Hotel InterContinental New York to Reclaim its Original Name, The Barclay, Following Multimillion Dollar Rejuvenation
New Look of the Hotel is a Balance of Old New York Elegance with Contemporary Design and Modern Facilities
New York (May 2001) - The past is becoming the future for the Hotel InterContinental New York. The legendary hotel will celebrate its 75th anniversary this fall by reclaiming its original Barclay name, following a spectacular multimillion dollar rejuvenation program of its 686 guest rooms and suites. While it is one of the oldest hotels on the block, with a wonderful history, this rejuvenation brings it into the 21st century with the newest facilities and room design.
To be renamed InterContinental The Barclay New York, the hotel will bring a heightened level of personalized service and style to the New York hotel scene with its elegant residential design and state-of-the-art in-room facilities, including the newly introduced "One-Stop Service". One call to The Barclay's guest services professionals will take care of all of the guest's needs, whether it is a wake-up call or reservations for the theater.
"We are proud to bring back the Barclay name to this beautiful property. Through our rejuvenation project, we have respected the history of the building, yet made it modern enough for today's sophisticated business and pleasure traveler," says Frank van der Post, Regional Vice President, Operations and General Manager. "We have created an atmosphere of timeless elegance by combining the best of the hotel's original character with today's contemporary design, luxury and adaptable features."
InterContinental The Barclay New York, originally known as The Barclay, opened in November 1926 under the aegis of the Vanderbilt family. It immediately achieved a reputation as an apartment hotel of distinction and exclusivity. The famous, oversized birdcage in its Lobby became a popular meeting place for the social elite and was even available to visiting guests who traveled with their own birds. The Barclay was the most luxurious hotel built by the New York Central Railroad and one of the most glamorous and elegant hotels near Park Avenue. In 1978, InterContinental Hotels took over The Barclay, restoring it at a cost of $32 million. It subsequently became the Hotel InterContinental New York in 1982.
Guest Rooms and Suites
The hotel's 686 guest rooms, including 86 suites, have been enhanced by new features designed to give a more intimate, residential feel, while recognizing the needs of modern travelers.
Business Needs
A key element of the room redesign is its flexibility and adaptability for the frequent traveler. The rooms have been designed to be interchangeable from a comfortable home setting to that of an office setting with easy access to power and dataports. This has been achieved through the addition of a contemporary, oval-shaped table / desk on wheels with an extendable working area, which can be positioned anywhere in the room to best suit the guest. A clever solution to a business traveler's need to have a comfortable hotel room and a functional office space. Ergonomically designed chairs and a printer / fax / copier were also added to each room.
Room Design
Upon entering the room, the first thing one sees is the beautiful inlaid parquet hardwood floor, creating a foyer and adding to the residential feel. Two color palettes and styles were developed for the guest rooms; the first is a rich combination of deep and pale gold with burgundy accents, the second, inspired by the fresh spring colors of New York, combines pale yellow, sky blue and forest green interspersed with taupe. In both cases, the walls are treated with soft-lemon textured wallpaper and the carpets are in a deep gold. The spectacular window treatments, with gold drapery swags, add to the fantastic views of midtown Manhattan. The beautiful crown molding and beamed ceilings were also restored in all the rooms.
New soft and fluffy comforters, with silky fabric and separate pillow shams trimmed in velvet, were added to all the rooms, all in harmonious combination with the rooms' color palettes. Also, over half of the guest rooms have now been converted to king-size beds.
Other additions include a centralized air conditioning and heating system, with more efficient controlled thermostats, and updated windows in all the rooms to enhance soundproofing. All of the hotel's marble bathrooms now feature telephones, magnifying mirrors and improved lighting.
Each of the 86 suites has an individual style, with traditional furnishings and contemporary art. The color scheme for the suites has a Federal accent that includes various hues of blue, red and gold.
The firm of Forrest Perkins is the designer of the guest room rejuvenation and will also oversee the changes made to the meeting rooms and conference facilities as well as the Barclay Bar & Grill, scheduled for summer this year. Each of the meeting and conference facilities will be individualized and reflect an updated, elegant and sophisticated look with new carpeting, wall covering and custom-designed Axminster carpets. The Barclay Bar & Grill will bridge its classic, traditional setting to reflect a more contemporary, upscale design.
This rejuvenation follows a major refurbishment program in 1996 that restored the main entrance and Lobby to their original New World elegance. The restoration focused on refurbishing the spectacular green and black bordered Tennessee marble floors, original neo-Federal cornices, ceilings and pilasters and magnificent Tiffany-style skylights, decorated with copper neo-Federalist motifs, to their original luster.
For information or to make a reservation at the hotel, contact your local travel agent or InterContinental reservations at: +1 877 660 8550, or call the hotel directly at: +1 212 755 5900.
