- The Plaza in New York is one of the most famous and luxurious hotels in the world.
- We stayed at The Plaza Hotel recently to see if it still lives up to the hype.
- While the regal charm and luxury of the hotel is undeniable, it could use some tweaks for the modern age, including free wireless internet and better in-room entertainment.
It is no exaggeration to say that The Plaza in Midtown Manhattan is New York's most iconic hotel. When it was opened in 1907, newspapers reportedly declared it "the greatest hotel in the world."
Since, it has played host to New York's ultra wealthy, from the scions of the Vanderbilt and Kennedy families to American artists and socialites F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. Ambassadors, princesses, and actors and actresses have all called The Plaza home at one point or another.
It first became etched in the American cultural imagination in Fitzgerald's seminal novel "The Great Gatsby" and since has been featured in countless films, television shows, and literature. More recently, it was featured in "Home Alone 2: Lost In New York" and "American Hustle."
President Donald Trump once owned the hotel for a time, purchasing it in 1988 for $390 million -around $807 million in 2017 dollars.
In an open letter to New York Magazine, he famously declared, "I haven't purchased a building, I have purchased a masterpiece - the Mona Lisa. For the first time in my life, I have knowingly made a deal that was not economic - for I can never justify the price I paid, no matter how successful the Plaza becomes."
The hotel has passed through many owners throughout its 100+ year history. We stayed at the hotel recently to see if it still retains the regal charm for which it has always we been known.