Big Apple Hostel

The Big Apple Hostel was at 119 West 45th Street, the the heart of Times Square in Manhattan. It opened in 1994 and closed in 2014, when the building was sold for $12 million. The location is now…

Condotel (condo + hotel)

A "condotel" is a combination (or portmanteau) of the words "condo" and "hotel." Rooms in hotels are sold to buyers, who often rent them out (like a timeshare). It is…

Easy Lay (Hotel Elysée nickname)

Manhattan's Hotel Elysée (60 East 54th Street between Madison and Park Avenues) was founded in 1926 and has been frequented by many writers and actors. American playwright Tennessee Williams…

Eno’s Folly (Fifth Avenue Hotel nickname)

When Amos Richards Eno (1810-1898) planned the Fifth Avenue Hotel in the early 1850s for Madison Square (200 Fifth Avenue, on the southwest corner between 23rd Street and 24th Street), it was so…

Facebook Hotel (Pod Hotel)

The Pod Hotel (converted in 2007 from the former Pickwick Arms, at 230 East 51st Street in Manhattan) has small rooms ("pods"), but has a good location and high-tech amenities. There is…

Heartbreak Hotel (Ramada Plaza JFK Hotel)

The Ramada Plaza JFK Hotel (at JFK Airport) was called "Heartbreak Hotel" (also the title of a 1956 Elvis Presley song) in July 1996, when it housed grieving family members of those who…

Hotel for Autos

A parking garage has been called a "hotel for cars." "Hotel for Autos, 25 Stories High, Is Chicago Plan" was a headline in the Atlanta (GA) Constitution on February 20, 1922. A…

Hotel Goldman (Embassy Suites nickname)

The Wall Street Journal reported on March 12, 2009 that so many Goldman Sachs employees were put up in the Embassy Suites New York at Battery Park City that it was dubbed "Hotel Goldman."…

Mildew Plaza (Milford Plaza nickname)

The Milford Plaza opened in 1928 (as the Lincoln Hotel) at 700 Eighth Avenue. The 27-story, 1,300-room hotel is located near the Broadway theaters and was so affordably priced that it began…

Pop-Up Hotel

The "pop-up hotel" follows a trend opf pther pop-ups, such as the pop-up restaurant. Pop-up hotels are usually set up for specific events, such as a sports festival or a music festival.…

Poshtel (posh + hostel)

A "poshtel" (posh + hostel) is a hostel that also offers "posh" amenities, such as a swimming pool or a gourmet restaurant. The concept started in Europe, but quickly spread…

Salad Astoria

Waldorf Salad is a famous salad of the old Waldorf-Astoria hotel (1893-1929) at Fifth Avenue and 33rd Street. Swiss-American restaurateur Oscar Tschirky (1866-1950) -- called "Oscar of the…

Waldorf Astoria (solitary confinement)

The Waldorf Astoria is a luxury New York City hotel. In John R. Armore and Joseph D. Wolfe's Dictionary of Desperation (1976), about prison slang, the "Waldorf Astoria" term applies…