The Waldorf Astoria New York is a luxury hotel in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The hotel is housed in two historic buildings in New York. The first, by the same name, was built in two stages, as the Waldorf Hotel and Astoria Hotel, which accounted for a double name. The original site is located on the Astor family property along Fifth Avenue, opened in 1893, and designed by Henry J. Hardenbergh. It was destroyed in 1929 to pave the way for the construction of the Empire State Building. The building, on 301 Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Street in Midtown Manhattan, is a 47-story Art Deco historic building designed by Schultze and Weaver architects, completed in 1931. The hotel is currently the tallest hotel in the world from 1931 to 1963 , when it was surpassed by Moscow Ukrainian Hotel by 7 meters (23 feet). An icon of luxury and luxury, the Waldorf Astoria is today one of the most prestigious and most famous hotels in the world. Waldorf Astoria Hotels and Resorts is a division of Hilton Hotels, and the high-end property portfolio worldwide now operates by name, including in New York City.
From its inception, the Waldorf Astoria gained an international reputation for its lavish dinner and grand feast, often at the center of political and business conferences and fund-raising schemes involving the rich and famous. Especially after World War II he played an important role in world politics and the Cold War, culminating in the controversial World Peace Conference March 1949 at the hotel, where Stalinism was widely criticized. Conrad Hilton acquired hotel management rights on October 12, 1949, and Hilton Hotels Corporation finally purchased the hotel directly in 1972. It underwent a $ 150 million renovation by Lee Jablin in the 1980s and early 1990s, and in October 2014 it was announced that Anbang Insurance Group of China has bought Waldorf Astoria New York for US $ 1.95 billion, making it the most expensive hotel ever sold. On July 1, 2016, Anbang announced that it would convert several Waldorf hotel rooms into condominiums, closing the hotel for a three-year renovation on March 1, 2017.
The Waldorf Astoria and Towers has a total of 1,413 hotel rooms by 2014. In 2009, when it had 1,416 rooms, the main hotel had 1,235 single and double rooms and 208 mini suites, while the Waldorf Towers, from floors 28 through 42, had 181 rooms, of which 115 are suites, with one to four bedrooms. Some of the luxurious suites are named after the celebrities who live or live in them such as The Cole Porter Suite, The Royal Suite, named after the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, MacArthur Suite and Churchill Suite. The most expensive room, Presidential Suite, is designed with Georgian furniture to emulate the White House. It was the residence of Herbert Hoover from his retirement for over 30 years, and Frank Sinatra set up a suite at the Waldorf from 1979 to 1988. The hotel features three main restaurants, Peacock Alley, Bull and Bear Steak House and La Chine , a new Chinese restaurant replacing Oscar's Brasserie by the end of 2015. Sir Harry's Bar , named after the English explorer Sir Harry Johnston, is the home of Rob Roy and Bobbie Burns cocktails.
Video Waldorf Astoria New York
Name
The name of the hotel eventually came from Walldorf city in Germany, the ancestral home of the leading German-American Astor family from there. The hotel was originally known as The Waldorf-Astoria with a hyphen, as remembered by popular expressions and songs, "Meet Me at the Hyphen." The sign turned into a double dash, looking similar to the same sign, by Conrad Hilton when he bought the hotel in 1949. The double dashes visually represent "Peacock Alley", the hallway between two hotels that once stood where the Empire State building is now standing today. The use of a double hyphen was stopped by Hilton's parent company in 2009, shortly after the introduction of Waldorf Astoria Hotels & amp; Resorts Network. This hotel has since been known as Waldorf Astoria New York , without any hyphens, though this is sometimes shortened to Waldorf Astoria . Maps Waldorf Astoria New York
History
Original building
The original hotel started as two hotels on Fifth Avenue built by the hostile brothers. The first hotel, Waldorf Hotel 13 and 450 floors designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh in German Renaissance style, opened on March 13, 1893 at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 33rd Street, on the site where the developer of the millionaire William Waldorf Astor owns his mansion. The original hotel stands 225 feet (69 m) tall, with a front of about 100 feet (30 m) on Fifth Avenue, with an area of ​​69,475 sq ft (6,454.4 m 2 ). The original hotel is described as having "precious stones and brick exteriors", which are "animated by the effusion of balconies, alcoves, arcades, and loggias under tile roofs adorned with gable and turret". William Astor, motivated partly by a dispute with his aunt Caroline Webster Schermerhorn Astor, has built the Waldorf Hotel next to her home, on her father's home site. The hotel was built to the specifications of the founding owner George Boldt, who owns and operates the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel, a fashionable hotel on Broad Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Louise. Boldt is described as "Mild mannered, undignified, unassuming," resembling "a typical German professor with a short-cut beard carefully crafted... and his pince-nez glasses on a black silk rope." Boldt continues to have Bellevue even after his relationship with Astors develops.
