Commune Hotels plans New York debut

Commune Hotels, which was formed late last year by a merger of Thompson Hotels and Joie de Vivre, revealed this week that it will launch the new brand in New York's NoMad district, in a brand new building.

With construction set to start next year, the 33-story hotel is likely to open in 2014, catering to budget travelers with a sense of style and fun -- the property will boast a rooftop bar with some impressive views of Manhattan.

Commune Hotels has set its sights on global expansion, both under its own brand and under the Thompson brand, which has recently opened several new high profile properties including Thompson's Belgraves in London.

At the same time the more casual Joie de Vivre, with its fiercely California-centered business model, has been expanding, with the brand welcoming its first property to Chicago earlier this year and also adding The Saguaro Scottsdale Arizona recently.

Now, all eyes will be on whether the New York property debuts with the name Commune or whether another name is in the works for the brand, which will have to compete with the likes of Ian Schrager's Public Hotels and Hotel Indigo for the 'boutique budget' market.

Public's set to open its first property in Herald Square by 2014, in a 56-story building boasting a 10,000-square foot (929 square meter) restaurant and a shopping mall.