NYC tourists displayed in hotel room behind glass

[January 28, 2009]  NEW YORK (AP) -- A London couple visiting the Big Apple have settled into their hotel room -- under the eyes of thousands of pedestrians and motorists. Duncan Malcolm and Katherine Lewis are receiving a complimentary five-day stay at Manhattan's Roger Smith Hotel in exchange for guesting in a replica of one of the hotel's rooms on the ground floor of a nearby building.

As part of the agreement, the couple must keep the curtains on the room's large glass windows open between 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. until Friday, allowing passers-by to watch them.

The hotel partnered with the Real Live Billboards company, which stages live events for advertising and promotional purposes.

In December, heavyweight boxer Tor Hamer was featured in the hotel's storefront window exchanging punches with his trainer.

[Associated Press]

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