There are big association events, and then there is the U.S. Tennis Association’s U.S. Open—which attracts more than 700,000 people to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadow, New York, for the two weeks surrounding Labor Day each year. This year’s event included a number of new offerings for attendees, including elevated seating areas that provide unobstructed views of the practice courts and courts 4, 5 and 6, part of the first phase of a larger five-year renovation and expansion project that is expected to include the addition of a retractable roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium, a new grandstand (expected in 2016) and the debut of the new Louis Armstrong Stadium in 2018. Other fan-friendly additions at this year’s U.S. Open also included the Heineken House, concerts on the South Plaza and the Morris Grilled Cheese Truck, which was one of 60 concession stands, five restaurants and 100 luxury suites.
A number of New York City hotels offered tennis-themed packages for guests (both leisure and meeting) in the city during the Open. At the six Triumph Hotels (Hotel Belleclaire, Hotel Chandler, The Iroquois, Washington Jefferson, Cosmopolitan and The Gershwin), the U.S. Open Package featured a welcome amenity in a drawstring athletic bag that included Maria Sharapova’s Sugarpova candy, a visor, a $25 gift card to the U.S. Open store and tennis-themed cookies.
The Langham Place Hotel offered admission to its Party with the Pros, which was held the weekend before the Open and featured John Isner, Sloane Stephens and Victoria Azarenka among the attendees, as part of the Toast to Tennis Package, which also included a five-night stay, the Taste of Tennis culinary event and limousine transfers and luxury box tickets to the event’s opening night.
New at this year’s U.S. Open were elevated seating areas with views of the practice courts.
Now in its 23rd year of sponsoring the U.S. Open, Heineken brought back its popular Heineken House, which this year offered sandwiches created by NYC-based chef Mario Carbone.
A retractable roof is expected on Arthur Ashe Stadium (left) in 2016.
The final piece of the five-year project will be a new Louis Armstrong Stadium, expected in 2018.
Hotels such as the Langham Place Hotel in Manhattan celebrated the Open with creative flower arrangements in the lobby and packages that included a party with top players.