by Avalon Singer and Max Cea
As parties go, it was the biggest event Nyack has seen since the heyday of Pierre Bernard’s Clarkstown Country Club almost 100 years ago. Over 800 invitees were on hand for the grand opening of The Time Nyack –“the only upscale, boutique hotel with loft-style accommodations in Rockland County” — on May 19. Attendees were encouraged to “dress to impress.” Which is what the newest hospitality entry in the market also hoped to do with its opening night entertainment and glitz. Three DJs were strategically placed playing ‘80s dance tunes for the Gen Xers, current pop tunes for millennials and Motown for Baby Boomers. Women dressed like showgirls danced on platforms and posed for pictures with guests. And there were Irish bagpipes, too.
Describing itself as “a premiere destination for unrivaled, progressive luxury,” The Time is the culmination of eight years of work and a Forbes estimated $40 million of investment.
Unlike other hotels in the region, the Time Nyack is a lifestyle property, meaning it offers an upscale lodging experience. The building that preceded Time Nyack housed a toy factory and later a recording studio. Though much is new and state of the art, with its exposed beams and windows, Time retains its predecessor’s industrial ambiance. The furniture — deep red couches by the bar, bubbled brown couches in the lobby — is bold but chic. In total, there are 133 unique loft-style guest rooms, including seven suites.
Beth Tufekcic, brand manager of Time Hotels, said the hotel gives Nyack visitors a place to stay that fits the personality of the village. “Nyack is an artsy town. It offers so much art and culture, from the famous Edward Hopper House to various shops providing unique hand-crafted goods,” she said. “Nyack was missing a hotel that fits with the town’s image.”
It’s a lifestyle that Nyack hasn’t seen since founder of American Yoga Pierre Bernard held over-the-top parties at his Clarkstown Country Club during the Roaring ’20s. Back in the day, a Who’s Who of artists, celebrities and heiresses partied in Nyack, including Anne Vanderbuilt and her two daughters, conductor Leopold Stokowski, actress Helen Hayes, playwright Maxwell Anderson and a young Pete Seeger. At one time, the Clarkstown Country Club was a huge economic driver for pre-WWII Nyack and nearby communities. Should investors’ hopes and dreams for a tourist boom come to life, The Time Hotel might have a similar impact — albeit without the elephants and the menagerie once housed at the Clarkstown Country Club.
Time Nyack Amenities
Whether or not Time’s new-age opulence fits with Nyack’s aesthetic is up for debate. It does, though, unquestionably provide amenities that Nyack was missing. An upscale hotel, sure. But also a steakhouse (BV’s Grill, an offshoot of Bobby Van’s Steakhouse), a great workspace, and an events ballroom. Guests staying on the the 4th floor will find balconies with views of the Hudson River and our local Modern Marvels infrastructure work-in-progress, the new Tappan Zee Bridge.
Locals, although excited to see something different and unique, are still skeptical, not quite convinced that people will pay from $210-$379 (and more) for a posh Soho-inspired lifestyle room that overlooks NYS Thruway Exit 11. But it’s easy for Nyack residents to miss what they proudly take for granted. Investors are hoping Manhattanites, as well as people from all over the world, will be enticed to stay in this quaint, walkable village located within a ten minute drive of three state parks which already draw a million annual visitors; a community that has a long history of catering to the arts and live music; five street fairs; monthly First Friday Arts events and the second largest Halloween parade in the tri-state area; and a favorite destination for hikers, nature lovers and cyclists, convenient to NYC by either car, bus, Metro North or NJ Transit trains.
And those attractions are only a draw if guests decide to go outside and leave the special accommodations behind. Time Nyack amenities include a Tesla charging station, an outdoor pool & spa, a fitness room, a courtesy shuttle to downtown Nyack, bike rentals, free valet parking and concierge services.
Meg Mayo, marketing director of VisitNyack, says that the new boutique hotel will increase awareness of Nyack as a tourist destination. “The Time Hotel is going to be a game-changer for tourism in Nyack,” she said. “There is nothing else like it in the area, so its addition will give visitors of Nyack a new option for spending the night.”
In an effort to create a symbiotic
relationship with the businesses of downtown Nyack, Time has pioneered projects like the “Taste of Nyack” package that includes luxury accommodations and meals at local favorites such as Strawberry Place and the Art Café. “They’re showing us that they really want to be a part of the Nyack community,” Mayo said.
And while it may seem like the hotel will present problems for rest of the Nyack hotel market, Gregory Parseghian, General Manager of West Gate Inn Nyack isn’t worried. On the contrary, he thinks the Time Nyack will create awareness for the other hotels in the area. “The Time Hotel is a more upscale property with higher prices and a different clientele, so we are not directly competing,” he said. “We actually complement each other quite well.”
A lot can be read into the name chosen for Nyack’s newest place to stay. Clearly, investors in The Time see a future for a space that has no peers in Rockland, Westchester or North Jersey. The Time probably isn’t the place for your cousin Cynthia and her three kids under ten to stay when they come to visit Nyack. There once was a time when parties like last week’s big event happened all the time in Nyack. Only time will tell if this is the right time for The Time to change how Nyack looks at itself, and how the world looks at Nyack.
All photos via The Time Nyack Hotel on Facebook.
See also:
- TheTimeHotels.com/Nyack
- Elephants on Nyack’s Main Street Were Once Common, 7/25/2009
- Life at the Clarkstown Country Club, 4/24/2010
- NYLO Nyack: Chic Loft Hotel Planned Near Thruway, 6/21/2013
- The Best Hotel to Happen to Nyack, NY? Forbes.com 5/21/2016
