Plaza Hotel

The Plaza Hotel, commonly known as The Plaza, is a landmark luxury hotel and residential building at the southeastern corner of Central Park in Midtown Manhattan. Its principal address is 768 Fifth Avenue, while the residential entrance is at One Central Park South. The building occupies a prominent position beside Grand Army Plaza, west of Fifth Avenue and between 58th Street and Central Park South. Its location, château-inspired architecture, elaborate public interiors, and long association with prominent guests have made it one of New York City’s best-known hospitality properties. A hotel bearing the Plaza name operated on the site from 1883 to 1890, but that structure was replaced by the present building between 1905 and 1907. Architect Henry Janeway Hardenbergh designed the main 18-story structure in a French Renaissance-inspired château style. The building uses a marble-clad base, white brick upper stories, a green mansard roof, dormers, turrets, loggias, balustrades, and ornamental classical detailing. An expansion designed by Warren and Wetmore was added from 1919 to 1921, reshaping important public spaces and enlarging the hotel’s capacity. The Plaza historically operated as a full-service luxury hotel, combining guest rooms and suites with restaurants, bars, ballrooms, reception rooms, retail and service areas, and extensive back-of-house facilities. Its celebrated public rooms include the Palm Court, Oak Room, Oak Bar, Edwardian Room, Terrace Room, and ballroom spaces. These venues have hosted social events, weddings, benefits, press conferences, and other high-profile gatherings. The hotel has also been associated with literary and cinematic representations of New York, giving the property cultural visibility beyond the hospitality sector. Ownership changed repeatedly during the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. The Plaza Operating Company operated the current building until 1943. Later owners included Conrad Hilton, A.M. Sonnabend, Westin Hotels & Resorts, Donald Trump, a partnership involving City Developments Limited and Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, El Ad Properties, and Sahara India Pariwar. Katara Hospitality acquired the property in 2018 and remains its owner. Fairmont Hotels and Resorts has managed the hotel since 2005. A major renovation completed in 2008 converted part of the property into condominiums and condo-hotel accommodation while retaining a luxury hotel operation. After the renovation, the property was described as having 282 hotel rooms and 181 condominiums, compared with more than 800 rooms at its historical peak. The Plaza therefore operates as a hybrid landmark property: a luxury lodging business, a residential condominium building, and a collection of destination dining and event spaces. The building’s exterior and selected interior areas have received landmark protection in New York City, and the property is also recognized as a National Historic Landmark. It is a member of Historic Hotels of America. The Plaza’s positioning rests on architectural heritage, Central Park frontage, high-end service, historic public rooms, and its status as a recognizable symbol of New York luxury.

The Plaza’s history begins with an earlier hotel built on the same prominent Central Park South site between 1883 and 1890. As Fifth Avenue and the southern edge of Central Park developed into an elite commercial and residential district, the site became increasingly valuable for a large luxury hotel. The original structure was ultimately replaced by the present Plaza Hotel, constructed from 1905 to 1907 by the Plaza Operating Company. Henry Janeway Hardenbergh designed the current building in a French Renaissance-inspired château style. The design responded to the hotel’s highly visible corner location with monumental elevations facing Central Park South and Grand Army Plaza. Marble forms the lower portions of the façade, white brick covers much of the upper building, and a green mansard roof with dormers and domed corner turrets completes the composition. The building’s steel frame, extensive mechanical systems, elevators, service infrastructure, and elaborate public rooms reflected the technological and hospitality ambitions of an early twentieth-century grand hotel. Hardenbergh treated the lobby as a central architectural and social space. The original building included a Central Park South foyer, multiple entrances, guest and resident circulation systems, restaurants, a grill room, kitchens, refrigeration rooms, a Turkish bath, barber facilities, laundry areas, and staff spaces. The hotel also used pneumatic tubes for internal communication, food orders, and guest mail. These features illustrate the Plaza’s original role as a self-contained luxury institution rather than simply a collection of sleeping rooms. From 1919 to 1921, Warren and Wetmore designed an expansion that enlarged and reorganized the property. The work introduced or reshaped major public spaces, including the Grand Army Plaza or Fifth Avenue lobby, and contributed to the circulation system connecting the hotel’s lobbies, dining rooms, lounges, and event areas. The Palm Court, Oak Room, Oak Bar, Edwardian Room, and Terrace Room became defining elements of the Plaza experience. The ballrooms and reception areas supported a wide range of public and private events, reinforcing the property’s importance in New York’s social life. The Plaza Operating Company continued to operate the hotel until 1943. The property then passed through a succession of owners and operating arrangements. Conrad Hilton and A.M. Sonnabend were among the owners during the mid-century period, followed later by Westin Hotels & Resorts and Donald Trump. In the late twentieth century, ownership also involved City Developments Limited and Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal. These changes reflected the high financial and symbolic value of the property, as well as the recurring challenge of maintaining an historic luxury hotel in an evolving Manhattan real-estate market. The building underwent major renovations at various points during the twentieth century. A further ownership transition occurred in 2005, when El Ad Properties acquired the hotel. The subsequent renovation, completed in 2008, converted significant portions of the property into condominiums and condo-hotel suites. The change reduced the conventional hotel inventory from its historical peak of more than 800 rooms to 282 hotel rooms, alongside 181 condominiums. The result was a hybrid model combining luxury hospitality, private residential ownership, and event and dining operations. Annabelle Selldorf was associated with much of the later interior work. Sahara India Pariwar acquired The Plaza in 2012. In 2018, ownership transferred to Katara Hospitality, a Qatari firm. Fairmont Hotels and Resorts has managed the hotel since 2005, providing continuity in day-to-day hotel operations despite the changes in ownership. The Plaza remains active as a luxury hotel and residential landmark. The property’s influence extends into popular culture. Its restaurants, ballrooms, and public rooms have hosted benefits, weddings, press conferences, and other notable events, while the building has appeared in books and films. Its exterior and selected interiors have been designated New York City landmarks, and the structure is also a National Historic Landmark. Membership in Historic Hotels of America further reflects its preservation and heritage status. Today, The Plaza’s brand identity combines historic architecture, ceremonial public spaces, premium accommodations, Central Park visibility, and the enduring prestige of a New York grand hotel.