At first, the Waldorf seemed destined to fail. At first this was a laughing stock with a high number of bathrooms and briefly known as "Boldt's Folly" or "Astor's Folly", with a general perception of that magnificent hotel because there is no place in New York City. The wealthy New Yorkers are angry because they see the construction of the hotel as a good environmental destruction. Business travelers find it too expensive and too far into the city center for their needs. In the face of all this, George Boldt decides that the hotel will hold a charity concert for St. Hospital. Mary for Children on its opening day. Hospitals are their favorite charity on the Social List. The dance hall is filled with many New York First Families, who have paid five dollars for a concert and dinner at the Waldorf. Soon it became a huge success, earning $ 4.5 million in the first year, too high for that period.
William Astor built a hotel next to his aunt's house to aggravate his feud with him, but, with the help of Boldt, Waldorf's cousin, John Jacob Astor IV persuaded his mother to move into town. On November 1, 1897, John Jacob Astor IV opened the 17-story Astoria Hotel on an adjacent site, and leased it to Boldt. These hotels were originally built as two separate structures, but the Boldt devised Astoria so it could be connected to the Waldorf with an alley. Peacock Alley was built to connect the two buildings, and the hotel became known as the "Waldorf-Astoria", the largest hotel in the world at the time.
With phones in every room and first-class room service, the hotel is tailored to meet the socially-prominent social-rich "over the wealthy" crust of New York and exceptional foreign visitors to the city. The hotel became, according to author Sean Dennis Cashman, "a symbol of luxury success and Astor family achievement". This is the first hotel to offer complete electricity and a private bathroom. The founder of the Boldt owner, whose motto is "a guest is always right", became rich and internationally famous, if not as a popular celebrity as his famous worker, Oscar Tschirky, known as "Oscar of the Waldorf", maÃÆ'® tre d 'hÃÆ'Â'tel from the inauguration of the hotel in 1893 until his retirement in 1943. Tschirky has arrived in the United States from Switzerland ten years before applying for a position at the new Waldorf and over the years grew to have an outside cooking knowledge ordinary. He wrote The Cookbook by Oscar of The Waldorf (1896), a 900-page book featuring all the popular recipes of the day, including his own, which he received great praise, such as Waldorf, Eggs Benedict and Thousand Island dressing, which remains popular in today's world. James Remington McCarthy writes in his book Peacock Alley that Oscar became famous among the general public as an artist who "arranges sonatas in soups, symphonies in salads, minuets in sauce, lyrics in appetizers". In 1902 Tschirky published Serve Dinner Together by Oscar of the Waldorf-Astoria, a booklet explaining the intricacies of becoming a caterer for American and international elites. Tschirky has a very good memory and encyclopedic memory of culinary preferences of many guests, which is increasingly adding to its popularity. In 1937, for example, he recalled the opening night and prominent people present at the old Waldorf, a guest at the publicly known old building as Buffalo Bill, and spoke at length about the Panama Canal plan taking place at the Waldorf-Astoria.
The Waldorf earns significant international recognition for fundraising and ball dinner, regularly attracting day figures such as Andrew Carnegie, who became a fixture. Banquets are often held in ballrooms for honorable people and international royalty. The Waldorf Astoria was influential in advancing the status of women, who were received alone without escort. George Boldt's wife, Louise Kehrer Boldt, was very influential in developing the idea of ​​a large urban hotel as a social center, especially in making it attractive to women as a place for social occasions. On February 11, 1899, Oscar held a lavish dinner reception called the New York Herald Tribune as the most expensive dinner in town at the time. Around $ 250 is spent per guest, with bluepoint oysters, green turtle soup, lobster, reddish duck, and blue raspberries. One article that year claimed that at one time the hotel had $ 7 million worth of goods locked in a safe, proof of the wealth of its guests. In 1902 a lavish dinner was held for Prince Henry of Prussia, and in 1909 the banquet, attended by hundreds, was held for Arctic explorers Frederick Cook in September and Elbert Henry Gary, founder of US Steel, the following month.
