Hospitality & restaurants · United States
New YorkHotel conversionOperating

IHG launches Crowne Plaza flagship at Manhattan’s former Times Square hotel

IHG’s September 2 announcement marks the launch of its new Americas flagship in an existing Seventh Avenue hotel, with Highgate managing the converted property.

Updated September 14, 20263 min read

The former Manhattan at Times Square hotel photographed across Seventh Avenue in 2020, before its Crowne Plaza conversion.
Illustration: Jim.henderson, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Building photographed in 2020, before the conversion.

IHG announced the opening of Crowne Plaza Manhattan Times Square on September 2, 2026, introducing its new Americas flagship in a converted New York hotel. Highgate manages the property, developed by Al Rayyan Tourism Investment Company, or ARTIC, according to IHG. To track hotel projects relevant to your business, you can try PipeSignals free and configure your own market radar.

An existing hotel changes its offer

The property is at 790 Seventh Avenue, as confirmed by IHG’s official directions page, and previously traded as The Manhattan at Times Square. Traveling for Miles’ September 7 report places the building between West 51st and West 52nd streets and identifies the project as a refurbishment of an existing hotel. That distinction matters for the local supply picture: the announcement brings a new brand and guest proposition to an established address.

IHG describes a 22-storey property with 685 rooms, an upper-floor accommodation offer called the Manhattan Level and a Broadway Suite with a terrace. The company presents the hotel as a place for guests combining work and leisure on the same trip. These are the brand’s descriptions of the completed conversion and its positioning, rather than evidence of a new development pipeline. IHG’s launch announcement

The lobby becomes part of the product

Fifty-First Street Social, the restaurant and bar beside the lobby, has its own street entrance. The arrangement gives the dining venue a route to neighbourhood customers as well as overnight guests. Traveling for Miles describes this entrance and the hotel’s existing-building origins in its assessment of the launch. Traveling for Miles

The same report raises questions about inconsistencies in the property’s online presentation, including room names and descriptions of the lobby marketplace. Its criticism is based on a review of the hotel website and booking engine, not an overnight inspection. Those observations underline the practical difference between announcing a brand launch and delivering a consistently explained guest experience across every sales channel. September 7 assessment

Supplier relevance moves into daily operation

For hospitality suppliers, the commercial implication is an operating-property conversation. If additional needs arise, restaurant replenishment, housekeeping supplies, furniture maintenance and guest-facing systems could be relevant to the converted hotel. A supplier would need to establish the actual service requirement and purchasing arrangements before proposing work; the launch does not itself announce available contracts.

The restaurant’s separate entrance also suggests a useful operational question: how will hotel dining and customers arriving directly from the street share reservations, service and payment workflows? That is an analytical angle for technology and food-service specialists, not a reported deficiency or a confirmed software purchase.

To follow similar conversions as they move from announcement into operation, you can try PipeSignals free and set up a radar around your geography and supplier speciality.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the new Crowne Plaza flagship?
At 790 Seventh Avenue, in the building previously known as The Manhattan at Times Square.
Is this a newly constructed hotel?
No. The September announcement concerns a conversion and brand launch in an existing hotel.
What does the launch mean for suppliers?
Any remaining requirements would need to be qualified with the operating property. The announcement does not offer supplier contracts.

Sources: IHG, September 2, 2026 supplies the launch announcement and property specifications. Traveling for Miles, September 7, 2026 provides separate editorial analysis, address and conversion context, with original examination of the booking presentation. IHG’s official property directions page confirms the street address; it is location evidence, not the dated launch announcement. Stage: operating under the new brand, as announced by IHG; no claim that every advertised amenity is independently inspected.

Image: Illustration: Jim.henderson, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Building photographed in 2020, before the conversion. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0.

Hospitality & restaurants · United States

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