First Luxury Hotel – The Opera House – Opens in the Bronx

Smack dab in the heart of the South Bronx on one of its main streets and adjacent to one of the busiest subway stations in the city, The Opera House Hotel is open for business in Melrose on 149th Street between Brook and Bergen.

A work in progress for about 4 years now, the luxury hotel opened this past Sunday in the former Bronx Opera House and guests were already streaming in from across the country and even overseas.

According to the hotel’s management, on opening day they had 16 of the 60 luxury rooms booked and have been pleasantly surprised by bookings for the month of August – a notoriously slow month in the industry.

The Empire Hotel Group which owns and runs the Opera House Hotel is no stranger to the business as they own and operate 7 other hotels along Manhattan’s West Side stretching from the West 30s and we’ll into the Upper West Side in the West 80s.

The Opera House is their first venture outside of Manhattan and has the distinct honor of being the borough’s FIRST luxury boutique hotel. The rooms are all quite spacious and beautifully appointed with tall windows making them very bright and sunny.

Since it is a boutique hotel, the amenities are somewhat limited, however, guests who tend to lodge at such establishments are not typically noted to have a need for them. Nevertheless, the hotel features a conference room, complimentary continental breakfast for guests. A small fitness center and business center are being set up as well.

Perfectly situated and located at 436 East 149th Street, the Opera House Hotel is just steps away from the 3rd Avenue / 149th Street subway, providing guests easy and quick access to Manhattan and Bronx attractions.

The subway station sits along the 2 and 5 express trains into Manhattan and you can reach the great museums such as the Guggenheim, El Museo del Barrio, The Metropolitan Museum of Art all along Museum Mile on 5th Avenue in the Upper East Side under 12 minutes.
Central Park and Upper West Side attractions are also accessible within the same time frame.

Even midtown Manhattan, again both East and West sides are within easy reach and under 20 minutes since the trains run express.

In the Bronx, adventurous tourists can walk to Yankee Stadium or along the architecturally important Grand Concourse both which are world renowned and the latter housing the largest collection of Art Deco buildings in the world.

Guests can also soak up the local and vibrant culture at one of our many great restaurants in Melrose or Mott Haven.

They can visit one of many art spaces such as Pregones, Longwood Gallery of the Arts, the BronxArtSpace or the Bronx Documentary Center which in a short time has become the premier destination for photographers, documentary journalists and filmmakers outside of Manhattan and attracting those in the industry from around the globe.

Arthur Avenue in Belmont in the heart of the Bronx and the REAL and authentic Little Italy is also an ideal destination.

Better yet, guests can contact MCNY Tours which offers excellent historical tours of the Bronx and is a run by Bronx resident Alexandra Maruri.

In a community which has been on the rise for over a decade now and home of dozens of award winning developments such as Via Verde and the Eltona, a hotel – and one of such caliber as the Opera House – is one of the many types of businesses desperately needed in the neighborhood to provide a balance between our diverse residents.

Rates are moderately priced and are seasonal as well as according to major events such as the World Series. Rooms currently begin in the $120s to $180s per night and are subject to change.

Personally, I’m glad to have the hotel as a neighbor and welcome them with open arms and look forward to a long and prosperous relationship for them and the community at large.

They took a leap of faith in our neighborhood where others have told us no. Although we’ve had a steady stream of businesses coming in such as Planet Fitness and 2 Blink Fitness locations in the neighborhood, this type of establishment will indeed provide the confidence other retailers need to come in and provide desperately needed and wanted services.