The United States Senate inquiry into the sinking of the RMS Titanic opened at the hotel on 19 April 1912 and resumed there for some time in the Myrtle Room, before moving to Washington, DC. John Jacob Astor IV was one of those killed in his ill-fated journey. Seven senators were present on the subcommittee, including William Alden Smith (Republic, Michigan) as chairman, Jonathan Bourne (Republic, Oregon), Theodore E. Burton (Republic, Ohio), Duncan U. Fletcher (Democrat, Florida), Francis G Newlands Democrat, Nevada), George Clement Perkins (Republican, California), and Furnifold McLendel Simmons (Democrat, North Carolina). The compositions of the subcommittee are carefully selected to represent the conservative, moderate and liberal wing of both sides.
In 1919, restaurant owner Louis Sherry announced an "alliance" with the Waldorf-Astoria that involved candy and catering services. Although it was not disclosed at the time, at some point ownership of Louis Sherry Inc. significantly held in "Boomer-duPont interests", a reference to Lucius M. Boomer, who later became chairman of the Waldorf-Astoria, and T. Coleman du Pont. After his death that year, William Waldorf Astor is considered to have a wealth worth  £ 200 million, which he left in trust for his two sons, Waldorf and John Jacob. Half of the Waldorf Astoria and Astor Hotel at the time reportedly worth 10 million pounds. On the night of November 15, 1926, the National Broadcasting Company broadcast its inaugural program from the grand ballroom of the old Waldorf-Astoria. Among the entertainers heard by radio listeners is Will Rogers. The Network became the Red Network on January 1, 1927 when NBC launched its second network, designated Blue Network. An antitrust lawsuit forced the sale of the Blue Network in 1942; it became the American Broadcasting Company.
The hotel faces tough competition from the early 20th century, with new hotels popping up in New York City such as Hotel Astor (1904), The St. Regis (1904), The Knickerbocker (1906), and Savoy-Plaza Hotel (1927). In the 1920s, the hotel was outdated, and the elegant social life in New York had moved further north than 34th Street. The Astor family eventually sold the hotel to the Empire State Building developers and closed the hotel on May 3, 1929. It was dismantled shortly thereafter.
Current building
In the early years and international politics
The idea of ​​a new Waldorf-Astoria hotel is based on the concept that there must be a big luxury hotel in New York for a respectable visitor. Financial support was not hard to come by in the summer of 1929 because of times of welfare; the stock market has not fallen or the Depression has arrived. However, before the land is damaged for new buildings, some investors become doubtful whether this is the right time to invest in luxury hotels. The land for this new hotel was previously owned by the New York Central Railroad, which has pledged $ 10 million for the new Waldorf-Astoria development. Railway companies and all other investors decided to honor their commitments and take their chances with an uncertain financial climate.
The new building opened on Park Avenue, between the 49th and East 50 East streets, on October 1, 1931. It was the tallest and largest hotel in the world at the time, covering the entire block. The sleek center tower is known as the Waldorf Towers, with a private entrance on 50th Street, and consists of 100 suites, about one-third of which are rented as private residences. President Herbert Hoover said on the radio, broadcast from the White House: "The opening of the new Waldorf Astoria is an event in the progress of the hotel, even in New York City.This brings a great tradition in national hospitality... marks the size of the nation's growth in power, in comfort and in art... an exhibition of courage and confidence to the whole nation ". There are 2,000 people in the ballroom listening to this speech, but at the end of the working day, 2,200 hotel rooms have only 500 residents. New in 1939, the Waldorf-Astoria began operating profitably. Lucius Boomer continued to run the hotel in the 1930s and 1940s, a commanding figure called Tony Rey as "the greatest hotelman of his time". Boomer was elected chairman of the board of the Waldorf-Astoria Corporation on February 20, 1945, the position he held until his death in July 1947.
