If you have clients looking to book trips to New York City for Thanksgiving, be sure to double-check whether their hotel will still have a view of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Beginning this year, the parade is moving from Broadway to Seventh Avenue for much of the route, a change the city says will give it the extra space it has long needed. The new plan is a compromise for Times Square hoteliers who feared losing the parade to Sixth Avenue.
However, not all hotels are satisfied with the move. The Novotel and Crowne Plaza properties on Broadway will no longer have views of the parade and the W Hotel will have limited views.
“Some hotels on Broadway will take a hit because of cancellations,” acknowledged Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance, in a Crains New York report. “But we do feel this is a far better solution than Sixth Avenue, and we appreciate that the city looked at it thoughtfully.”
In announcing the move, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, “With more space available, the new route will be better for parade watchers, and better for the businesses that benefit from the activity generated by the parade.”
The parade will still begin at Central Park West at West 77th Street, but at West 59th Street, it will shift to Seventh Avenue instead of Broadway. At West 42nd Street, it will turn east and continue down Sixth Avenue to Macy’s flagship store on West 34th Street.
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Shrek and the other giant Macy's balloons will be heading off Broadway and down Sixth Avenue at this year's parade |