Businesses need to make money. Hotels are businesses. Hotels make money by getting people to occupy space. Hotels have lots of unoccupied space that often goes wasted. Hotels need to lure people to that unoccupied space.
A simple thought process, sure, but one that has led to the sudden discovery of "the most underdeveloped real estate in the city:" the hotel roof. The Times looked into how boutique hotels around Manhattan are using their roofs to add a variety of gourmet toppings--from bars and party spaces to rentable suites and conference rooms.
The Meatpacking District's year-old Hotel Gansevoort has set the standard for elevated outdoor opulence, with a rooftop swimming pool (above) that has become a "Hamptons alternative," according to managing director Elon Kenchington. Kenchington also told the Times that locals are making reservations (starting rate: $325) just to take a dip in the pool, leaving the actual rooms untouched. But you know what? Based on what some of those locals have been saying about their neighbor, don't be sure that they're not leaving something warm behind.
· Up on the Roof: Urban Resorts [NYTimes]