Travel
T
here was a time when luxury
travel was defined by white
Egyptian cotton sheets,
accented, suited concierge
personnel and martinis
delivered to your door. However, in
the era of technology, efficiency and
mobility, those standards seem
archaic and obsolete, especially to a
generation of chic, modernistic
young professionals.
citizenM, an Amsterdam-based hotel
chain that stands for “citizen
mobility,” thought so too. Catering
to cutting-edge and on-the-go
business travelers who love their
luxury and technology yet like to
keep their wallets full, citizenM aims
to democratize the high-life by
providing extravagant and tech-cool
accommodations to their hotels.
Accompanying their five Euro pean
locations in Amsterdam, Rotterdam,
Glasgow, London and Paris, a new
230-room location in Times Square,
New York City has made its debut on
March 18, making it the first American
citizenM of more to come. Another
NYC hotel is planned for the Bowery
on the Lower East Side in 2016.
However, there was no stereotypical
ribbon cutting in Times Square on
March 18. Instead, citizenM’s grand
opening included parking a black
stretch limo outside some of the top
five-star hotels of Manhattan
including Trump International Hotel,
the Grand Hyatt and The Plaza.
Inscribed upon the vehicle read,
“Luxury is free WiFi and XL beds, not
a stupidly long car.”
“Luxury today is not about material
things but efficiency and emotion,”
Robin Chadha, chief marketing
officer of citizenM, said in an
interview with Elaine Glusac of The
New York Times. “We took out things
that used to frustrate us, like long
lines at check-in.”
It’s taking out these high-overhead
ridden amenities, such as room
service and concierge check-in,
which allows citizenM to stay
cost-efficient while remaining a
state-of-the-art, modern hotel.
With bookings starting at $199, the
New York City newbie is equipped
with tons of cool perks such as a
rooftop bar, canteenM, the 24-hour
grab-and-go open-style cafeteria
and bar, complimentary iMac usage
on the Mezzanine, and 24-hour
check-in and check-out kiosks.
According to their website, the very
today-business traveler who
appreciates these types of
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