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Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Secrets of the 'world's greatest hotel' after insane 8-year transformation but it remains steeped in nostalgia
The infamous New York City hotel, the Waldorf Astoria, has reopened its doors after a massive eight-year renovation gave the nostalgic building a modern facelift - but the essence of old Park Avenue money hasn't disappeared. After eight years of renovations, delays, and ownership scandals, the iconic hotel is back, with many nods to its roots. The Waldorf Astoria has a long history of influencing culture, fashion, and architecture, donning a unique Art Deco style that put the hotel on the map. Conrad Hilton, the founder of the Hilton Hotels chain, once referred to the Waldorf Astoria as 'the greatest of them all'. The newest version of the hotel has significantly cut down on rooms from 1,400 to only 375, increasing the exclusivity and making it even more difficult to book a stay. The reduction has also made the rooms some of the largest in the city, starting at 570 square feet. The hotel's infamous Peacock Alley, which once connected the Waldorf and the Astoria before it became one building, has been restored to its original grandeur. The alley got its name from the promenade that guests would take to show off their wealth. Now that the building is one hotel, Peacock Alley has become the Waldorf Astoria's breathtaking lounge. The grand Waldorf clock is the star of the show in the center of the lounge. It was once commissioned by Queen Victoria for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. Also featured prominently in Peacock Alley is a beautiful Steinway grand piano that once belonged to the famous American composer Cole Porter. Porter composed scores for several Broadway shows, including Kiss Me, Kate, and the 1965 film, High Society, which starred Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and Frank Sinatra. He lived in the Waldorf Astoria from 1934 until he died in 1964. The tribute to him goes beyond decoration, as the hotel plans to have a pianist play the instrument for guests in the lobby. Setting the scene The doors to the Waldorf Astoria have seen many celebrities and political figures, including Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, and even Queen Elizabeth II, walk through them. The hotel is steeped in history, with the Grand Ballroom being the first venue to host the Tony Awards. Monroe is said to have met former President John F. Kennedy at the awards ceremony. The Waldorf Astoria also introduced the world to the famous Waldorf salad, a classic fruit and nut salad created by the maitre d'hotel Oscar Tschirky in 1893. The hotel's kitchen is responsible for producing other staples like red velvet cake and eggs Benedict. Lemuel Benedict, a retired Wall Street stockbroker, is believed to have ordered the combination to cure his hangover, which inspired Tschirky to popularize the dish. The Waldorf Astoria was the first to offer 24-hour room service for its guests and was even the first to start hiring female chefs, starting in 1931, according to Culture Now. In addition to food, the Waldorf Astoria was famous for cocktails. One of the bartenders, Johnnie Solon, invented the Bronx Cocktail behind the hotel's bar. The cocktail is a mix of gin, orange juice, and a dash of vermouth. History riddled with drama The hotel's story begins in 1897 when cousins William Waldorf Astor and John Jacob Astor IV built two separate hotels on Fifth Avenue. The cousins turned their mansions into hotels during a bitter feud to one-up each other. A cruel twist came in 1929 when they were forced to demolish their hotels for construction of the Empire State Building. They then made a deal to combine the Waldorf and the Astoria into one hotel, moving the location to Park Avenue. The grand opening came two years later when the Waldorf Astoria debuted as a 47-story skyscraper with a coveted Grand Ballroom that saw Frank Sinatra perform and Albert Einstein speak. In 1977, Conrad Hilton achieved his dream of acquiring the property, but sold it to Chinese firm Anbang Insurance Group in 2014 for a whopping $1.95 billion in 2014. Over a decade later, the sale remains the most expensive hotel sale in history. In 2017, the insurance group began renovations. However, just two years later, the firm's chairman, Wu Xiaohui, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for fundraising fraud and embezzlement by the Chinese government. Anbang declared bankruptcy, and the Waldorf Astoria was acquired by another Chinese firm called Dajia Insurance Group. The legal woes further delayed the hotel's current