New Look of the Hotel is a Balance of Old New York Elegance with Contemporary Design and Modern Facilities
New York (May 2001) - The past is becoming the future for the Hotel InterContinental New York. The legendary hotel will celebrate its 75th anniversary this fall by reclaiming its original Barclay name, following a spectacular multimillion dollar rejuvenation program of its 686 guest rooms and suites. While it is one of the oldest hotels on the block, with a wonderful history, this rejuvenation brings it into the 21st century with the newest facilities and room design.
To be renamed InterContinental The Barclay New York, the hotel will bring a heightened level of personalized service and style to the New York hotel scene with its elegant residential design and state-of-the-art in-room facilities, including the newly introduced "One-Stop Service". One call to The Barclay's guest services professionals will take care of all of the guest's needs, whether it is a wake-up call or reservations for the theater.
"We are proud to bring back the Barclay name to this beautiful property. Through our rejuvenation project, we have respected the history of the building, yet made it modern enough for today's sophisticated business and pleasure traveler," says Frank van der Post, Regional Vice President, Operations and General Manager. "We have created an atmosphere of timeless elegance by combining the best of the hotel's original character with today's contemporary design, luxury and adaptable features."
InterContinental The Barclay New York, originally known as The Barclay, opened in November 1926 under the aegis of the Vanderbilt family. It immediately achieved a reputation as an apartment hotel of distinction and exclusivity. The famous, oversized birdcage in its Lobby became a popular meeting place for the social elite and was even available to visiting guests who traveled with their own birds. The Barclay was the most luxurious hotel built by the New York Central Railroad and one of the most glamorous and elegant hotels near Park Avenue. In 1978, InterContinental Hotels took over The Barclay, restoring it at a cost of $32 million. It subsequently became the Hotel InterContinental New York in 1982.
Guest Rooms and Suites
The hotel's 686 guest rooms, including 86 suites, have been enhanced by new features designed to give a more intimate, residential feel, while recognizing the needs of modern travelers.
Business Needs
A key element of the room redesign is its flexibility and adaptability for the frequent traveler. The rooms have been designed to be interchangeable from a comfortable home setting to that of an office setting with easy access to power and dataports. This has been achieved through the addition of a contemporary, oval-shaped table / desk on wheels with an extendable working area, which can be positioned anywhere in the room to best suit the guest. A clever solution to a business traveler's need to have a comfortable hotel room and a functional office space. Ergonomically designed chairs and a printer / fax / copier were also added to each room.
Room Design
Upon entering the room, the first thing one sees is the beautiful inlaid parquet hardwood floor, creating a foyer and adding to the residential feel. Two color palettes and styles were developed for the guest rooms; the first is a rich combination of deep and pale gold with burgundy accents, the second, inspired by the fresh spring colors of New York, combines pale yellow, sky blue and forest green interspersed with taupe. In both cases, the walls are treated with soft-lemon textured wallpaper and the carpets are in a deep gold. The spectacular window treatments, with gold drapery swags, add to the fantastic views of midtown Manhattan. The beautiful crown molding and beamed ceilings were also restored in all the rooms.
New soft and fluffy comforters, with silky fabric and separate pillow shams trimmed in velvet, were added to all the rooms, all in harmonious combination with the rooms' color palettes. Also, over half of the guest rooms have now been converted to king-size beds.
Other additions include a centralized air conditioning and heating system, with more efficient controlled thermostats, and updated windows in all the rooms to enhance soundproofing. All of the hotel's marble bathrooms now feature telephones, magnifying mirrors and improved lighting.
Each of the 86 suites has an individual style, with traditional furnishings and contemporary art. The color scheme for the suites has a Federal accent that includes various hues of blue, red and gold.
The firm of Forrest Perkins is the designer of the guest room rejuvenation and will also oversee the changes made to the meeting rooms and conference facilities as well as the Barclay Bar & Grill, scheduled for summer this year. Each of the meeting and conference facilities will be individualized and reflect an updated, elegant and sophisticated look with new carpeting, wall covering and custom-designed Axminster carpets. The Barclay Bar & Grill will bridge its classic, traditional setting to reflect a more contemporary, upscale design.
This rejuvenation follows a major refurbishment program in 1996 that restored the main entrance and Lobby to their original New World elegance. The restoration focused on refurbishing the spectacular green and black bordered Tennessee marble floors, original neo-Federal cornices, ceilings and pilasters and magnificent Tiffany-style skylights, decorated with copper neo-Federalist motifs, to their original luster.
For information or to make a reservation at the hotel, contact your local travel agent or InterContinental reservations at: +1 877 660 8550, or call the hotel directly at: +1 212 755 5900.
