Global Traveler recently held our first Globility Board event at The Benjamin Hotel in New York City. I was so impressed with everything about The Benjamin and Denihan Hospitality Group, I just had to blog about the experience.

First off, The Benjamin is in a great location; it’s central to everything in Midtown and within walking distance of wonderful restaurants and shopping. The recently renovated lobby is comfortable, chic and warm; and the service, beginning with the doorman, couldn’t be more inviting. Although I didn’t stay at the hotel during the event, I have toured the property; and I can honestly say the rooms are spacious and quite accommodating for Manhattan. We had a lovely breakfast of croissants, oatmeal and pastries in the residence lounge on the morning of our Globility Board meeting. Our meeting took place in their corner room, and the staff was extremely helpful with the setup of our equipment, and everything went off without a hitch. We heard presentations from Denihan Hospitality, South African Airways and Lufthansa. Our lunch was held in an adjacent space to the corner room; the setup was perfect for the size of our group, and the salads and sandwiches hit the spot.

After a long day of meetings, we were ready to celebrate the successful event with a cocktail reception and dinner held in The Benjamin’s restaurant, The National. The National is home to Geoffrey Zakarian, one of the nation’s most widely celebrated chefs. Geoffrey has also been featured on the well-known TV show, Iron Chef. The wine and passed hors d’oeuvres at the cocktail reception were amazing! I couldn’t get enough of the crab crakes and tuna tartare. Our customized dinner menu included a choice between surf and turf or roasted chicken with risotto. I enjoyed the chicken, and it was delicious. I also had the Caesar salad, and for dessert I highly recommend the chocolate malted devil’s food cake. Everything about The Benjamin and The National was exceptional. If you are staying in New York City and looking to enjoy a wonderful dinner or searching for a venue to host an event, look no further than this property.

— Christie Rhodes, advertising manager eastern region