renovations, and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 pushed it back even further. A new era With a rich history of scandal, art, culture, and wealth, the Waldorf Astoria has now entered a new era. The renovation was overseen by architects from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, one of the leading architecture firms in the country. The team told the New York Times that they spent years sifting through archival photos to create new designs that rang true to the hotel's origin. Chef Michael Anthony, who previously won a Michelin Star at New York's Gramercy Tavern, is spearheading the cuisine at the Waldorf Astoria's Lex Yard restaurant. The Waldorf Astoria has consistently been at the forefront of cocktail innovation, with drinks such as the Rob Roy cocktail and Bronx Cocktail originating there. Pictured a bartender makes a Rob Roy at the hotel on Wednesday The hotel also features a massive 30,000 square foot spa with a sprawling fitness center. The brand is staying true to its ballroom roots, reimagining the Grand Ballroom to accommodate new technology. The bordering rooms have undergone renovations to make them soundproof, so guests can still rent them out during events. A gaudy crystal chandelier that used to be the centerpiece of the ballroom has been removed and replaced with a modern lighting system. Frank Mahan, a principal architect with SOM, told the Times that the lighting of the ballroom, 'never quite worked the way it was intended'. The chandelier's harsh lighting damaged the paneling and metalwork of the ballroom, but now light comes through from coves in the ceiling. The hotel's third floor features a stunning hallway called the Silver Corridor, connecting the Grand Ballroom, the Astor Room, and the Basildon Room. The hallway's grandiose chandeliers light up the jaw-dropping murals on the ceiling, painted by Edward Emerson Simmons. Guests are also promised ultimate comfort in their rooms, which feature dressing areas and private bar areas. The Waldorf Astoria is officially open for guests and has rooms available starting at a whopping $1,500 a night.
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Travel + Leisure
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Travel + Leisure
New York City's Most Anticipated Hotel Just Reopened—and We Were Among the First to Stay
After an eight-year closure, Waldorf Astoria New York recently reopened in Midtown Manhattan between 49th and 50th streets and Park and Lexington avenues. The room count shrank from 1,400 to 375, making each room significantly bigger. The hotel's updated restaurants include Japanese-inspired Yoshoku and Lex Yard by Gramercy Tavern's chef Michael Anthony. Waldorf Astoria is steeped in New York history—the original property was built by the Astors in the late 1800s—but the new design feels cohesive and fresh, while preserving the iconic Art Deco motif. The contents of one Manhattan city block could fuel an entire neighborhood. A small stretch between two numbered streets can house world-class museums, street vendors vying for space, and office skyscrapers abutting long-standing bodegas. All of it—inhabitants, included—add up to something greater than the sum of its parts. The Waldorf Astoria New York occupies a full block, which made the closure, spanning more than 3,000 days, two presidential elections, and one global pandemic, all the more noticeable. Now, Midtown's 1.6 million-square-foot statement piece, a 47-story limestone monolith straddling 49th and 50th streets from Park to Lexington avenues, is back with a $2 billion polish. Cole Porter's piano and the Goldsmiths clock on display in Peacock Alley. The hotel has long been synonymous with America's ambition and obsession with celebrity—a reputation that was nurtured by Conrad Hilton, who secured management and partial ownership in 1949. In 1956, Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III of Monaco celebrated their engagement party in the Grand Ballroom; 30 years later, the first Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction took place in the same space. Cole Porter was in residence for three decades, and was so besotted, he gifted his Steinway & Sons piano to the hotel upon his death in 1964. I've lived in Midtown for about as long as Mr. Porter did, in an Art Deco apartment complex that debuted the same month and year as the Waldorf Astoria. For me, the hotel always felt familiar—like coming home. It offered that same comfort to out-of-towners stopping in for brunch or friends meeting for after-work martinis: drinks, with a side of history. By 2017, it was ready for an overhaul. The rooms felt tired and the public spaces