From terraces and high-rise balconies atop Art Deco buildings or glass-walled modern structures, this new breed of hotel offers straight-up views, with nary a window pane or curtain to impede the breeze.
And in a city where air pollution, bright lights and the dizzyingly tall skyscrapers of the Manhattan skyline can obscure the stars, hotel companies say they offer travelers a unique experience.
"When we identified something we think will really delight people and give them a one-of-a-kind chance of living -- something that they can't get somewhere else -- we quickly tried to make that happen," said Elana Friedman, of luxury hotel group AKA.
For the not-so-insignificant price of $1 995 a night, the AKA Central Park promises a five star "outdoor bedroom," 17 floors up, complete with a queen-size bed, candle-lit dinner, fireplace, romantic snacks, and a giant telescope to admire the stars in the city that never sleeps.
To the strains of live jazz guitar, Brazilians, Australians, Emiratis, and even New Yorkers spend the night doing what travel agents call urban "glamping" -- short for "glamorous camping."
"This experience made me never want to go traditional camping again," one guest at the AKA, Jennifer Semeter, told AFP.
If anyone is interested, I have a rollaway bed I can put out on our porch, and for $749.99, you get an unobstructed view of the sky, and a dinner of a Big Mac, fries and a Bud Lite, with a Twinkie and an ice cream sandwich for dessert. The rollaway has casters, and for an additional $75 we will turn the bed every hour to enable a different view of the stars. (NO RAINCHECKS) ... our travel agents refer to it as "Suborping" .... short for "a sucker born every minute camping out on Dooley's front porch on a cheap rollaway bed eating a BigMac and sucking down a Bud"
