The first truly great party of the year took place Monday night to celebrate the opening of the Andaz Wall Street (75 Wall St.) , a new luxury hotel from Hyatt. Owned by the Hakimian Organization, Peykar Brothers Realty and Gorijan Properties, the Andaz Wall Street is the third luxury boutique hotel that the Hyatt has opened under the Andaz moniker. A fourth, at 5thAvenue and 41st, is set to open this spring. Designed by David Rockwell, the hotel has a simple and modern sophistication with décor featuring earthy natural tones of bamboo and marble.
Bringing luxury to a new but affordable level (rooms start at an affordable $275), the Andaz has done away with a front desk staff. Instead, guests are assigned a personal host who attends to their every need throughout their stay. From getting the bags to the room to serving a glass of wine to helping to set up a portable tablet computer, the guests receive a highly personalized experience. Another nice touch is that the kitchen in the hotel’s Wall & Water restaurant is completely open and feels like a home kitchen, allowing the food to be created before the guests’ eyes. I love the attention to the intimate and the homey in the design of the hotel. Because no matter how luxurious a hotel may be, for me, they always seem a bit cold due to impersonal service.
TGATP is going through a self-imposed dry spell (over time, having free nightly cocktails is not as fun as it may sound!) So from now on, it is all about the food and party extras for me! And boy, was I not disappointed! I ate till I burst! The farm-to-table menu is prepared by Head Chef and Argentinean export, Maximo Lopez. The party carte du jour included such wondrous concoctions as, massive sea scallops on a pillow of whipped sweet potato topped with thin strips of julienne apples, white bean and Brussels sprout stew topped by a slice of roasted chicken and a cranberry puree. And oh my gosh, the desserts! I literally had to step away from the chocolate table where guests were given a sampling plate of each of the dreamy chocolate desserts. There was a whipped chocolate mousse capped with fresh whipped cream and lil’ chocolate chips that was a little pot of heaven. I was so stuffed I felt like a 4-year old, as I actually had a tummy ache! But then I was advised that I just had to try the ice cream based dessert that was made of Amagansett liqueur and plum and served with shortbread and pear with chocolate sauce drizzled over it! This event was truly a culinary dream!
But the piece de resistance, that made this event totally awesome, was that the guests were treated to an amazing hand massage with Red Flower products and a revitalizing Oxygen Facial from the spa! Oxygen facials truly live up to their hype. I am sold on them now! My skin was glowing, completely hydrated, and firmed. I will definitely be returning to the Spa at Andaz, which allows budget friendly customization of services with the Oxygen treatment a mere $35 for fifteen minutes!
“Andaz” is an Urdu word for “style” and the Andaz Wall Street has loads of it! This will definitely be a regular TGATP downtown hang!
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