were mismatched—the result of disjointed renovations that pushed the hotel out of alignment. Financial backers from China (first Anbang Insurance Group, now Dajia Insurance Group) and management under Hilton promised a return to brighter days. Under architecture firm Skidmore, Owings, and Merrell and designer Pierre-Yves Rochon, the hotel feels cohesive again. The room count shrank from an untenable 1,400 to a manageable 375 (with an additional 372 plush residences by designer Jean-Louis Deniot). The landmarked part of the hotel, including the iconic Grand Ballroom, sparkles anew in green, burgundy, and moldings plated in Waldorf Bronze, a signature blend of bronze and nickel. And old stalwarts like the restaurant Bull & Bear made way for new menus from bartender Jeff Bell of PDT and chef Michael Anthony of Gramercy Tavern—names that feel less 1955, more 2025. Like any New Yorker, the Waldorf Astoria has a penchant for reinvention. The original hotel–distinct but connecting structures built in 1893 by the Astor family, including John Jacob Astor IV, who died on the Titanic —was a Gilded Age treasure. Occupying Fifth Avenue between 33rd and 34th Street, its Peacock Alley passageway was where society went to flash their jewels and satins: the original red carpet. In 1929, the original came down to make way for the Empire State Building. The new had to be just as bold, and so Schultze & Weaver Architects hired the best American tradesmen, all from New York, to puzzle the pieces together. 'The team did everything in one year,' Victor Wilson, the hotel's director of guest experience, told me as we walked through the Park Avenue lobby. 'It was the height of the Depression, and everyone wanted to work.' The hotel's Park Avenue lobby. Wilson and I flipped through a 1931 copy of Architecture magazine published by Charles Scribner's Sons while standing in the center of the hotel, which has nearly doubled in size with a 'Library Lounge' as a reception area. Here, porcelain urns, sketches, and books line recessed shelves, creating a residential, unstuffy atmosphere. Nearby, Peacock Alley Lounge—the beating heart of the hotel–now feels more like a salon, with musicians playing nightly and guests craning for a closer look at the intricate ceiling. The walls, paneled in ebony and Oregon maple, and the giant black marble pillars veined with streaks of gold, are brilliantly preserved from long before the renovation. The bar itself is brand-new, backed by a dramatic floral mural. It's all sexier, with elements like dramatic blue banquettes and black-lacquered tables, and a woodsy signature scent (301 Park Avenue, by Fueguia 1933) perfuming the air. Icelandic artist Nina Saemundsson's 'Spirit of Achievement' statue still glistens, as does Louis Rigal's 148,000-piece marble-floor mosaic, titled 'The Wheel of Life,' and the lobby's showstopping, eight-sided Goldsmiths clock, commissioned for the 1893 Chicago World's Fair by Queen Victoria. Sipping a tequila-based, 'Bullfighter' cocktail in Peacock Alley, I couldn't help but notice 20-somethings clad in head-to-toe black—no smiles!—snapping selfies in front of the Queen's clock. My 10-year-old son, who had last visited the hotel as a toddler, made a beeline for Porter's piano, named 'High Society.' It now holds court in the lobby, inviting everyone to tickle the ivories, gently . There's plenty of old—and new—to love about the reborn Waldorf Astoria New York, and here is what it is like to stay. New York City hotel rooms tend to be short on space—not so at the Waldorf Astoria. By taking down the overall count, the guest accommodations now start at a generous 570 square feet. Comfort is key: our Frette-decked bed felt light as air, and thanks to newly reinforced windows, we never heard the constant hum of Park Avenue traffic. There are 11 categories to choose from, and 190 rooms provide connectivity–a boon for multigenerational travelers. With its tight security and proximity to Grand Central, the hotel has also been a mainstay for celebrities, politicians, visiting dignitaries—and they will no doubt be staying in the Waldorf Astoria Suite, which is a whopping 5,000 square-feet. Though the hotel was still in the pre-opening phase, my family and I holed up in a one-bedroom suite. It had ample closet space for the three of us; a full-length mirror (thank you!); a black lacquer minibar, anchored by a book detailing the hotel's legacy cocktails; and a grey marble bathroom, complete with a deep soaking tub, separate shower, and Aesop amenities. The overall palette? Silver, bronze, black, and beige: a nod to the Art Deco era, which I also found in small touches like the striated gold handle on a sliding