Like the original hotel, from its inception, the Waldorf Astoria gained worldwide renown for glamorous and galas dinner parties, often at political and business conference centers and fundraising schemes. The author of Ward Morehouse III has called the Waldorf Astoria "comparable to the great national institutions" and "the symbol of life deep in our collective consciousness". It has "the largest banquet department in the world" at that time according to the owner of the restaurant Tom Margittai, with the activity center being the Grand Ballroom. On August 3, 1932, some 200 people representing "New York's literary cream world" attended the Waldorf Astoria in honor of Pearl S. Buck, author of The Good Earth, the best-selling novel in the United States in 1931 and 1932 One dinner only, a "small" dinner attended by about 50 people in June 1946, earned over $ 250,000.
The hotel played an important role in the Cold War and the international relations that emerged during the postwar years, holding various events and conferences. On March 15, 1946, Winston Churchill attended a banquet at the hotel given by Governor Thomas E. Dewey, ten days after making a famous Iron Curtain speech, and from November 4 to December 12, 1946, the Big Four Conference was held in JäÆ'Â's Apartment ¸rgine Boomer on the 37th floor Tower between the United States, Britain, France and the Soviet Union to discuss the future of Eastern Europe. On 24 November 1947, 48 prominent figures from the Hollywood film industry, including film executives such as Louis B. Mayer from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures, Spyros Skouras of 20th Century Fox and Albert Warner of Warner Bros. and Eric Johnston , head of the Motion Film Producers Association, meets at the Waldorf Astoria and discusses what will be the Waldorf Statement, banning people with Communist beliefs or trends from the Hollywood film industry. The statement was a response to an insult to Congressional allegations against the so-called "Hollywood Ten".
On June 21, 1948 a press conference at the hotel introduced the LP notes. From 27 March to 29, 1949, the World Cultural and Scientific Conference for World Peace, also known as the Waldorf World Peace Conference, was held at the hotel to discuss the newly emerging Cold War and the growing gap between the US and the Soviet Union. The conference came at a time of intense anti-Communist sentiment and suspicion of the Soviet Union in the United States, following the Berlin Blockade and the Czechoslovak coup a year earlier. The event is hosted by a struggling American Communist Party, but is sponsored by many non-Stalinists such as Leonard Bernstein, Marlon Brando, Albert Einstein and Aaron Copland, with the aim of promoting peace. The conference was attended by people like Soviet Foreign Minister Andrey Vyshinsky, composer and pianist Dmitri Shostakovich and author Alexsander Fadeyev. Tensions escalated during the controversial events, and culminated when Shostakovich, in front of a crowd of about 800 people, launched a fierce attack on western civilization, commented that "a small group of blasphemers are preparing world public opinion for the transition from cold war to direct aggression". The event was imbued with counter-attacks by anti-Stalinists running under the banner of "America for Intellectual Freedom" (AIF), and prominent figures such as Irving Howe, Dwight Macdonald, Mary McCarthy, Robert Lowell, and Norman Mailer openly condemned Stalinism. at the hotel. In 1954, Israeli statesman and archaeologist Yigael Yadin met secretly with Syrian Orthodox Archbishop Mar Samuel in the basement of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel to negotiate the purchase of four Dead Sea Scrolls for Israel. The scrolls were kept in a vault at the Bank of New York branch of the Waldorf-Astoria Bank. At the request of the Israeli government, a respected scholar of the Bible. Harry Orlinsky examines the scroll and verifies its authenticity; Yadin paid $ 250,000 for all four. Restaurant owner George Lang began working at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in 1955, and on 13 December 1955 he helped organize the First Night Ball of the American Theater Wing to celebrate the fiftieth year of Helen Hayes in the show business. He did a lot to organize a dinner at the Waldorf to help trouble and aid Hungary. On one occasion an event was attended by the likes of Edward G. Robinson and Doklady pianist and about $ 60,000 raised.
