helmsley-hotel

The Creepiest Hotel Suite in Town

cityfile · 05/04/09 01:38PM

Whether this is a draw or a drawback is up to you, but guests who book the 46th-floor penthouse suite at the Helmsley Park Lane gain access to many of Leona Helmsley's old "personal belongings," including her "king-size bed with satin covers," "lacquered dining room table and crystal chandeliers," and the salon chair that Frédéric Fekkai once used to style "her trademark short brown hair." Access to her private swimming pool isn't part of the package, alas, although hotel employees do say they've "spruced" up the place, which is nice to hear since they also point out she went through about five packs of cigarettes a day when she lived there. [NYDN]

Leona Helmsley Now Paying Other People's Taxes

cityfile · 03/19/09 01:31PM

Every hotel has a gimmick these days, but the one the Helmsley Hotel is offering up may be the most morbid. In honor of tax season—and the late Leona Helmsley's famous aversion to paying them—the hotel is offering "tax-free" rooms, a promotion that shaves roughly $50 off the $250 room rate. No word on whether the hotel has other Leona-inspired specials in the works, although given all the trouble that Trouble caused, a doggie-friendly deal seems like a natural follow-up. [HotelChatter]