door, or the opaque glass wall sconces, emblazoned with flowers and set off by brass. Our fireplace grill was inspired by the original Starlight Roof Ballroom, where Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, and Louis Armstrong once played. For those who want more privacy, there is now a discreet entrance via a porte-cochère on 49th street. But entering via the Park Avenue lobby, with its walls and pilasters of Rockwood stone, still feels like a moment. The Rigal mosaic–once shockingly covered by carpet, Wilson admitted—is a work of art, the hand-cut marble tiles displaying a Greco-Roman-inspired montage of men, women, and all the Earth's bounties. One unique design flourish has nothing to do with the bones of the building–but rather the uniform of the staff. British couture designer Nicholas Oakwell, and his company, NO Uniform by Nicholas Oakwell, fashioned everything from sequin dresses to peacock-blue velvet blazers and sharply tailored winter coats. The uniforms are seasonal, smart, and fresh. 'Our vision was to design a curated wardrobe that was not the typical, institutional uniform, but something high-quality and fashion-forward—and our guests have been taking notice,' said Luigi Romaniello, the hotel's managing director. Lex Yard, the AvroKO-designed brasserie at the Waldorf Astoria New York. Have you ever tried a Waldorf salad? Have you ever tried a Waldorf salad you liked? The original recipe–a combination of celery, apples, and mayonnaise—was invented in 1893 by the legendary maitre'd Oscar Tschirky, at the 34th Street property. Over the years, and at various restaurants, it has morphed into something that didn't suit many tastebuds (including my own). But chef Michael Anthony, the executive chef of Gramercy Tavern, has delivered an impossibly fresh take at Lex Yard, his AvroKO-designed brasserie off Lexington Avenue. (The restaurant encompasses two floors, with the downstairs, pink-hued space feeling a little sleeker.) Anthony tosses gem lettuce, celery, apples, grapes, and candied walnuts into a light lemon dressing–and then adds the finest slivers of grated cheddar cheese for a garnish. Starter, main course, dessert–I'd eat it at any point during the meal and during the day. Other standouts from his menu of new American classics? The loaded lobster roll, topped with caviar; any of the pastas (an Anthony signature); the delicately salted rib eye with broccolini, tomatoes, and peppers; and the beef fat fries, with charred onion soup cream sauce. Those same fries made for a great bar snack at the Peacock Alley Lounge, where mixologist Jeff Bell, a James Beard Award winner, crafts a selection of martinis, old fashioneds, and throwbacks like his take on the Waldorf's original Commodore #2: Knob Creek bourbon, lemon, pomegranate, and Tempus Fuguit creme de cacao. For something lighter, there's sake and supremely good sushi at Yoshoku, an elegant but rather low-key collection of tables functioning as a Japanese restaurant in the Park Avenue lobby. With its soaring ceilings and that Rigal mural, just over the shoulder, the setting might feel formal, but the menu is conducive to sharing. The three of us ordered tuna, salmon, and yellowtail sashimi, halibut meunière , Wagyu striploin, and tender grilled chicken with garlic miso tare, eggplant, and Tokyo turnip—and dove right in. A 10th-floor terrace, the hotel's first outdoor dining space, will soon be open to guests. The Basildon Room. The Waldorf Astoria's dramatic, Instagram-worthy spaces—not seen in years—are poised to host some of New York City's most coveted events. With its immaculate box seats and stage to rival any Broadway theater, the Grand Ballroom is the city's only three-tiered ballroom, accommodating an astounding 1,550 guests. It is also a landmarked space: a chandelier, not original to 1931, was even removed during the restoration. Other historical spaces of note: the Basildon Room, with frescoes of Dante's Divine Comedy by 18th-century child prodigy and Swiss painter Angelica Kauffman, imported over from an English estate in financial distress. Painted a delicate shade of green, with Rigal-esque panels displaying dancing figures, the Jade Room is an homage to the former Bradley Martin ballroom on 34th Street: 'At some point, they changed the name to Jade Room–and it was the most popular room in Manhattan,' Wilson explained of the original. My favorite space of them all is the Silver Corridor, a Versailles-inspired, glass-walled fantasy with 16 ceiling murals by Edward Emmerson Simmons. They depict mythological figures, in various states of undress and repose, and represent the four seasons and 12 months of the year. But which month or season