Since the start of the pandemic, many seemingly everyday moments have suddenly changed. These changes are forcing the world to develop creative solutions to help us define the new “normal”. The event industry is no different. With the cancellation of all gatherings, event spaces in New York City are adapting to the current business climate by taking visitors on a virtual tour. A virtual tour allows visitors to get a feel for these incredible spaces from the comfort and safety of their own homes.
Event Space Virtual Tours
We have compiled a list of the top 12 virtual tours from our Best Venues members.
1) Park Hyatt New York
Park Hyatt is a 5-star luxury hotel located near Central Park that has a total of 221 sleeping rooms. Their beautifully designed event spaces cover more than 9,000 square feet. The Onyx room can host up to 450 guests and has a 28-foot ceiling, natural light, and beautiful backlit, white Italian onyx walls.
Park Hyatt White Onyx Ballroom
Virtual Tour: Onyx Ballroom
2) Ziegfeld Ballroom
One of the most beautiful landmark venues in NYC, this iconic Art Deco-inspired event space has the perfect mix of both heritage and cutting-edge technology. Located at the corner of Broadway and Seventh Avenue, Ziegfeld Ballroom first opened its doors in 1969, as a grand single-screen movie palace. In the fall of 2017, after a lengthy renovation, Ziegfeld Ballroom reopened as a premier event space. The stunningly designed ballroom can hold over 1300 guests in the beautiful column-free ballroom.
Ziegfeld ballroom set with round tables
Virtual Tour: Ziegfeld Ballroom
3) New York Botanical Garden (NYBG)
Located in the Bronx, New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) is known for their world-famous gardens but they also offer all-year indoor and outdoor event spaces. The Garden Terrace Ballroom can fit up to 300 guests. The space features beautiful views of the gardens with twinkling chandeliers and state of the art lighting.
The Garden Terrace at New York Botanical Garden
Virtual Tour: New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) Garden Terrace
4) Zavo
Zavo NYC is known as one of the hottest fine dining Mediterranean restaurants in New York City. This luxurious contemporary restaurant is located in Midtown East. The restaurant features two floors with a large amount of dividable event space, large floor-to-ceiling windows, and dazzling chandeliers.
The Crystal Room at Zavo NYC
Virtual Tour: Zavo NYC
5) The Skylark
Located in the heart of New York’s Fashion District, The Skylark is known for its breathtaking panoramic views of New York City and its open-air rooftop deck (One of the best rooftops in NYC might we add!). The deck is beautifully furnished and has views of Times Square and the Hudson River. The multiple event spaces all feature floor-to-ceiling windows, state of the art sound system, and sweeping city views.
A view of the sunset from Skylarks Rooftop Deck
Virtual Tour: Skylark NYC
6) Manhattan Center
Built-in 1906 and located in the heart of Midtown, The Manhattan Center’s two ballrooms, Grand Ballroom and Hammerstein Ballroom are known as one of New York City’’s most renowned performance venues. Both event spaces feature restored period architecture and natural acoustics. The Hammerstein Ballroom can host up to 3,500 guests and contains dressing rooms, private salons, and opera boxes.
A Gala setup at the Hammerstein Ballroom
Virtual Tour: Manhattan Center 1 Manhattan Center 2
7) Guastavino’s
Guastavino’s is a designated New York City landmark and a unique architectural masterpiece situated under the 59th street Queensboro bridge. With 13,000 square feet of interior space, Guastavino’s can accommodate up to 1300 guests standing or 500 seated. The outdoor area of Guastavino’s is a spacious private garden with beautiful views of the East River and the historic bridge.
Guastavino’s outdoor area and view of the Queensborough bridge
Virtual Tour: Guastavino’s
8) InterContinental New York Barclay
Arguably one of the best venues in New York City, the InterContinental New York Barclay is located in Midtown East. It is a luxury hotel that is rich in history from its grand opening in 1926. It has hosted many famous guests and once served as a headquarters for a certain presidential campaign. Considered one of the city’s largest event spaces, the InterContinental New York Barclay features 20,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space, which includes five smartly designed breakout rooms.
A chandelier hanging in the lobby of the InterContinental New York Barclay
Virtual Tour: InterContinental New York Barclay
9) Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is one of the world’s most well-known and iconic music halls. Located in Midtown, Manhattan, Carnegie Hall features one of the most flexible event spaces in NYC with an expansive rooftop terrace and large windows with Central Park views. The newly renovated event spaces have not lost their original charming historic features.
The May Room at Carnegie Hall
Virtual Tour: Carnegie Hall
10) Pier Sixty, Lighthouse, and Current
This wonderful group of waterfront event spaces is proudly catered by the renowned Abigail Kirsch. The venues are managed by the same team and located within the iconic New York Chelsea Piers. The location provides sweeping views of the Hudson River through their floor-to-ceiling glass windows and outdoor waterfront space.
The spaces cater to different sized events, with Pier Sixty being the largest.
Pier Sixty can accommodate 200 to 2,000 people, with its flexible column-free 20,000 sq. ft layout.
The Lighthouse is the next largest with 10,000 sq. feet. The venue can accommodate 800 guests.
Current is their most intimate space with sweeping sunsets views and a 16-foot custom lit LED ceiling. The space can accommodate up to 360 guests, with 6,000 sq. ft of event space.
The outdoor terrace long the Hudson River at Pier 60
Virtual Tour: Pier Sixty
The Lighthouse set up for a wedding ceremony
Virtual Tour: The Lighthouse At Chelsea Piers
The 16ft custom-lit led ceiling at Current
11) Mandarin Oriental Hotel, New York
A luxury 5-star hotel located in Columbus Circle, Mandarin Oriental was named as one of the “Best Business Hotels in the World” by Travel and Leisure. The hotel offers beautiful views of Central Park, a full-service spa, a 75-foot indoor pool, and floor-to-ceiling windows in every guestroom. The Mandarin Ballroom has over 6,000 square feet of event space, with 18-foot high walls, unbeatable views, and 3 immense oval chandleries, which add elegance to any event.
The Mandarin Ballroom
Virtual Tour: – Mandarin Oriental
12) Gotham Hall
Constructed in 1922 as the Greenwich Savings Bank, Gotham Hall is a historical landmark building and a highly sought-after venue. One of the largest venues in Midtown, Gotham Hall has over 17,500 square feet of event space. The venue features a 9,000 square foot ballroom, 70 feet high ceiling, high-tech AV, and an ornate stained-glass skylight. Smaller event spaces include a mezzanine that overlooks the ballroom, a lounge, and dressing rooms with a private entrance.
The ballroom at Gotham hall set up for an event
The Future Of The Event Industry
While it is still unknown when New York City will lift restrictions and return to back to normal due to COVID-19, event spaces are booking up quickly for the tail end of 2020, 2021, and beyond!
Many venues are preparing for events to return by putting in place event industry-standard safety procedures according to MeetSAFE guidelines. The guidelines provide optimal room layout, design, and cleaning requirements as well as reorganizing and remodeling of event spaces to ensure guest safety. Virtual tours of these spaces have given us an idea of what venues will look like in the future.
So, while events may look different for a while, many believe the future of the event industry is bright and we will be able to celebrate with our friends and family soon.
How Best Venues New York Can Assist You
We will help you navigate the event venue finding process during these uncertain times while making sure you receive the best price on your desired event space.
We have created strong relationships with our member venues over the past 5+ years Best Venues has been in business. We work together with you to find the right venue for your needs and utilize our connections to make sure you save time and money so you can get back to what’s important: Planning the event!
If you have an event coming up, please feel free to contact us to get started today!