Michael D'Onofrio

mcdonofrio@lohud.com

NYACK - The opening of a new lifestyle hotel could be a “game changer” for the economy of the small village overlooking the Hudson River, officials said.

Jen White, mayor of Nyack, said she expected the 133-room, four-story TIME Nyack hotel to kickstart the village’s economy and draw tourists from around the region.

The hotel will be a “game changer for Nyack and a game changer for the county,” White said at a ribbon cutting for the hotel on Monday.

Christine Zipparo, director of hotel sales for the TIME Nyack, said the hotel, which officially opens later this month, will bring a unique, “one-stop shop” experience that Rockland, Westchester and norther New Jersey lacked.

The TIME Nyack bills itself as a lifestyle hotel that seeks to provide individualized experiences to guests. The hotel has an industrial feel with plenty of bare brick walls. The loft-like rooms have exposed ducts and ceilings that reach 12-to-20 feet high. “We want this to be an experience, not just a sleeping room for people to go upstairs and retreat to,” Zipparo said. “It’s a destination.”

White said the village’s downtown has struggled of late to maintain filled storefronts. The hotel could bring not only more tourists to the riverfront village, but more dollars.

Paulette Ross, producer of the annual Nyack Art Walk, said she believed the hotel will fit in nicely with the eclectic character of the village. Ross, who the owner the store p.ross — a Soho-style boutique that sells clothing, shoes, jewelry, and artwork — said her clientele were those she expected to book a room at the new hotel. “The way to make Main Street function is to have more people visiting, more people living here shopping in our shops eating in our restaurants, and that’s how you create a really strong community,” White said.

There are are seven suites which grace the top of the building and feature 700 square feet of space, 1.5 bathrooms, and a balcony facing the Hudson River.

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But the main draw of the hotel, Zipparo said, will bring people out of their rooms. The amenities available to guests include a speakeasy bar, a Bobby Van’s Steakhouse, outdoor seating with a bar and pool deck, and more than 3,000-square-feet of event space. There will also be a free shuttle and car service, as well as bicycles. Resting on top of it all is a glass-enclosed rooftop area with a retractable roof to take in views of the Hudson River and ongoing construction of the new Tappan Zee Bridge.

“I think it’s going to enhance Nyack,” Ross said about the hotel. “That will bring more and more people into the village — which is really what we need.”

Modern amenities also include personalized packages for guests, including those for foodies, cyclists, and outdoor enthusiasts. The pet-friendly hotel will even offer a pet turndown service to pamper your pooch.

But the lifestyle living will not come cheap. Rooms start around $189 and can reach upwards of $429 a night.



The principal WYINC, based in Nyack, broke ground on the approximate $20-million project in 2013, which was formerly known as the NYLO Hotel. In June 2015, the hotel was rebranded as TIME Nyack. It will be managed by Dream Hotel Group, a division of Hampshire Hotels ManagementThe brick building with a partial glass facade becomes a prominent landmark seen from Thruway at Exit 11. The building on High Avenue, which was a one-time plastics and metal manufacturer, sits about a mile from the river’s edge.

The TIME Nyack becomes the second hotel to carry the TIME brand; the first was created in 1999 and located in Manhattan at 224 W. 49th St. But additional TIME hotels are expected to be open in the coming years in Hollywood; Nashville, Tennessee and Palm Springs, California.

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The ribbon cutting Monday drew a who’s who of local and state officials, which included state Senate. Sen. David Carlucci, D-Clarkstown; Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, D-Suffern; Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski, D-New City; and Clarkstown Supervisor George Hoehmann, among others.

Rockland County Executive Ed Day, who was also at the event, said the hotel tied into the county’s renewed focus on tourism. The hotel, he added, could be a “lynchpin” to “drive our economy.”

Twitter: @mikedonofrio_