has been lost to time, explained Wilson, as he pointed out the elevators, built extra-wide to accommodate ballgowns from a bygone era. It didn't matter. When you're staring at those shiny exquisite floors and walls, and the gods and goddesses from on high, it's easy to invent a New York story all on your own. The Waldorf Astoria New York has 32 ADA guest rooms, with nine ADA lifts accessing the public spaces. Located in the heart of midtown Manhattan, the Waldorf Astoria New York is a short stroll or taxi ride away from other architectural highlights including Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and The Pool and The Grill, in the landmark Seagram Building. Green spaces such as Central Park; museums including MoMA; and grand department stores, such as Saks Fifth Avenue, are all part of the midtown fabric. For subway and train transportation, Grand Central Station is within walking distance. As a Hilton luxury brand, Waldorf Astoria New York is bookable with Hilton Honors points. It is also part of American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts, which means Platinum card holders booking on Amex Travel get a $100 property credit and complimentary daily breakfast for two. Nightly rates at Waldorf Astoria New York are from $1,500. Every T+L hotel review is written by an editor or reporter who has stayed at the property, and each hotel selected aligns with our core values.
Forbes
21-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
First Look: The Beverly Hilton Unveils Its Most Ambitious Renovation Yet
The star-studded hotel is preparing for a head-turning makeover. The Beverly Hilton As The Beverly Hilton celebrates its 70th anniversary this summer, the legendary hotel revealed exclusively to Forbes Travel Guide its plans for the most comprehensive renovation in its storied and star-studded history — a sweeping transformation that will honor its past while embracing contemporary luxury. Set to be completed in 2027, the ambitious project is led by David Collins Studio (whose projects include suites by David Beckham at The Londoner Hotel in Macau; Mandarin Oriental, Doha; and Café de Paris Monte-Carlo) and will touch nearly every corner of the Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star hotel, including a revamped lobby where countless stars have made their grand entrances; renovated event spaces, guest rooms and suites; and new restaurants and luxury boutiques. The property will honor the past while embracing contemporary luxury. The Beverly Hilton The Beverly Hilton opened to much fanfare in 1955. Conrad Hilton, the founder of the eponymous hotel, had women sit atop pink-painted elephants at the entrance. Beyond the theatrics, the property established itself as an innovator, pioneering hotel technology with high-speed elevators and individual air-conditioning thermostats in guest accommodations. The hotel also housed an outpost of the famous Trader Vic's — owner 'Trader' Vic Bergeron claimed to have invented the rum-spiked mai tai in 1944 — which quickly became a favored haunt of the Rat Pack and Hollywood's elite. The renovation seeks to honor the Beverly Hills hotel's glamorous heritage while introducing contemporary sophistication. The property will retain its white mid-century modern Welton Becket façade, featuring a cherry-red 'The Beverly Hilton' sign, but it will receive a reimagined porte-cochère. The hotel will serve as a cultural and architectural anchor of One Beverly Hills, a 17.5-acre destination devised by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Norman Foster, in collaboration with Kerry Hill Architects, that will connect the property and next-door neighbor Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills to Aman's forthcoming urban hotel, its first on the West Coast (the East Coast urban outpost opened in 2022); luxury residences; a private members' club; and lush botanical gardens with more than 200 species of California native and water-wise plants and trees. The centerpiece of the redesign will be the iconic Aqua Star Pool. Swimming champion and Old Hollywood starlet Esther Williams christened Beverly Hills' largest pool when hotelier Conrad Hilton debuted his flagship property. The pool also made a splash when Angelina Jolie took a plunge in it wearing a silver sequined Randolph Duke gown after winning a Golden Globe for Gia in 1999. The iconic Aqua Star Pool will be a part of the transformation. The Beverly Hilton 'The Beverly Hilton has long been the stage for Hollywood's most unforgettable moments, from red carpet triumphs to legendary celebrations,' said general manager David Ecija. 