By the end of 2007, New York will have almost 5,000 new hotel rooms ranging from large chain hotels to celebrity-backed, chic boutiques. In addition to new properties from the mega chains, star hoteliers—such as Andre Balazs, Vikram Chatwal, Ian Schraeger and Robert De Niro—are hitting the New York hotel scene. 
Ian Schrager's newest venture is the Gramercy Park Hotel, which will mark the hotelier's first residential project. The 186-room property, part of the Morgans Hotel Group, is slated to open this spring at 50 Gramercy Park.
The Thompson Hotel Group, owned by Jason Pomeranc, is opening two new spaces that will join sister hotel 60 Thompson. The 90-room 6 Columbus Circle is scheduled to open June 1. Facilities will include outdoor dining, a rooftop terrace and an old-fashioned barbershop. A second property on Allen Street in the Lower East Side is scheduled to open in 2007 with 112 rooms. The Allen Street property will have a spa, destination restaurant, theater and rooftop terrace. 
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Andre Balazs (of The Mercer) is opening his third New York hotel, The Standard. With a hip address in the Meatpacking District, the 344-room hotel is set to debut in late 2007 and will boast a rooftop pool.
Vikram Chatwal has converted the Best Western Ambassador to The Night Hotel. Located on West 45th St., the 72-room hotel has modern rooms with black-and-white decor, WiFi, plasma TVs, Bose radios, Frette linens and Dean & Deluca mini bars. At press time, the property was slated to open in March. Nightly rates range from $275 to $525.
In TriBeCa, Robert DeNiro and Ira Drukier have teamed up to build The Downtown Hotel at Greenwich and North Moore Streets. At a cost of $43 million, the six-story luxury hotel will have 83 rooms.
LXR Luxury Resorts is transforming the former Rihga Royal hotel on West 54th St. into The London NYC. British designer David Collins was selected to redesign the 506-suite hotel while chef Gordon Ramsay will open a fine-dining restaurant. The London NYC is slated to debut its transformation in the fall. Resources
Sol Melia Hotels & Resorts, Hard Rock Cafe International and Becker Ventures have joined forces for a new property. The Paramount Hotel on West 46th St. will be reborn as the 610-room Hard Rock Hotel in early 2007.