Content area
Full Text
A FTER 16 YEARS AS A TENant in the Hotel Pennsylvania, the Barbizon School of Modeling of Manhattan is moving its runways and classrooms next month to the New Yorker Hotel.
With its lease expiring, the international school, which teaches young women the art of poise, makeup application and social etiquette, got a better deal and found the New Yorker a more welcoming landlord.
The 73-year-old hotel is benefiting, too. With a slump in tourism, the New Yorker is relying on corporate tenants to tide it over while the economy remains weak. The 40-story hotel has 12 floors dedicated to office use, with 90% of that space occupied.
Attractive tenant
Barbizon seemed a particularly attractive tenant because of the potential fringe benefits of the deal. "We think the school will bring in lots of other business," says the New Yorker's general manager, Kevin Smith, who...