'As we celebrate this remarkable anniversary, we're proud to invite guests into a year of exceptional experiences.' One of these experiences will start in August. The property will host Decades Dinners, a series of invitation-only meals in the Presidential Suite meant to help guests travel back in time with menus and cocktails inspired by different eras from the hotel's history, with vintage-looking tablescapes and more. You can also relive moments from the hotel's glory years with the 70th Anniversary Package, which includes a Penthouse Suite (where you will find some surprise nostalgic amenities), a rental from Hollywood Classic Cars and a seven-course Decades Dinner drawn from the hotel's archival menus. Toast the hotel's milestone with the limited-edition Beverly Hilton Reserve. Made in partnership with Beverly Spirits, the 100-proof American whiskey blends 60% bourbon and 40% rye. The spirit will be available in a cocktail at the property's CIRCA 55 Rooftop Restaurant + Lounge as well as served as part of the Decades Dinners. The ambitious project should be complete by 2027. The Beverly Hilton The Beverly Hilton also teamed up with local artist Henry Kaye to create original illustrations and designs that honor its legacy. You can see his work across the hotel, from keepsakes to the special Iconic Decades cocktails menu at the Decades Dinners and CIRCA 55. You can experience the hotel's glitzy past in the lobby, where a selfie station features a piece of the red carpet from the Golden Globes — the hotel's International Ballroom has hosted the famed awards ceremony since 1961, one of 175 red-carpet events the property holds each year (Forbes Travel Guide even held its annual invitation-only Summit, the preeminent luxury travel conference, at the property in 2018 and 2019). For another photo op, head to the CIRCA 55 Rooftop and step into the only operating analog film photo booth in Beverly Hills. The restored 1950s-era booth from Photomatica spits out black-and-white photo strips on film for a personalized keepsake. MORE FROM FORBES Forbes 27 Hotels With Luxury Car Collaborations By Melinda Sheckells Forbes Forbes Travel Guide's Best Hotel Bars For 2025 By Jennifer Kester Forbes 18 Undiscovered Beach Getaways By Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Wynn Las Vegas Gathers Culinary Icons, Including Ducasse And Lagasse, For A Once-In-A-Lifetime Dinner By Jennifer Kester
The Independent
16-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
First look at the reopened Waldorf Astoria New York after $2 billion refurb
"The greatest of them all." That's how hotelier Conrad Hilton described the Waldorf Astoria New York. It was a hotel, he said, that was "the most important in the world, the original luxury property and the place where luxury service was perfected". And now, the Hilton-run Park Avenue hotel that also gave the world a timeless salad, has reopened after an eight-year refurbishment costing $2 billion. It's truly a hotel that's a tourist attraction in its own right — and one that was originally two adjacent hotels, the Waldorf Hotel and the Astoria Hotel, run by two feuding cousins who were Fifth Avenue neighbors. The 13-story Waldorf Hotel went up first, built in 1893 by William Waldorf Astor in place of his demolished home. His cousin, John Jacob Astor IV, described it as a "glorified tavern", but was jealous enough to demolish his own four-story dwelling and build on the plot the 17-story Astoria Hotel, which opened its doors to guests in 1897. The properties weren't separate for long, though. In that same year, the cousins resolved their disagreements and merged the two hotels into one. The then-hyphenated Waldorf-Astoria threw open its doors, with the two buildings connected by a 300-foot-long marble thoroughfare that earned the moniker "Peacock Alley" because fashionable guests enjoyed parading up and down it. Astor died in the Titanic disaster in 1912 as the world's wealthiest man, having amassed a fortune from real-estate development of around $3.5billion in today's money. William, meanwhile, moved to England with his family shortly after the Waldorf-Astoria opened and died in 1919. They left behind a hotel that would become legendary. Though there was a blip in 1929 when it was demolished to make way for the Empire State Building and rebuilt at its current 301 Park Avenue address. It reopened in 1931 as the planet's tallest and largest hotel, with 2,200 rooms, 47 stories and a height of 623ft, and won the presidential seal of approval. President Herbert Hoover moved into the hotel for 30 years, proclaiming that the property "marks the measure of the USA's growth in power". His home was also beloved by famous guests including Frank Sinatra, who