent entirely in the training room recovering from knee surgery, at least had some meaningful time in strategy meetings that helped him start to build the knowledge base in the offense even if he wasn't taking snaps on the field. 'I've been really surprised by some of the things that he does know. You're like, 'Man, we covered that in a 10-minute burst in Week 11 last year. How do you remember that?'' O'Connell said. 'And then there's some other things where you're like, 'Oh, I assumed he knew that.' So it's our job — baseline teaching and stacking days and layered learning so that we're constantly making him feel like he's growing but never comfortable.' Jefferson can see that too. 'He definitely has an arm, that's for sure. He can definitely zip it whenever he needs to,' he said, before recounting his advice to McCarthy at this stage of the offseason. 'Just let everything happen. Don't try to make the best play every single play.' ___ AP NFL:
Washington Post
12 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Where's Marty McFly's guitar? Search is on for 'Back to the Future' prop 4 decades later
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Marty McFly grabbed a guitar in 'Back to the Future' and rocked out with the band at a 1950s high school dance, helping him narrowly avoid blinking out of existence before time-traveling back to the 1980s. The guitar, in real life, wasn't as lucky. Filmmakers went looking for the instrument while making the movie's 1989 sequel, but even now it's nowhere to be found. Four decades after the blockbuster film debuted, the guitar's creator has launched a search for the iconic Cherry Red Gibson ES-345.
CNN
20 minutes ago
- CNN
‘It is a whole different environment': Republicans revisit key Biden investigations with new momentum
The House Judiciary Committee is expected to interview former Hunter Biden special counsel David Weiss behind closed doors on Friday, two sources familiar with the interview told CNN, as part of a broader Republican effort to revisit previous probes into the Biden family that stalled last Congress but are gaining new momentum now that Republicans control both chambers of Congress and the White House. The scheduled interview, which could still be moved, would be the second time the Republican-led panel will interview Weiss about his work as Republicans continue to probe whether the investigation was hampered by political interference. Weiss has still never testified publicly about his six-year criminal probe into the president's son, which included three convictions, but was ultimately short-circuited as a result of the former president's unconditional pardon of his son. House Judiciary Republicans have long wanted to call Weiss, the Trump-appointed US attorney, back for questioning after his first closed-door interview in 2023. Committee Republicans were also able to finally secure interviews with two Department of Justice tax division prosecutors involved in the Hunter Biden probe who they had been aggressively pursuing for months, one of the sources familiar told CNN. The Justice Department is working with Weiss to provide access to documents he may need for his interview, a person briefed on the matter said. Any delays in getting access to documents would be a scheduling issue and the ability to have personnel who can oversee it, the person briefed on the matter said. It's not the only Biden investigation Republicans are reexamining that leans into a fresh political appetite with GOP control of Washington. House Oversight Chair James Comer is returning to his probe of the former president's mental fitness in an entirely new landscape after a recent book by CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios' Alex Thompson put Joe Biden's physical and mental decline back in the spotlight. Comer told CNN he is in the process of scheduling key interviews with Biden's White House physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, and other senior aides who had all rebuffed his efforts last Congress. Beyond the five initial interviews from Biden's orbit, the Republican Chairman told CNN he wants to look at the executive orders Biden signed in his last six months in office and use of the autopen. In the weeks immediately after Biden's disastrous 2024 debate performance that unraveled his presidential campaign and upended the Democratic party, Comer requested to interview Biden's doctor and subpoenaed three senior Biden aides to discuss their roles in the Biden White House, which never materialized. Now, Comer said in an interview with CNN, 'it is a whole different environment.' At the time of his 2024 interview requests, Comer's impeachment inquiry into the Biden family's business dealings had fallen apart and the Biden administration felt no incentive to comply with the House Oversight Committee. Probing Biden's decline now, Comer says, will be a lot easier than trying to convince his colleagues of an alleged Biden family foreign influence peddling scheme, which even Comer conceded was difficult to do, particularly in a minute or less on Fox News. Republicans failed to uncover evidence to support their core allegations against the president, and lacked the votes in their divided, narrow majority last Congress to impeach the president. 'The money laundering and the shell companies, the average American couldn't understand that. I mean, that was hard to understand,' Comer told CNN. 'You know, I did not do a good job explaining that.' But with his investigation into Biden's mental and physical decline, Comer said, 'people see a president that clearly is in decline. They saw it in the debate.' Democrats sought to dismantle the Republican-led 11 month impeachment inquiry into Biden last Congress at every turn. Comer told CNN that although those Democrats aren't jumping at the opportunity to cooperate now, he does not see them as being obstructive either. 'I take that as a step in the right direction,' he told CNN. Tapper and Thompson's book documents how Biden, his closest aides and his family forged ahead with the former president's doomed 2024 reelection bid despite signs of his physical and mental decline. In a previous statement to CNN, a Biden spokesman criticized the book, saying that evidence shows that 'he was a very effective president.' Former Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips, who launched a long-shot challenge to Biden and was outspoken about his concerns over the former president's age, told CNN he did not think there needed to be an investigation on Capitol Hill at this point into Biden's fitness as president. 'This case already went to trial, the jury of American voters convicted the party of the accused, and handed out the harshest political punishment possible-losing the single most consequential election in modern history,' Phillips told CNN. Instead, Phillips called on Biden to authorize his physician to disclose his health file and condition under oath. 'Only if the former president refuses, or if questioning uncovers possible criminal activity, should an investigation be initiated,' Phillips added. Biden was recently diagnosed with an 'aggressive form' of prostate cancer.
