Famous Hotels In New York City
The Plaza, Chelsea Hotel, Algonquin, and Waldorf-Astoria
Aug 30, 2009
Many hotels in New York City have achieved fame outside of its connection with NYC. These famous hotels are famous for their luxury, their association with historic events, and for the people that have frequented them. They are the home away from home for the elite, the rich and famous and talented, writers and musicians, politicians and criminals.
Four of the most famous hotels in New York City are the Plaza Hotel, the Chelsea Hotel, The Algonquin Hotel, and the Waldorf-Astoria.
The Plaza Hotel: A 100 Year Old Luxury Landmark
The Plaza Hotel stands 18 stories tall and stands watch over both the Southern end of New York City’s Central Park and Grand Army Plaza. According to the National Historic Landmarks Program, the “white brick and marble structure is an outstanding example of American hotel architecture.” Since its opening in 1907, the Plaza has been a symbol worldwide for elegance and luxury.
The Plaza Hotel has been a setting in several movies, including “North by Northwest,“ “Barefoot in the Park,” “Arthur,” “Funny Girl,” “Crocodile Dundee I and II” and “Home Alone II: Lost In New-York“ (The Plaza NYC ).
Literary great F. Scott Fitzgerald was a frequent patron of the Oak Room bar in the Plaza Hotel. Ernest Hemingway once said that Fitzgerald should “give his liver to Princeton and his heart to The Plaza (The Plaza NYC).” Part of his novel The Great Gatsby takes place at The Plaza.
The Chelsea Hotel: Home of Artists, Musicians, and Writers
New York’s Chelsea Hotel-- properly know as the Hotel Chelsea-- has been a home for all sorts of bohemian and artistic types staying or living in New York City. Everyone from members of Andy Warhol’s entourage to William S. Burroughs to Bob Dylan, to Sid Vicious have lived there. Jack Kerouac wrote On the Road while staying at the Chelsea Hotel (USA Today).
The Chelsea Hotel has been the inspiration for many songs. It has been referenced in song by Bob Dylan (“Sara”), Nico (“Chelsea Girls”), Jefferson Airplace (“Third Week in the Chelsea”) and Leonard Cohen (“Chelsea Hotel No 2”). The most famous song about Chelsea, Joni Mitchell’s “Chelsea Morning,” can be interpreted to be about either the area of New York, or the Hotel Chelsea.
The Chelsea Hotel received a bit of infamy, as Nancy Spungen, girlfriend of Sid Vicious, was found stabbed to death there in 1978 (“A Punk Nightmare in New York“. Rolling Stone Nov 1978).
The Algonquin Hotel: Algonquin Round Table Was Center of Intellectual Activity
The Algonquin Hotel sits in the middle of New York’s Theater District, on West 44th Street, on what is sometimes called Club Row. Due to its location, it has been the home of many playwrights and actors over the years. According to their website, author Sinclair Lewis once offered to buy the hotel, and William Faulkner wrote his Nobel Prize acceptance speech while staying there.
The Algonquin Hotel is most famous for what is known as the Algonquin Round Table, a group of writers and artists in the 1920’s. Calling themselves “The Vicious Circle” they gathered together daily to share lunch, quips, and acidic remarks.
Some of the members of the Algonquin Round Table include.
- Dorothy Parker, Poet, Critic
- Robert Benchley, Journalist
- Harold Ross and Jane Grant, Writers, Cofounders of “The New Yorker.”
- Alexander Woollcott, Critic, Journalist
- Harpo Marx, Actor
- George S. Kaufman, Playwright, Pulitzer winner
The Waldorf-Astoria: America’s Most Famous Hotel?
The Waldorf-Astoria is perhaps the most famous hotel in America, and one of the most famous in the world. This Park Avenue luxury landmark was the fist skyscraper hotel, and has housed some of the wealthiest and most famous people of the 20th Century (“Waldorf-Astoria.” about.com). The Waldorf-Astoria even had its own subway platform for a while, a private entrance to those of special import, according to the travel guide NewYorkology.
According to HistoricHotels.org, The Waldorf-Astoria today is actually the second hotel to go by that name. The first was on the site of what is now occupied by the Empire State Building. It began as two hotels-- The Waldorf and the Astoria-- both built by different members of the famous Astor family. Eventually they consolidated, becoming the largest hotel in the world at that time.
In 1931, The Waldorf-Astoria reopened 15 blocks North and on Park Avenue. At the time, it was “the world’s largest and tallest hotel, a veritable city-within-a-city (“The Waldorf-Astoria” historichotels.org).”
The Waldorf-Astoria has become a fixture in popular culture. A Waldorf Salad, first made there, is a popular dish. It has appeared in many movies, from The Out-of Towners to Coming to America. One of the Muppets, Waldorf-- an old cranky Muppet who criticizes everything-- is named after the hotel.
Of course, these are not the only famous hotels in New York City. The Gramercy Park Hotel and Hotel Pennsylvania could have easily made the list, as could lost legends such as the Astor Hotel or the Fifth Avenue Hotel. However, these hotels of fame above capture the essence of New York’s elite, and will live on as legends of luxury and culture.
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