• 2018

  Katara Hospitality becomes owner

  [1]Plaza Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Katara Hospitality acquired the landmark New York property.

• 2012

  Sahara India Pariwar becomes owner

  [1]Plaza Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Ownership transferred to Sahara India Pariwar.

• 2008

  Hybrid hotel-and-residential renovation completed

  [1]Plaza Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The renovated property reopened with 282 hotel rooms and 181 condominiums.

• 2005

  El Ad Properties acquires the property

  [1]Plaza Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  El Ad Properties purchased The Plaza and pursued a major renovation and residential repositioning.

• 1943

  Plaza Operating Company ceases direct operation

  [1]Plaza Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The company that erected the current building stopped operating the hotel, beginning a long succession of ownership changes.

• 1921

  Expansion and new public spaces completed

  [1]Plaza Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The expansion added or reshaped important public areas, including the Grand Army Plaza lobby.

• 1919

  Major Warren and Wetmore expansion begins

  [1]Plaza Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  An expansion and reorganization of the hotel’s public spaces began under the design of Warren and Wetmore.

• 1907

  Present building opens

  [1]Plaza Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Henry Janeway Hardenbergh’s 18-story Plaza Hotel was completed and opened as a major New York luxury hotel.

• 1905

  Present Plaza Hotel construction begins

  [1]Plaza Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The existing château-style building was constructed to replace the earlier hotel.

• 1890

  Original Plaza Hotel completed

  [1]Plaza Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The first hotel on the site was completed, before eventually being replaced by the present building.

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Historic, full-service luxury hospitality anchored in architectural prestige, Central Park frontage, destination dining, private events, and New York cultural heritage.

• Accommodation

  Luxury hotel rooms and suites

  The Plaza offers premium hotel accommodation in a landmark Central Park South building. Its rooms and suites form the conventional hospitality component of a property that historically contained more than 800 rooms and, after the 2008 renovation, was described as having 282 hotel rooms. The offering emphasizes historic setting, elaborate public areas, full-service hospitality, and proximity to Central Park and Fifth Avenue.

• Residential real estate · 2008

  Condominium residences

  The post-2008 Plaza configuration includes private condominium residences within the historic building. These residences have a separate entrance at One Central Park South and coexist with the hotel operation, creating a mixed-use model that combines private ownership with access to a famous hospitality address.

• Dining and hospitality venue

  Palm Court

  The Palm Court is one of The Plaza’s signature interior spaces and a central feature of its public-room identity. It is part of the connected ground-floor sequence of lobbies, corridors, and restaurant spaces and represents the hotel’s tradition of formal social dining and afternoon hospitality.

• Dining and beverage venues

  Oak Room and Oak Bar

  The Oak Room and Oak Bar are historic dining and drinking rooms within the Plaza’s ground-floor hospitality program. Together with the Palm Court and other public spaces, they contribute to the property’s reputation as a destination for formal dining, drinks, meetings, and social occasions.

• Events and banquets

  Ballroom and event spaces

  The Plaza’s ballroom, Terrace Room, and associated reception areas support weddings, benefits, private celebrations, press conferences, and other large-scale gatherings. These spaces are a major part of the brand’s commercial proposition and connect its luxury-hotel operation with New York’s ceremonial and social-event market.

• 2018

  Transfer ownership to Katara HospitalityM&A

  Background

  The Plaza had passed through several owners following its hotel-and-residential repositioning.

  Action taken

  Katara Hospitality, a Qatari hospitality company, acquired ownership of the property.

  Aftermath

  The Plaza continued operating as a luxury hotel and condominium property, with Fairmont Hotels and Resorts managing the hotel operation.

  Source

• 2008

  Convert part of the hotel into condominiumsStrategy

  Background

  A major renovation under El Ad Properties followed the acquisition of the property in 2005 and addressed the economics and real-estate value of operating a historic Manhattan hotel.

  Action taken

  The property was repositioned as a mixed-use building containing hotel rooms, condominiums, condo-hotel suites, and event and dining facilities.

  Aftermath

  The post-renovation configuration reduced the traditional hotel inventory to 282 rooms while adding 181 condominiums, establishing the hybrid model that continues to define the property.

  Source

• 2018

  Katara Hospitality acquires The Plaza[1]Plaza Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  The Qatari hospitality company Katara Hospitality became the owner of The Plaza.

• 2012

  Sahara India Pariwar acquires The Plaza[1]Plaza Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Ownership of the landmark property transferred to Sahara India Pariwar after its residential and hotel repositioning.

• 2008

  The Plaza reopens after renovation with a reduced hotel inventory and condominium component[1]Plaza Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Product generation

  A substantial renovation changed the balance between hotel accommodation and private residences. The post-renovation property was described as containing 282 hotel rooms and 181 condominiums.

• 2005

  El Ad Properties purchases The Plaza and begins another major repositioning[1]Plaza Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  El Ad Properties acquired The Plaza and undertook a renovation that supported the property’s later hybrid hotel-and-residential configuration. Fairmont Hotels and Resorts began managing the hotel in the same period.

1. 1Plaza Hotelen.wikipedia.org