Marriott International, Inc. announced today the development of the 168-room Courtyard by Marriott New York Manhattan/Herald Square, under management agreement with owner 960 Associates, an affiliate of Hidrock Realty Inc., a New York City-based real estate company. The hotel, on the northeast corner of 6th Avenue and 35th Street, will occupy the former Atlantic Bank of New York building, constructed in 1928. Construction will begin this fall, with a completion date in early 2012.

The 17-story building will maintain its façade, with 5,000 square feet of leased retail space on the ground floor. The Courtyard signature lobby will be on the 3rd floor, complete with a “Table Concept” F&B. Guest rooms will occupy floors 4 to 17, with the Courtyard signature room.

“This will be our seventh Courtyard by Marriott hotel in New York City when it opens in 2012, and we are excited to be in this fabulous location, near Macy’s and New York’s Penn Station,”  said David Marriott, chief operations officer—Eastern Region, The Americas. “We look forward to managing this hotel and incorporating all the hugely successful elements of the Courtyard brand.”

“We chose the Courtyard brand based on its modern look and feel and on the basis of its performance in this market,” said Abraham Hidary, president of Hidrock Realty Inc.  “We think that it will be ideal for business and leisure travelers to New York, and the location is great.”

The 168-room Courtyard by Marriott will offer the brand’s signature “refreshing business” lobby, featuring bright contemporary design, innovative technology and flexible space. The redefined area allows guests more control and choice over their stay, with services and amenities that create a healthy balance between working and relaxing. A signature element of the new lobby is the exclusive GoBoard® technology, a 55-inch LCD interactive touch screen packed with local information, maps, weather, and news, business and sports headlines.

Ideal for leisure and business guests, each room will be equipped with flat-panel television, complimentary Wi-Fi access and feature a functional work area with a multi-level desk that gives guests the space to spread out and work however they choose. The centerpiece of the living area is a stylish and modern loveseat sofa that also doubles as a pullout bed.

City.Mobi

Also in US today, City.Mobi is celebrating the success of its new guide to New York.

City.Mobi offers the most comprehensive mobile travel guides available, with over 800 cities in 200 countries listed. Each is developed by the City.Mobi team to combine into a single global travel directory.

However, each city retains its own mobile identity via a dedicated domain. Already on offer are Brussels.Mobi, Paris.Mobi, Sanfrancisco.Mobi and Sydney.Mobi.

NYC.mobi is the latest in this illustrious line up, offering click to call functionality – which means no scribbling down telephone numbers.

Most entries are also linked to websites where users can quickly access more detailed information if needed.

Other key features include information on accommodation, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, and transport.

City.Mobi guides include user reviews and traveller utilities such as a translation guide, currency converter, news and local weather guide.