sang in the Grand Ballroom; Albert Einstein, who gave talks there; Queen Elizabeth II and Marilyn Monroe — and it made a name for itself as a hospitality trailblazer. It was the first hotel to introduce 24-hour room service, in-room telephones and electricity on every floor; it pioneered ensuites and popularized not only the Waldorf Salad but Eggs Benedict and Red Velvet Cake. Its regal aesthetics, meanwhile, would go on to attract a host of movie directors, with the property appearing in Catch Me If You Can, The Godfather Part III, Coming to America, The Royal Tenenbaums and Scent of a Woman. Conrad Hilton bought the Waldorf Astoria for $3million in 1949, but the Hilton group sold it for a record-breaking $1.95 billion to the Chinese firm Anbang Insurance Group in 2014 (having stopped using the hyphen in 2009). That firm began refurbishing the hotel in 2017, but went bankrupt after being accused of economic crimes by the Chinese government and the property passed into the hands of another Chinese company, the Dajia Insurance Group. Today, Hilton has a 100-year agreement to manage the 1.6-million-square-foot building, 62,000 square feet of which is designated as a landmark by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. What can guests expect today? For starters, a huge bill. Rooms start at $2,200 per night. But they'll also be in a "meticulously restored" hotel, immersed amid "iconic architecture" and "sophisticated designs", according to Hilton. The company continues: "Throughout all of the building's landmark interior, the restoration celebrates the hotel's storied legacy, while improving access, creating more space, and introducing new pathways for natural light. "Guests will also notice the careful preservation of the hotel's beloved murals, with some of these vibrant artworks dating to the 19th century, restored by ArtCare Conservation." It adds: "In the new reception area, the same marble used for the historic Peacock Alley columns was employed to construct the fireplace, ensuring visual continuity. "Portoro marble, mosaics, and restored decorative features were preserved and repositioned in dialogue with contemporary interventions such as integrated lighting systems, automated curtains, and custom-designed furniture." The hotel boasts that it now offers some of the largest guest rooms and suites in Manhattan, with the majority of the hotel's rooms exceeding 570 square feet. This extra room for maneuver is the result of 1,400 rooms being turned into 375 guest rooms and 372 residences. Hilton explains that there are more than 11 guest room categories, with the rooms designed to "feel like private apartments". Each features a bespoke bar and a "spa-like" bathroom. On the refreshment front, there are three "distinctive" food and beverage experiences - the signature brasserie Lex Yard, the Japanese dining concept Yoshoku and Peacock Alley. The latter "remains the heart of Waldorf Astoria New York". The hotel says: "At Peacock Alley, guests will find the historic Waldorf Astoria Clock and Cole Porter piano. Restored to its former glory and positioned in the centre of Peacock Alley, the Waldorf Astoria Clock was crafted in London for the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. "A fixture at both the hotel's Fifth Avenue and Park Avenue locations, guests are invited to once again say, 'meet me at the clock'." The transformation of Waldorf Astoria New York was led by architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, with hotel interiors by Pierre-Yves Rochon and residential interiors and amenities designed by Jean-Louis Deniot. Is the hotel the "greatest of them all"? Visit to book a stay and find out.
Fast Company
02-07-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
Hilton CMO talks brand swagger, AI — and the pause that refreshed
The COVID years were an existential threat and reckoning for many in the hospitality and travel industry. But Hilton used it as an opportunity to reset. At the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, I sat down with Hilton CMO Mark Weinstein to talk about how the brand's current strong positioning and growth was forged in that crisis, how it strikes a balance between the inspiration of its past, and the technological possibility of the future, and more. Subscribe to Fast Company Premium to watch the video interview on: How Hilton found its 'Just Do It' Why Weinstein looked to founder Conrad Hilton to rediscover the company's 'swagger' How Hilton deploys AI today—and how it's preparing for an agentic AI world Why Weinstein believes you have to give up some control of your brand story to creators, even if it means losing some of your narrative.
