The Plaza hotel, New York, USA: review
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The Plaza is a luxury New York hotel offering a rich history, opulent furnishings, spectacular décor, luxurious bedrooms, a wide range of restaurants, a champagne bar, afternoon tea, a spa and a central location, at the south-east corner of Central Park and Fifth Avenue, near Museum Mile and Madison Avenue.
This glorious 20-storey 1907 French Château-style building was originally a residence for wealthy New Yorkers. Decked out in the gold, marble and crystal opulence of a palace, it soon transitioned into New York’s premier hotel, featured in the Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald was a regular), a dozen movies (most famously Hitchcock’s North by Northwest), and site of Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball in 1966. Its status has diminished somewhat in the last decade, but it’s still impressive.
Location
Imperiously situated on Grand Army Plaza at the south east corner of Central Park and Fifth Avenue, this is prime Manhattan real estate. You not only have the park as your playground but you’re a walk away from all the Midtown action as well as Museum Mile and Madison Avenue boutiques. The Apple Store, FAO Schwarz and the Wollman Ice Rink are literally outside the front door.
Style/character
There’s no more historic hotel in New York, and although the chopping up of some 150 rooms into private condos in 2008, and the more recent closing of the famous Oak Room has taken away some of the charm, Gilded Age opulence still abounds. The crystal chandeliers and plush French furnishings of the Grand Ballroom and Terrace Room are spectacular, and the Beaux Arts lobby and bejeweled regulars in the Palm Court atrium hark back to the Roaring 20s.
Service/facilities
The chandelier-lit Grand Ballroom, site of Capote’s 1966 bash and the Michel Douglas-Catherine Zeta Jones wedding is still the place to hold a splashy gala. The concierges are all Les Clefs d’Or members and we like the 24-hour white glove butler service on each floor. Don’t miss the in-house spa, Caudalie Vinotherapie, specialising in red wine treatments.
Rooms
There are no less than 282 rooms in 14 styles ranging from Signatures and Deluxes to sprawling Legacy Suites named for iconic New Yorkers such as Vanderbilt and Carnegie. The décor is Louis XV French and a little over the top: earth stone bathrooms inlaid with floral motifs, 24-carat gold plated Sherle Wagner sinks and faucets, toiletries by Caudalie, and hand crafted white marble vanities. And that’s just the rooms. The suites (102 of them) are vast as Upper East Side townhouses, with separate living areas and even butler’s pantries. Opt for a Central Park view.
Food & drink
There are so many culinary outlets within that it’s hard to know where to choose. The famous Palm Court with its tropical topiary is overseen by the hotel’s new culinary director, restaurateur Geoffrey Zakarian, and looks set to reclaim its glory years. It’s rightly famous for afternoon tea, but come for evening for cocktails and people watching. New offerings include the elegant Champagne Bar and the swanky Rose Club. The acclaimed Todd English Food Hall and the Plaza Food Hall are vast specialty food emporiums selling everything from caviar to artisanal chocolate. You won’t go hungry.
Value for money
Doubles from $1,070 (£695), excluding breakfast. A storied past only gets you so far. Wi-Fi charged at $14.95 (£9.70) for 24 hours.
Access for guests with disabilities?
Wheelchair access throughout.
Family-friendly?
Eloise lived on the tippy top floor of the Plaza and Eloise books, dolls and mementos are everywhere. Iconic toy store FAO Schwarz is literally across the street.
This glorious 20-storey 1907 French Château-style building was originally a residence for wealthy New Yorkers. Decked out in the gold, marble and crystal opulence of a palace, it soon transitioned into New York’s premier hotel, featured in the Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald was a regular), a dozen movies (most famously Hitchcock’s North by Northwest), and site of Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball in 1966. Its status has diminished somewhat in the last decade, but it’s still impressive.
Location
Imperiously situated on Grand Army Plaza at the south east corner of Central Park and Fifth Avenue, this is prime Manhattan real estate. You not only have the park as your playground but you’re a walk away from all the Midtown action as well as Museum Mile and Madison Avenue boutiques. The Apple Store, FAO Schwarz and the Wollman Ice Rink are literally outside the front door.
Style/character
There’s no more historic hotel in New York, and although the chopping up of some 150 rooms into private condos in 2008, and the more recent closing of the famous Oak Room has taken away some of the charm, Gilded Age opulence still abounds. The crystal chandeliers and plush French furnishings of the Grand Ballroom and Terrace Room are spectacular, and the Beaux Arts lobby and bejeweled regulars in the Palm Court atrium hark back to the Roaring 20s.
Service/facilities
The chandelier-lit Grand Ballroom, site of Capote’s 1966 bash and the Michel Douglas-Catherine Zeta Jones wedding is still the place to hold a splashy gala. The concierges are all Les Clefs d’Or members and we like the 24-hour white glove butler service on each floor. Don’t miss the in-house spa, Caudalie Vinotherapie, specialising in red wine treatments.
Rooms
There are no less than 282 rooms in 14 styles ranging from Signatures and Deluxes to sprawling Legacy Suites named for iconic New Yorkers such as Vanderbilt and Carnegie. The décor is Louis XV French and a little over the top: earth stone bathrooms inlaid with floral motifs, 24-carat gold plated Sherle Wagner sinks and faucets, toiletries by Caudalie, and hand crafted white marble vanities. And that’s just the rooms. The suites (102 of them) are vast as Upper East Side townhouses, with separate living areas and even butler’s pantries. Opt for a Central Park view.
Food & drink
There are so many culinary outlets within that it’s hard to know where to choose. The famous Palm Court with its tropical topiary is overseen by the hotel’s new culinary director, restaurateur Geoffrey Zakarian, and looks set to reclaim its glory years. It’s rightly famous for afternoon tea, but come for evening for cocktails and people watching. New offerings include the elegant Champagne Bar and the swanky Rose Club. The acclaimed Todd English Food Hall and the Plaza Food Hall are vast specialty food emporiums selling everything from caviar to artisanal chocolate. You won’t go hungry.
Value for money
Doubles from $1,070 (£695), excluding breakfast. A storied past only gets you so far. Wi-Fi charged at $14.95 (£9.70) for 24 hours.
Access for guests with disabilities?
Wheelchair access throughout.
Family-friendly?
Eloise lived on the tippy top floor of the Plaza and Eloise books, dolls and mementos are everywhere. Iconic toy store FAO Schwarz is literally across the street.
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