By Jill Colvin
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MIDTOWN — Despite the recession and a failed attempt to car bomb Times Square, the city's hotel industry is booming, with Midtown taking center stage.
The new InterContinental New York Times Square, which opened this week, is one of more than half a dozen new hotels about to be competing for tourists' attention. But with demand higher than it's been in years, managers say they don't anticipate filling beds will be a problem.
According to the most recent numbers, hotel occupancy in Manhattan soared past 90 percent in May — up 8 percent from last year, according to hotel market research firm STR. This is the first time that occupancy has registered in the 90s since August 2008, the numbers show.
In addition, demand, which is calculated by the total number of rooms rented out over the course of a month, hit its highest level recorded since 2004.
"Those are great statistics," STR Vice President Jan Freitag said. "If you are indeed so fortunate to open [a hotel] right now, your timing is impeccable."
Most of the hotels opening this summer were likely in the planning stages well before the crash, back in 2006 and 2007, Freitag said.
They include the 36-story InterContinental New York Times Square on Eighth Avenue at W. 44th St., which features floor-to-ceiling windows, a Todd English restaurant and panoramic views. At 607 rooms, the Gensler-designed tower is the largest new hotel built in the city since 2002, the company says.
The InterContinental joins Hyatt's latest Andaz 5th Avenue beside Bryant Park. The hotel, designed with nooks, a library and bowls of cherries to "feel like home," began to welcome guests earlier this month and will be fully operational by mid-September, Rachel Harrison, director of public relations for Andaz properties in the city, said.
Also new to the scene are the ultra-modern Eventi Hotel in Chelsea at W. 30th St., which opened in May, and The Gansevoort Park at E. 29th Street, set to debut in July.
The Chatwal New York on W. 44th St. near Broadway and the Cassa Hotel & Residences on W. 45th, are both set to launch in August, while the lower-end Fairfield Inn New York Manhattan Chelsea on W. 28th is planning a September debut.
Andaz's Harrison said that she's been amazed by the level of competition nearby.
"The entire area is a hotbed now for new hotels," she said. "It's an exciting time for the hotel industry."
But she insists she's not worried about other chains cutting into her business. Instead, she feels that building new hotels draws new life and new potential customers to a neighborhood.
"I think in the end we’re all going to benefit from it," she said.
Freitag said he anticipates a strong showing through the summer.
While he cautioned that the upticks from last year are partially a result of the fact that year's numbers were so low, as the economy continues to pick up speed, he said so should the market.
"As the country recovers, New York will be first out of the gate," he said.
