Queens community leaders celebrate grand opening
of Hyatt Regency hotel at Resorts World New York
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Hyatt Regency JFK Airport at Resorts
World New York on Friday, Aug.
6, celebrated its grand opening with a
ribbon-cutting ceremony welcoming
guests to experience the city’s newest
shopping, dining and entertainment
destination in Queens.
Executives from Genting Americas
East — which owns the hotel, casino
and Hyatt — and local elected officials
as well as community members attended
the celebration, which included
a traditional lion dance performance.
“We are excited to debut Hyatt Regency
JFK Airport at Resorts World
New York and invite guests to experience
our intuitive hospitality as they
relax and recharge after a day of gaming,
dining and entertainment,” said
Brian Reynolds, senior vice president
of Resorts World New York City. “Working
with our Resorts World team, we’re
pleased to deliver on an innovative and
seamless experience that is sure to energize
travelers.”
Bob DeSalvio, president of Genting
Americas East, said they’re honored to
collaborate with Hyatt and are proud to
welcome guests from all over the world
and provide them with a “truly unparalleled
casino resort experience in the
heart of New York.”
“There is no better way to celebrate
Resorts World’s 10th anniversary than
with the opening of this world-class
hotel in New York City,” DeSalvio said.
“While the hotel has always been part
of our vision, today’s ribbon-cutting
takes on additional significance as
we celebrate the Queens community
and do our part to move New York
forward.”
Faced with COVID-19 amid the
construction of the $400 million hotel
— which took three years to build —
presented quite a challenge. DeSalvio
acknowledged the dedication of the
architects, engineers and construction
workers who finished the project under
unprecedented circumstances.
“We have never, ever experienced
anything like this,” DeSalvio said.
“The project, shutting down, we mobilized
to get the construction going
again. And then to have just come out
and look like this in record time, it’s really
quite an amazing feat.”
Admitting he was “a little biased,”
DeSalvio proclaimed that the only resort
that came close to the New York
City location was Resorts World in the
Catskills, also a Genting property, and
said that the company’s experience in
developing resorts was going to make
the NYC location a “world-class destination
for New Yorkers to enjoy close
to home as well as for visitors from
around the globe, to be able to enjoy
what they’re seeing here, a truly great
place to dine, to stay, to shop, and gaming,
as well, and be entertained.”
Queens Borough President Donovan
Elected officials and representatives of Hyatt Regency and Genting Group at the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Hyatt Regency
JFK Airport at Resorts World NYC. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
Richards said the opening of the
hotel is another “huge step forward in
Queens’ comeback.”
“We’re open for business,” Richards
said. “What a better way to come out of
this pandemic and bring jobs back?”
State Senators Joseph Addabbo Jr.
and Leroy Comrie also lauded Hyatt
Regency and Resorts World as job creators.
“This project means jobs. It means
hundreds of construction jobs, good union
jobs, and then post-construction about 500
jobs. So it means jobs in an economy that
really needs it,” Addabbo said.
Comrie said “forget Manhattan,” inviting
people to visit the “World’s Borough”
and stay at the Hyatt Regency,
which he described as well-designed.
“Come to Queens and enjoy yourself.
Come to Queens and have a good
time,” Comrie said.
Congressman Gregory Meeks talked
about the impact the new resort
would have on the economy of Queens
County and New York City by creating
“good-paying jobs.”
“These kinds of things are contagious,”
Meeks said, hoping that other
businesses will follow suit.
Hyatt Regency JFK Airport at Resorts
World New York is an eight-story,
luxury hotel, featuring 400 residentialinspired
guest rooms and premium
suites with energizing design and insightful
in-room technology.
The hotel also features the worldrenowned
Sugar Factory Restaurant,
a fitness center, state-of-the-art conference
and meeting spaces and additional
gaming areas. The centerpiece of the
property is a soaring grand lobby, perfectly
suited for art exhibits, events and
musical performances, that connects
the hotel with Resorts World New York
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.22 COM | AUG. 13 - AUG. 19, 2021
City (RWNYC), which opened in 2011.
Guest rooms
The hotel features 400 guest rooms
including 275 king rooms, 91 double
rooms and 34 suites. The variety of
accommodations is ideal for business
and leisure travelers alike thanks to
an incredibly convenient location near
JFK Airport. The oversized suites are
designed to make guests feel at home
with kitchenettes and separate living
spaces. Many of the chic guest rooms
offer floor-to-ceiling windows looking
out to the city’s skyline.
Entertainment
The property offers 6,500 slots and
electronic table games. Resorts World
features three unique levels of gaming:
Times Square Casino, Fifth Avenue
Casino and Central Park Casino, along
with several high-limit rooms.
The $400 million hotel and amenities
investment has long been part of
Genting’s vision of bringing a destination
resort, popular in global locations
such as Las Vegas and Singapore, to
New York City. The resort seamlessly
features a variety of non-gaming amenities
to complement the most innovative
gaming products and entertainment
offerings, allowing guests of all
interests and budgets an experience
that fits their personal tastes.
This development brings the total
investment in Resorts World New York
City to over $1.1 billion after Genting
spent more than $700 million to enhance
the existing Aqueduct grandstand
to become a leading entertainment
destination.
The hotel addition has created hundreds
of good-paying careers for New
Yorkers and will provide additional
revenue for New York State’s Lottery
Education Fund. Resorts World has
already generated more than $3 billion
for New York’s public schools.
Meetings and events
Beyond redefining the hotel experience
for leisure guests, the new hotel
applies a high-touch experience for
meetings and events, with 5,000 square
feet of total function space and stateof
the-art meeting facilities all backed
by a dedicated team offering meeting
planners a seamless, confident service
for themselves and attendees.
The rooms are designed to host a
range of events including corporate
meetings, art exhibits and community
programs. Including Resorts World
New York City, the property will now
have more than 64,000 square feet of
event space.
Dining
Sugar Factory, the world-renowned
café and confectionary shop, is open
for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Its signature
menu items include decadent
milkshakes and old-fashioned sundaes.
Guests can also enjoy additional
food and beverage options including a
convenient Grab ‘n’ Go. Regency Club
guests can enjoy daily continental
breakfast and evening hors d’oeuvres
and light snacks at this exclusive club.
For more information, visit rwnewyork.
com or hyattregency.com. Located
minutes away from JFK Airport, the
hotel is accessible by the A Train, Q37
bus, and LIRR to Jamaica Station with
pickup from a free casino shuttle.
/hyattregency.com
