Marriott International and ownership group Granite Broadway Development have signed a franchise agreement to develop the Courtyard and Residence Inn Manhattan/Central Park.

The soaring, new 68-story property will house two distinctly different hotels - the 378-room Courtyard by Marriott hotel and the 261-room Residence Inn by Marriott hotel - at 1717 Broadway (at 54th Street).

The multi-million dollar project will open in late 2013 and be managed by Interstate Hotels and Resorts. 

Designed by architect Nobutaka Ashihara, the building will rise 752 feet, nine inches high, making it the tallest stand-alone hotel building (without office or residential space) in New York. 

The Courtyard hotel will provide a refreshing environment for business and leisure travellers, while the Residence Inn will offer all-suite accommodation for longer stays.

The property will also incorporate leased retail and restaurant space.

The hotels will share a main entrance and arrival lobby on 54th Street, with public areas for the Residence Inn on the 3rd floor and for the Courtyard on the 4th floor

Guest rooms for the Courtyard will be located on floors 6 through 32 and for Residence Inn on floors 36 through 64, with separate elevator banks to serve the guestrooms and public areas for each brand. 

In addition to ground floor retail space, a leased restaurant will occupy the 2nd floor, and a 5th floor lounge and terrace with outdoor seating will have a great view overlooking Broadway. Both hotels will share a fitness facility on the 34th floor.

“We are thrilled that this development is becoming a reality and will feature two of our strongest brands - Courtyard and Residence Inn - at such a premier location,” said David Marriott, chief operations officer - Eastern Region, The Americas.

“We could not be happier with our partnership with Granite Broadway Development and with Interstate Hotels and Resorts that will manage both hotels.”

City.Mobi

Also in Asia today, City.Mobi is celebrating the success of its new guide to Singapore.

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.

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NYC.city.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.