To “bring to life” the official announcement of changes and new benefits for both the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card and the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, the Hilton Honors membership program and American Express co-hosted an immersive event that was known as Suitcase To Your Next Stay for members of the media in New York on the evening of Wednesday, November 8, 2023.
Suitcase To Your Next Stay: Hilton Honors and American Express Media Event Report
The Suitcase To Your Next Stay media event was part of an itinerary of which I was honored to be asked to attend. We were escorted downtown by members of the teams at both Hilton and its public relations company from the new Tempo by Hilton New York Times Square hotel property to Bathhouse Studios, where the words FREE PUBLIC BATHS OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK are engraved near the top of the historic building, which was built between the years 1904 and 1905.
After walking into the building, we “checked in” at the “front desk” for the event and were given a paper jacket with three keys inside.
Yes, some people wound up confusing these jackets with the ones that held the keys to their hotel rooms after the event.
The three keys were to unlock three categories: Dine, Shop, and Stay. Although they could be done in any order, I was advised to start with Dine, which I did.
The entrances to each room looked like suitcases, with the outline illuminated by light.
I walked downstairs and entered a room which included two long glass tables that were set for a total of 18 guests.
Most of the other guests had not come downstairs yet; so I sat in the first chair on the left end of the table.
Alexandra Daddario is an actress who is best known for her role of Rachel Patton in The White Lotus, which is a television series. She was busy modeling for photographers when I arrived. Afterwards, she went upstairs to mingle with the guests.
Meanwhile, food for the evening was being prepared by Nicholas Stefanelli and his team.
Nicholas Stefanelli is the Michelin-star head chef of Le Clou, which is a modern French brasserie restaurant at The Morrow Washington DC, Curio Collection by Hilton.
I enjoyed watching the presentations of small plates of signature bites being prepared to be served.
Duck breasts await in a pan to be sliced and plated.
Fresh crusty bread rests in a pan.
In addition to the aforementioned bread with butter, served together on the plate were Scallop Crudo, Mushroom Fricassee, and sliced Duck Breast. No further description was given as to the ingredients that each of this dishes were comprised. I must say that even though mushrooms and duck are not exactly my favorite dishes, the flavors were full, unusual, refreshingly quite satisfying, and integrated well together. Most of the duck was rather tender and moist yet lean. I wish I knew what was the purée underneath one of the cherries with the duck and what was included in the mushroom fricassee. I was amazed at just how delicious was the food. I would up polishing my plates.
The advice to start with Dine was good advice. Not long after I finished and left the room, the table was full. Guests had to be placed on a wait list before dining.
Adjacent to the area where people dined was a bar. This area became very crowded later on in the evening.
Next stop was Shop. The entrance shown in the photograph above was for the Shop room, where guests used electronic tablets to participate in a quiz as to what type of travelers they were.
All guests who participated were awarded with a choice of at least one free gift. I wound up being classified as a city traveler, which did surprise me, as I thought I would be more of a traveler who enjoyed natural scenery and landscapes.
Then again, I am originally from New York, so…
The final stop of the night was Stay. As with Dine and Shop, guests had to drop their appropriate “key” into the slot of a box.
As part of the experience, guests had a choice of one of four Young Living premium essential oil essences: Eucalyptus Blue, Lavender, Peppermint, or Citrus Fresh. Four dishes with pebbles each gave guests a sampling of the scents. I chose Citrus Fresh, which edged out Peppermint by an incredibly narrow margin.
Guests then relaxed on a soft reclined futon of sorts, wore headphones to listen to calming music, and the experience began. Each guest had a massage from both elbows to the tips of all of their fingers.
On the ceiling was a round illuminated view of the sky with the leaves from tropical plants. On the wall was an illuminated video of lush tropical flora. The relaxing treatment was inspired by the spa at Conrad Tulum in Mexico.
Where I received my treatment was in the second futon on the left in the above photograph. As someone who does not typically appreciate or enjoy spa treatments, I must admit that the experience was relaxing.
The Shop room is located on the left; while the Stay room was located on the right…
…and to the right of the Stay room was a second bar, where guests can partake in three SPIRITED + FREE-SPIRITED drinks that were inspired by Tempo by Hilton — as well as selections of wines and beers upon request. I was not going to drink any of the beverages — until I found out that two of them could be ordered without alcohol.
I tried the one drink that was not available without alcohol: the Amalfi Toast with Tito’s Vodka, white cranberry juice, Aperol, and lime juice. One sip was all I needed. I did not like it at all. It burned in my mouth. Blech.
One drink was called the Toki-o Drift, which contains Toki Japanese whisky, tart cherry juice, pomegranate juice, lemon juice, and Luxardo cherry juice. It was good; but not outstanding. I did like the cherry.
Another drink was called I’m an Island Buoy, which consisted of Bacardi Anejo Cuatro, Spirulina Coconut Cream, pineapple juice, lime juice, and Myer’s Dark Rum Float. I enjoyed this drink more than the Toki-o Drift.
The event lasted for approximately two hours before leaving to be escorted back to the Tempo by Hilton New York Times Square hotel property.
Final Boarding Call
I attended college at Parsons School of Design, which is located only ten blocks away — and yet I never knew about the old bath house building, of which the baths themselves closed in 1958. That this historic building was restored back to its old grandeur is wonderful. More historic buildings should be restored, in my opinion.
To the members of the team at Hilton who invited me to attend the Suitcase To Your Next Stay media event: thank you very much. I enjoyed the experience, which was a creative way of bringing to life the official announcement of changes and new benefits for both the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card and the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card.
All photographs ©2023 by Brian Cohen.
