Latest news with #JohnJacobAstorIV
Business Insider
29-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
I got a sneak peek at the newly restored Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City. It looks straight out of the Gilded Age.
After an eight-year, $2 billion renovation, the Waldorf Astoria New York is reopening in September. The hotel blends historic Gilded Age furnishings with modern luxuries for guests and residents. Highlights include the restored Peacock Alley and Silver Corridor plus redesigned suites and condos. They don't call the Waldorf Astoria New York "The Greatest of Them All" for nothing. After an eight-year renovation that cost a reported $2 billion, the iconic hotel is finally set to reopen in September. Furnishings dating back to the Gilded Age, such as ceiling murals that were part of the hotel's original location on Fifth Avenue, have been painstakingly restored by hand. Other parts of the landmark building have been updated with state-of-the-art luxuries, such as new four-bedroom condominiums with sale prices starting at $18.75 million. I visited the Waldorf Astoria in July for a sneak peek of the hotel before it opened to the public. Take a look inside. The Waldorf Astoria New York spans an entire block between 49th and 50th Streets in Midtown Manhattan. The original Waldorf Astoria was located on 33rd Street and Fifth Avenue. The Waldorf Hotel, owned by William Waldorf Astor, opened in 1893. His cousin, John Jacob Astor IV, then opened the rival Astor Hotel next door in 1897. The two hotels merged that same year, creating the first Waldorf Astoria with a walkway known as Peacock Alley connecting the buildings. It was knocked down in 1929 to make way for the Empire State Building. The new Waldorf Astoria opened in 1931 and stands at 47 stories tall. The hotel is split into 375 hotel rooms and 372 residences. The hotel's main entrances aren't open yet due to ongoing construction, so my tour began at one of the residential entrances. Residents who live at The Towers at Waldorf Astoria use separate entrances and enjoy 50,000 square feet of amenities like a private fitness center and access to the exclusive Empire Club's offices and coworking spaces. First, I toured a sample condominium residence, where prices range from $1.875 million for a studio to $18.75 million for a four-bedroom apartment. The units can come furnished by interior designer Jean-Louis Deniot, or residents can furnish the condos themselves. A case in the sales gallery displayed artifacts from the Waldorf Astoria's early years. The display featured silver trays, glasses, uniform pieces, room keys, and a tin that once contained the Waldorf's rum-and-brandy-flavored fruit cake. I got my first look at the new Waldorf Astoria hotel as we entered an elegant hallway leading to the lobby. The space was furnished in rich colors, including plush red armchairs, dark wood tables, and decorative columns along the burnt-orange walls. Walking into the refurbished Park Avenue lobby for the first time, I was blown away by its enormity and opulence. The high ceilings and ornate windows created an expansive, open space that made me forget I was in the middle of Manhattan. The lobby was decorated from top to bottom. Neoclassical murals were painted beneath the ceiling molding, and a mosaic in the center of the floor, titled "Wheel of Life" by French artist Louis Rigal, consisted of 148,000 hand-cut marble tiles. Seating alcoves located throughout the lobby will host Yoshoku, a Japanese restaurant serving sushi and small plates. We proceeded into Peacock Alley, featuring the famous 1893 World's Fair Clock purchased by John Jacob Astor IV. Peacock Alley originally served as a corridor between the Waldorf Hotel and the Astoria Hotel. It was named for the way that members of high society promenaded and "peacocked" through in their best outfits. At the center of the modern Peacock Alley is the 1893 World's Fair Clock, which was commissioned by Queen Victoria and purchased by John Jacob Astor IV for the original Waldorf Astoria location on 33rd Street. The hotel's original black marble columns were also restored during the renovations. Peacock Alley featured singer Cole Porter's restored piano. Porter lived at the Waldorf Astoria from 1934 until his death in 1964. It was at this piano that he wrote hits such as "Anything Goes" and "I've Got You Under My Skin." The check-in and reception area was opened up as part of the renovations. The hotel's original layout closed this area off from Peacock Alley, causing congestion. In the new floor plan, the check-in desks are situated in an open space complete with a new black marble fireplace made from the same type of stone as Peacock Alley's columns. Stairs from the porte-cochère, where guests arrive, lead straight into the check-in area. Guests arriving by car can leave their vehicle at the porte-cochère for valet parking. The Waldorf Astoria's hotel room rates start at $1,500 per night and range from 570 to more than 5,000 square feet. The hotel rooms were furnished by French interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon. I toured a one-bedroom suite, which starts at $2,995 per night, according to the Waldorf Astoria's website. The bathrooms feature luxurious amenities like heated marble tile floors, walk-in showers, and separate dressing areas. Other luxury room perks include Nespresso machines, Frette linens, and Aesop skincare products. I was surprised by how effectively the room's double-glazed windows blocked out noise from New York City's streets below. Next, I visited Waldorf Astoria's Silver Corridor, which was inspired by the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles. The mirrored hall, which serves as an event space, measures 1,995 square feet. The ceiling featured murals by American artist Edward Emerson Simmons, which were restored from the original Waldorf Astoria location. The Basildon Room featured an ornate ceiling and a marble fireplace mantel sculpted by British sculptor John Flaxman. Measuring 1,649 square feet, the room can hold 189 people. The ceiling art was sourced from the 18th-century dining room at Basildon Park Manor in England. The small oil paintings by 18th-century artist Angelica Kauffman, which depict scenes from Dante's "The Divine Comedy," were removed from their original settings and reinstalled in the ceiling of the Basildon Room. When I visited in July, other rooms that will host events were serving as holding spaces while workers prepared the hotel's finishing touches. The only room I wasn't allowed to photograph was the Grand Ballroom, but here's what it looked like in its heyday. At 9,990 square feet, this 1,500-capacity, three-tiered event and performance space has hosted star-studded gatherings such as the first Tony Awards ceremony, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, and President John F. Kennedy 's birthday gala. The room was full of construction materials when I visited, so it wasn't quite ready for its close-up yet, but its grand architecture still remained jaw-dropping. I ended my tour at Lex Yard, the Waldorf Astoria's signature restaurant. As the birthplace of the Waldorf salad and, legend has it, Eggs Benedict, the Waldorf Astoria's restaurants have a storied history. Chef Michael Anthony will oversee the new Lex Yard, which will serve farm-to-table American classics in an Art Deco-inspired space spanning two floors. New York's "unofficial palace" blends historic Gilded Age furnishings and Art Deco architecture with modern luxuries for guests and residents.
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.
