Morgans Hotel Group Announces The Opening Of Half & Half

Morgans Hotel Group Announces The Opening Of Half & Half

HALF & HALF, AN ARCADE & DANCE HALL, RETURNS CLASSIC NEW YORK NIGHTLIFE TO HUDSON

NEW YORK, Nov. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- On Wednesday, November 5(th) Morgans Hotel Group (NASDAQ: MHGC) unveiled its newest nightlife concept, Half & Half, an arcade and dance hall at the legendary Hudson Hotel. Inspired by the early 1980's art and music scene of downtown Manhattan when nightlife was designed by the likes of Haring, Warhol, or Basquiat, Half & Half, centers around rotating installations of young artists and designers that will take over the space. Every few months a different artist will be commissioned to create a new vision, continually evolving the guest experience and celebrating the act of creation.

Half & Half's first installation will be created by artist Harrison Boyce, a New York based photographer and videographer best known for his commercial work with fashion designers Dries van Noten and global channel Nowness, as well as music videos for Pusha T, Theophilus London, and French Montana. His first installation, entitled "Nostalgia," is themed after the soul music dancehalls of the late 1970's and the early hip-hop scene of the 1980's, features ten-foot high imagery of female soul dancers, graphic billboards of classic hip-hop lyrics, and black and white photography that captures the theatrics of the time.

As part of Boyce's installation, the upper lounge that surrounds Half & Half's sunken dance floor will be transformed into a classic arcade, featuring old-school games such as NBA Jam, Ms. Pacman, Mortal Kombat, ArkanoidStreet Fighter, Frogger, and Golden Tee. Guests will be able to play the games with custom Half & Half tokens, or rent private lounge areas that come with unlimited gaming. The art, ambiance, cocktails and food will have guests reliving that classic, downtown Manhattan cool of yesteryear in present day NYC.

"Half & Half is inspired by the early days of New York nightclubs, when amazing young artists would use nightlife as a way to expose their talents to the world," said Alan Philips, Chief Marketing Officer of Morgans Hotel Group. "Morgans hotels are great and supportive platforms for creators to share their talents and Half & Half is amazing opportunity to introduce the next generation of artists into our culture and guest experience."

Cocktails created by Ryan Chetiyawardana (aka Mr. Lyan) will be integrated into the "Nostalgia" installation. The modern, casual drinks will utilize high quality ingredients in a whimsical manner. Guests can slurp on slushies like the Boozy Cherry Cola (Bulleit Bourbon, Fernet Branca, bitters, cherry-cola caramel and lime, with an old-school Maraschino Cherry garnish) and the signature Half & Half (Belvedere Lemon Tea, Beefeater Gin, Cazadores Blanco, Cointreau, Bacardi Silver, Lemon, Cider, Cola Bitters, Mint). Other playful cocktails will include the Bees Knees (Beefeater Gin, Lemon, & Honeywater), Royal Sea Breeze (Ketel One Vodka, celery-cranberry cordial, grapefruit soda and prosecco) and the groovy Sherbet Margarita Fishbowl (sharing bowl of Cazadores tequila with orange sherbet and house spicy 'margarita mix').

The Bar Snacks available at Half & Half will be created by Morgans Corporate Executive Chef Tien Ho and will include artisanal versions of classic 1980's comfort foods, such as Half & Half Party Mix, Deviled Crab Dipwith Ritz Crackers; 7 Layer Rainbow Birthday Cake, & Pimento Cheese Dip with Warm Homemade Soft Pretzels.

Half & Half will be open from 6 PM - 3AM Wednesday through Saturday evenings. Reservations are encouraged and can be made by visiting www.halfandhalfnyc.com or calling 212-554-6217.

About Morgans Hotel Group
Morgans Hotel Group Co. (NASDAQ: MHGC) is widely credited as the creator of the first "boutique" hotel and a continuing leader of the hotel industry's boutique sector. Morgans Hotel Group operates Delano in South Beach, Mondrian in Los Angeles, New York, South Beach and London, Hudson in New York, Morgans and Royalton in New York, Clift in San Francisco, Shore Club in South Beach and Sanderson and St Martins Lane in London. Morgans Hotel Group has ownership interests or owns several of these hotels. Morgans Hotel Group also licenses a Delano in Las Vegas. Morgans Hotel Group has other hotels in various stages of development to be operated under management or franchise agreement, including a Mondrian property in Doha, Qatar and a Morgans Original in Istanbul, Turkey. Morgans Hotel Group also owns a 90% controlling interest in The Light Group, a leading lifestyle food and beverage company. For more information please visit www.morganshotelgroup.com.

SOURCE Morgans Hotel Group

Morgans Hotel Group

CONTACT: Kirsten Magen, Maggie LaCasse, Blackbird PR, blackbirdmorgans@blackbird-pr.com

Web Site: http://www.morganshotelgroup.com


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