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Hard Rock Hotel Opens For Business At 159 West 48th Street In Times Square, Manhattan

The Hard Rock Hotel at 159 West 48th Street is the newest hotel to open in Midtown, Manhattan’s iconic Times Square district. Designed by SLCE Architects and developed by Extell and Hard Rock International, the 442-foot-tall, 291,000-square-foot structure features 446 rooms and welcomed its first guests earlier this week. The rectangular reinforced concrete edifice is located by the corner of West 48th Street and Seventh Avenue and was built by AECOM Tishman. Rooms start at $475 per night.

159 West 48th Street. Photo by Michael Young

159 West 48th Street. Photo by Michael Young

159 West 48th Street. Photo by Michael Young

159 West 48th Street. Photo by Michael Young

159 West 48th Street. Photo by Michael Young

Photos looking up at the façade show the look of the reflective floor-to-ceiling glass panels on the main southern elevation facing West 48th Street above the multi-story podium, which is clad in stone paneling with an irregular grid of tall, narrow windows. A Hard Rock logo hangs above front doors and sidewalk canopy. At the very top is a 3,300-square-foot, two-story glass-enclosed Rock Star Suite that comes with a 1,600-square-foot outdoor terrace and its own direct access to the rooftop bar called RT60 on the 34th story. Two dining options are available: NYY Steak and Session, an all-day restaurant with an open-air terrace. Another exciting space is a performance studio and entertainment hub called Audacy Live and a two-floor space called The Venue on Music Row.

159 West 48th Street. Photo by Michael Young

159 West 48th Street. Photo by Michael Young

159 West 48th Street. Photo by Michael Young

159 West 48th Street. Photo by Michael Young

159 West 48th Street. Photo by Michael Young

Below are more photographs taken along the eastern side of the hotel in the adjacent public park, which features a circular Plexiglass tunnel and walkway through a man-made waterfall.

159 West 48th Street. Photo by Michael Young

159 West 48th Street. Photo by Michael Young

159 West 48th Street. Photo by Michael Young

The Hard Rock Hotel comes with room service providing guests with instruments and equipment such as a Fender guitar and a Crosley record player. Guests can listen to a special playlist of New York-themed tracks and have access to a Soundtracks interactive guide to the area curated by the Hard Rock team and local musicians. Rooms also feature Lavazza espresso machines, Rock Spa bath products, and kimono robes. Room selection ranges from king and double queen beds fitted with Sleep-Like-A-Rock luxury linens, a marble bathroom with rain shower, floor-to-ceiling windows, and high-speed Wi-Fi.

Nearby is the famous intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue, known as the Crossroads of the World, which is seeing a resurgence of domestic and international tourists coming to New York City, a wave that is likely to increase into the summer months. The Hard Rock Hotel is one of several projects that was conceived and underway before the COVID-19 pandemic that is transforming this relatively small but dense section of Midtown with new hotel construction. Others underway include TSX Broadway at 1568 Broadway and a trio of Hilton hotel brands at 150 West 48th Street, which will join the recently finished RIU Hotel at 145 West 47th Street and The Civilian at 305 West 48th Street.

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