Hotels have been throwing swank shindigs since Ritz-Carlton started making crackers, but the recent boom in boutique accommodations is providing stylish new options for both travellers and locals who want to ride home in an elevator in the wee hours of Jan. 1.
Jon Brown, 42, is one such reveller. The Toronto resident — who regularly commutes by plane to Vancouver to run his film studio — is preparing for his second New Year's Eve bash at the 20-month-old Drake Hotel. And he has already signed on for next year as well.
“When I first walked into the Drake, we booked our New Year's then and there,” he says. “We have busy professional lives, and we could have hopped on a plane and gone anywhere. When we go to the Drake, it's like we've already done that.”
The 19-room boutique property on a trendy strip of Queen Street West in Toronto allows him and his partner to avoid the hassle of crowds and the hunt for elusive cabs. By booking a room and buying a ticket to the hotel's party, he says, he gets to “walk right by the velvet rope, which is incredible. You can enjoy your first drink in your room, and when you walk out, you're Alice in Wonderland.”
This Dec. 31, it's easier than ever to find a cool venue for all your party needs, since many of North America's boutique properties have opened their doors — or reopened after major renovations — over the past couple of years. Here, then, are the most alluring New Year's Eve packages at boutique hotels in seven of the continent's most desirable destinations.
NEW YORK CITY
Hotel Gansevoort
After sampling the sushi and flame-grilled Robatayaki at the hotel's Ono eatery, head up to the party on the Gansevoort's huge tented rooftop patio and roam the wraparound lounge and garden. Then step inside at midnight to watch the ball drop in Times Square — on a 15-foot-wide, high-definition screen — to the music of DJ Mighty Mi.
If you want to stay the night, packages include champagne and truffles at check-in, two tickets to the party, Saturday-night accommodation and a continental breakfast, as well as a dose of Morning Dog hangover tonic to get you back into form for 2006.
Hotel Gansevoort: 18 9th Ave. (at 13th Street); 1-877-426-7386; www.hotelgansevoort.com. General admission to the party is $260, including champagne. Double-occupancy hotel packages start at $995.
Hotel Hudson
One of the more extravagantly designed hotels in town, the Hudson is pulling out all the stops for New Year's Eve. After checking into your dark-wood-panelled suite, visit the Hudson Cafeteria (don't let the name fool you, this is one posh eatery) for what it calls “comfort food served with a modern twist” — think chicken-and-morel-mushroom potpie and spaghetti with “big-eye tuna” meatballs.
Then make your way into the Hudson Bar. With a translucent floor lit from below, you'll be unsure whether you're entering 2006 or Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. Give yourself over to the ministrations of an as-yet-unnamed celebrity host and various DJs, or through the intimate Library bar and garden, tented and heated for your comfort. Party packages include three hours of hors d'oeuvres and a fully stocked open bar, as well as a champagne toast at midnight.
Hotel Hudson: 356 West 58th St.; 1-212-554-6000; www.hudsonhotel.com. Party tickets are $225 for general admission and $200 for hotel guests. Rooms start at $455 a night (double occupancy).
TORONTO
Drake Hotel
Still fringed by a lineup of waiting (or smoking) hipsters most nights of the week, this hot spot will probably be packed for its 10-hour house party.