April in Paris Ball
April at the Paris Ball is an annual gala event whose mission is to enhance French-American relations, to share culture, and to help provide assistance to US and French charities, in addition to commemorating the 2000 anniversary of the founding of Paris. It was founded by Claude Philippe, hotel banquet manager, in 1952. While hotel management handles invitations and publicity, other details are coordinated by the socialite. Elsa Maxwell was given the ultimate responsibility in organizing it. Originally held every year in April, but according to Ann Vaccaro, the former executive director of the ball, it was changed to October because "Mr. Philippe decided that because there are so many balls in the spring he will make it in October". After being changed to October, it often marks the beginning of the US autumn. It was staged at the Grand Ballroom at the Waldorf for eight years before moving to the Astor Hotel in 1960, the Seventh Weapon Regiment in 1961, and other places.
The ball was designed to serve "very, very classy people" according to Vaccaro. Lucky draw tickets are US $ 100 per person and are offered luxury prizes such as bracelets for US $ 5000 and other jewelry, expensive feathers, perfumes, and even cars. At the 1960 event, the prizes included the Ford Thunderbird, the Chinchilla coin, the Renault Dauphine, the Hi-Fi TV system, the electric typewriter, the 25 expensive French wine boxes, the original paintings and the porcelain, the jewelry, the clock, the evening bags and the pedigree poodle; guests are given gift boxes containing gold key chains and jewelry, champagne and brandy, Maxim ashtrays, pipes, corkscrew bottles, hats and scarves, and flowers. Every guest is said to have come home with at least one prize in return. At the 1979 event, a prize of US $ 106,000 was awarded. More than its history, the ball, which is exempt from taxes, earns millions of dollars, which mainly flows to over 20 American charities such as the American Cancer Society, with 15 to 20% going to the French charity. A three-person staff is paid full-time throughout the year to organize it. From the cost of the ball, co-founder Philippe stated "We charge the most, give maximum results, and make the best - this is a successful formula". Bernard F. Gimbel served as chief treasurer.
The Paris Ball became an important event in the annual calendar during the 1950s, with one early show featuring "three spectacular clocks from five tablo, directed by Stuart Chaney", [depicting] the 12th century scene of the troublemakers at Eleanor's palace meeting Aquitane , Henry VIII at the Field of the Cloth of Gold, Louis XIV at Versailles, and a fashion show of forty creations by Dior, Fath, Balmain, Desses and Givenchy. "French stars Juliette Greco, Jean Sablon, Beatrice Lillie, John Loder and many others were flown for the party. The 1957 event was attended by some 1300 guests, including Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Sen. John F. Kennedy, his wife, Jackie, and Marilyn Monroe, who paid $ 100 each and donated $ 130,000 to charity. The following year, the ballroom was decorated with chestnut trees as high as 9.1 meters, generating US $ 170,000 for charity.The last ball to be held at the hotel was held on 10 April 1 959, with the main theme being the Parisian circus of the 18th century. The original circus costume from that period was flown from France, and the ball was attended by Marlene Dietrich, featuring two Maurice Chevalier songs, wearing hats, trousers, vests and white gloves.
Next history
On May 6, 1963, Time magazine celebrated its 40th anniversary at the hotel. The event was attended by about 1500 celebrities, including General Douglas MacArthur, Jean Monnet, Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., Bob Hope, Joe Louis, David O. Selznick, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Edward Kennedy, Henry Ford II, and many others. another. In 1968, the British rock band The Who checked into the hotel, where they encountered difficulties with the Waldorf Astoria staff. Due to the band's reputation for polluting hotel rooms and their rowdy behavior, the Waldorf demanded that they pay cash up front. However, after their performances, band members denied access to their hotel room, where their belongings were stored. Tony Fletcher, in his biography of Keith Moon, claims that Moon challenged the staff and blew the door to their room from the hinges with his cherry bomb and picked up their suitcases, prompting the Who to be shown the door and banned from the hotel for life. However, it was clear that the ban was later revoked when they performed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction at the Waldorf on January 17, 1990.
Soon after the hotel's opening in 1931, hotelier Conrad Hilton, almost bankrupt at the time, reportedly cut hotel photos from a magazine and wrote on it, "The Greatest of Them All". He acquired management rights to the hotel on October 12, 1949. Hilton Hotel Corporation finally bought the hotel directly in 1972.
