Times Square is spectacle on a grand scale: LED billboards blazing overhead, dazzling theater marquees glowing into the night, taxis inching through traffic, and tourists craning their necks toward the sky. After dark, the scene becomes delightfully surreal—making it an unexpectedly fitting backdrop for a hotel room inspired by a town overrun with vampires.
Located in the heart of Manhattan’s Theater District, Tempo by Hilton Times Square has debuted a one-of-a-kind suite that transports guests to Santa Carla, the fictional California beach town at the heart of the Tony Award-winning Broadway production The Lost Boys. Based on the 1987 cult film, the stage adaptation brings its brooding vampires, surfers, and West Coast mystique to Broadway—and to the Palace Theatre, conveniently located next door.
Here, the timing feels particularly apt. For guests staying in the expansive suite, the theater and hotel become part of the same evening rather than two separate stops on a Manhattan itinerary. Through September 14, 2027, the collaboration brings the spirit of the show into the hotel, pairing the laid-back glamour of a coastal beach town with the darker, neon-lit world of its vampire underworld. And while the setting is supernatural, the experience comes with the contemporary amenities and warm hospitality of Tempo by Hilton Times Square—one of New York City’s standout hotels.
Courtesy of Tempo by Hilton Times Square
The Knockturnal spent two nights living the vampire life, and the opulent suite, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the frenetic energy of Times Square, makes it surprisingly easy to get into character. A glowing Ferris wheel and starry night-sky mural pop against purple-colored walls, while a graffiti-style “We’re Inviting You In” mural offers the requisite warning—or invitation, depending on your tolerance for vampires.
Inside, the suite fully embraces its 1980s alter ego. A cabinet TV, collection of VHS tapes, and stack of old TV Guides bring the era to life, while a record player spins the original motion picture soundtrack, featuring INXS. A Nintendo Entertainment System makes an appearance, too, with games including Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt. There’s also a weathered beachside bench that could have wandered straight off a California boardwalk, along with a poster of Rob Lowe from his heartthrob days overlooking the bedroom. Comic books are scattered throughout the suite, while a garland of garlic hangs from the bathroom mirror, a tongue-in-cheek defense against unwanted vampire guests.
It’s the kind of nostalgic overcommitment that makes the fantasy work. For a couple of nights, you’re not just staying at a hotel—you’re in Santa Carla, with room service. The suite has the uncanny quality of an elaborate movie set—nostalgic without being too earnest, theatrical without requiring a costume change. And unlike most hotel rooms, it gives you plenty to do after dropping your bags: dig through the Nintendo games, put on a record, take an unreasonable number of photographs for social media, and wonder whether that Ferris wheel mural is supposed to be comforting.
Downstairs, The Lost Boys fun continues at Highball, the hotel’s swanky bar and lounge on the 11th floor, where the cocktail program gets in on the act. A signature drink combines clarified Canerock Jamaican Rum with lime and Demerara, served beneath a cloud of red cotton candy. As the sugar dissolves, the drink takes on a distinctly bloody appearance—a cheeky touch that fits neatly with the vampire theme.
Beyond the cocktails, Highball’s menu embraces the same playful spirit. A special three-course prix fixe menu gives guests a choice of four-cheese arancini or spicy tiny crispy rice to start, followed by cheese ravioli, roasted chicken breast, or Korean BBQ-glazed salmon. The Highball Burger is another standout, and one worth ordering if you’re looking beyond the prix fixe. Dessert is where the creativity really shines: old-fashioned rice pudding arrives in a Chinese takeout-style container, complete with edible chopsticks and an unexpectedly playful combination of cinnamon, gummy worms, raspberry, and caramel popcorn. It’s a clever culinary nod to one of the show’s more memorable moments, transforming a familiar dessert into something distinctly unexpected.
The suite stay also comes with The Lost Boys merchandise, including a tote bag, hat, socks, poster, and a high-end thermos, along with a food-and-beverage credit. But the appeal of the room is less about the extras than the opportunity to extend a Broadway evening beyond the theater. New York is particularly good at this kind of theatrical spillover. A show ends, the marquee lights remain blazing, and the city itself seems to keep performing. Here, the story simply follows you upstairs.
Courtesy of Tempo by Hilton Times Square
One minute, you’re sitting in the Palace Theatre watching Santa Carla come alive. A few minutes later, you’re at Tempo by Hilton Times Square, carrying that world upstairs with you—where a Ferris wheel glows outside the window, VHS tapes wait beside the television, and even room service feels a little more theatrical. It’s a long way from California, but for one night in Times Square, even a New York vampire might feel right at home.
