Executive travel: heritage and personal touch at The Quin hotel in New York



Choosing the right hotel for a business trip can be a pretty strategic affair for the image- conscious traveller.

While many opt for the familiarity and loyalty programmes of chain hotels, there is an argument to be made for a boutique hotel that can lend its own heritage and history to cultivate your image.

The Quin, located in New York’s midtown Manhattan district, on the corner of 57th Street and 6th Avenue, is one of those hotels that enjoys a strong heritage, which it peddles to guests keen to associate themselves with the more refined and cultural side of the city.

Opened in 2013, the art-deco property was refashioned as a boutique hotel and it has embraced its artistic past (it once played host to musicians and artists including Renata Tebaldi and Georgia O’Keeffe), by focusing on exhibitions and displays of modern art.

The cool, marble lobby essentially doubles up as an art gallery. And the hotel’s exhibitions and artwork will easily lend themselves to interesting small talk for meetings and first encounters.

Its meeting spaces include a 10-seat boardroom which can be hired out, plus there are also three private dining rooms, one of which can seat 130 people.

Workwise, there is a small business centre (a couple of computers with internet access) to carry out basic tasks. However, Wi-Fi is freely available in the rooms. While there are plenty of sockets, they are all standard US, so you will need an adapter.

The rooms are light and airy with a palette that doesn’t venture too far from white and grey. Crucially, the beds are very comfortable and each room has a Nespresso machine.

There’s a dash of technology with control panels that allow you to adjust the curtains, lights and temperature. And thankfully, it’s relatively easy to use.

But despite the high-tech feel, there is no trouser press, so you must rely on the laundry service.

Given the hotel’s location in New York, the city of skyscrapers, The Quin stands comparatively short and is dwarfed by its surroundings, offering only street views for those staying in the standard rooms and no sight of nearby Central Park.

The property has 208 rooms and suites with prices starting at $400.

q&a great location and service

Triska Hamid expands on what The Quin offers the business traveller:

Where is it?

The hotel is a stone’s throw away from Carnegie Hall, renowned for its classical and popular music concerts. With its central location on 57th Street, it is close to a couple of subway stations, Central Park, the shopping haven of Fifth Avenue and Times Square.

Apart from meeting rooms, what other options are there for hosting?

To really impress clients, you can hire out for an event the hotel’s penthouse, which occupies the top three floors of the property with a 1,300-square feet terrace overlooking some of New York’s best known landmarks.

Is there a gym for after hours?

Yes, there’s a small fitness centre that is open 24 hours. It has the standard equipment – running machines, cross trainer and weights. The gym overlooks the lobby. Personal trainers and yoga instructors are available on request.

What about restaurants?

Downstairs is The Wayfarer restaurant, offering seafood fare. The in-room dining menu is exquisite with lobster cocktail and Colorado rack of lamb; prices range from $18-$25 for breakfast to $20-$65 for lunch or dinner. But if you’re staying in New York, you really ought to venture out.

Anything else?

The best thing about boutique hotels is the level of service. Unable to fulfil our request for our rooms to be on the same floor, the manager apologised with a hand-written note and a box of hand-made chocolates from a local outfit. It was an elegant touch.

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Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas

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Sector: Sustainability
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Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

Visa changes give families fresh hope

Foreign workers can sponsor family members based solely on their income

Male residents employed in the UAE can sponsor immediate family members, such as wife and children, subject to conditions that include a minimum salary of Dh 4,000 or Dh 3,000 plus accommodation.

Attested original marriage certificate, birth certificate of the child, ejari or rental contract, labour contract, salary certificate must be submitted to the government authorised typing centre to complete the sponsorship process

In Abu Dhabi, a woman can sponsor her husband and children if she holds a residence permit stating she is an engineer, teacher, doctor, nurse or any profession related to the medical sector and her monthly salary is at least Dh 10,000 or Dh 8,000 plus accommodation.

In Dubai, if a woman is not employed in the above categories she can get approval to sponsor her family if her monthly salary is more than Dh 10,000 and with a special permission from the Department of Naturalization and Residency Dubai.

To sponsor parents, a worker should earn Dh20,000 or Dh19,000 a month, plus a two-bedroom accommodation

 

 

 

The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
Game Changer

Director: Shankar 

Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram

Rating: 2/5

The specs

Price, base / as tested Dh12 million

Engine 8.0-litre quad-turbo, W16

Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch auto

Power 1479 @ 6,700rpm

Torque 1600Nm @ 2,000rpm 0-100kph: 2.6 seconds 0-200kph: 6.1 seconds

Top speed 420 kph (governed)

Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)

What should do investors do now?

What does the S&P 500's new all-time high mean for the average investor? 

Should I be euphoric?

No. It's fine to be pleased about hearty returns on your investments. But it's not a good idea to tie your emotions closely to the ups and downs of the stock market. You'll get tired fast. This market moment comes on the heels of last year's nosedive. And it's not the first or last time the stock market will make a dramatic move.

So what happened?

It's more about what happened last year. Many of the concerns that triggered that plunge towards the end of last have largely been quelled. The US and China are slowly moving toward a trade agreement. The Federal Reserve has indicated it likely will not raise rates at all in 2019 after seven recent increases. And those changes, along with some strong earnings reports and broader healthy economic indicators, have fueled some optimism in stock markets.

"The panic in the fourth quarter was based mostly on fears," says Brent Schutte, chief investment strategist for Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company. "The fundamentals have mostly held up, while the fears have gone away and the fears were based mostly on emotion."

Should I buy? Should I sell?

Maybe. It depends on what your long-term investment plan is. The best advice is usually the same no matter the day — determine your financial goals, make a plan to reach them and stick to it.

"I would encourage (investors) not to overreact to highs, just as I would encourage them not to overreact to the lows of December," Mr Schutte says.

All the same, there are some situations in which you should consider taking action. If you think you can't live through another low like last year, the time to get out is now. If the balance of assets in your portfolio is out of whack thanks to the rise of the stock market, make adjustments. And if you need your money in the next five to 10 years, it shouldn't be in stocks anyhow. But for most people, it's also a good time to just leave things be.

Resist the urge to abandon the diversification of your portfolio, Mr Schutte cautions. It may be tempting to shed other investments that aren't performing as well, such as some international stocks, but diversification is designed to help steady your performance over time.

Will the rally last?

No one knows for sure. But David Bailin, chief investment officer at Citi Private Bank, expects the US market could move up 5 per cent to 7 per cent more over the next nine to 12 months, provided the Fed doesn't raise rates and earnings growth exceeds current expectations. We are in a late cycle market, a period when US equities have historically done very well, but volatility also rises, he says.

"This phase can last six months to several years, but it's important clients remain invested and not try to prematurely position for a contraction of the market," Mr Bailin says. "Doing so would risk missing out on important portfolio returns."

UAE and Russia in numbers

UAE-Russia ties stretch back 48 years

Trade between the UAE and Russia reached Dh12.5 bn in 2018

More than 3,000 Russian companies are registered in the UAE

Around 40,000 Russians live in the UAE

The number of Russian tourists travelling to the UAE will increase to 12 percent to reach 1.6 million in 2023

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Friday:
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Saturday:
Ajman v Emirates, 4.55pm
Al Ain v Sharjah, 7.45pm

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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.

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UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now