In the 1970s, the Waldorf Astoria continued to play an important role in international politics, particularly between the US and the Middle East. In November 1974, a "20 cars of motorcade, with eight sniper rifles armed in bulletproof vests" led Palestinian Fatah party leader Farouk Kaddoumi to the Waldorf from John F. Kennedy International Airport. The Waldorf alert was red, and the German Shepherd dog tracker was taken before his arrival to look for possible bombs. 15 hotel suites are reserved for the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Arab delegation. The following month, President Ford met with Nelson Rockefeller after he was elected Vice President, and a 90-minute press conference was held in a suite at the hotel. In November 1975, the US government insisted that PLO leader Yasser Arafat lived at the Waldorf during his visit to America, against the wishes of the hotel staff; security improved badly. On August 12, 1981, IBM launched Personal Computer in a press conference at the Waldorf Astoria, and in 1985, the NBA held the first draft draw between non-playoff teams in the Starlight Room. The Lottery is for the 1985 NBA Draft where Patrick Ewing is the number one consensus.
Lee Jablin, from Harman Jablin Architects, has completely renovated and upgraded the historic property to its original splendor during the mid-1980s to mid-1990s in a $ 150 million renovation. The hotel was named after the New York City Landmark in 1993. On May 27, 2001, the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America held a grand party at the hotel to celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the conversion of Armenia to Christianity, with Ambassador Edward Djerejian as guest speaker. On May 7, 2004, a press conference was held by MGM, discussing Steve Martin's Pink Panther from The Pink Panther. The 5th Annual DGA Honors Gala is held at the Waldorf on September 29th.
In 2006, Hilton launched the Waldorf Astoria Hotel & amp; Resorts, a global luxury brand named for an iconic hotel. There are now Waldorf Astoria branches in Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana in the United States, and abroad in France, Israel, Italy and Saudi Arabia. In 2006 it was reported that Hilton was considering opening a new Waldorf Astoria hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. In 2008 Waldorf Astoria opened the spa of Guerlain and Spa Chakra, Inc. at the hotel, as part of the Waldorf Astoria Collection, which offers "body and face massage using Guewain's challenging skin care at Orchidee Imperiale".
Waldorf Astoria New York is a member of Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "The Towers of Waldorf Astoria" continues to operate as a "boutique hotel within the hotel". In October 2014, it was announced that Anbang Insurance Group, based in China, had purchased Waldorf Astoria New York for US $ 1.95 billion, making it the most expensive hotel ever sold.
On July 1, 2016, Anbang announced plans to update the hotel and convert several rooms into condominiums. Under the plan, some hotel rooms will be converted into apartments, with the rest of the hotel suite rooms remaining. As part of the repair process, the hotel is closed on 1 March 2017, with plans to reopen it by 2020. The hotel restaurant, including Peacock Alley , Bull and Bear Steakhouse >, and the newly opened La Chine , closed together with the hotel; they will reopen when the renovation is complete. A week after the hotel closed, on March 7, 2017, the New York City Landmark Conservation Commission voted unanimously to make a list of the interior spaces of a famous hotel as a New York City landmark, protecting them from any changes during renovations.
Architecture
Old building
The old Waldorf Hotel, built at a reported cost of approximately US $ 5 million, opened on March 13, 1893 at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 33rd Street, on the site where developer millionaire William Waldorf Astor had previously built his home. The hotel stands 225 feet (69 m) tall, about 50 feet (15 m) lower than Astoria, with a front about 100 feet (30 m) on Fifth Avenue, and a total area of ​​69,475 sq ft (6,454.4 m < > 2 ). It is a German Renaissance structure, designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, with 15 public rooms and 450 guest rooms, and 100 more rooms allocated to servants, with laundry facilities upstairs. The New York Times proclaimed a palace hotel after it opened in 1893.
The exterior features loggias, balconies, roofs, chimney groups, and tiled roofs. One of the main features is an interior garden court, with fountains and flowers, white terracotta walls, frescoes and stained glass. The entrance hall is built in Sienna marble, with floors bearing mosaics and leased ceilings. The original reception desk of the Waldorf Hotel became the registration desk when it joined the Astoria Hotel in 1897. Outside the lobby is the main corridor leading to the Empire Room, with a niche with elevators and large staircases. Nearby is Marie Antoinette's living room, which is used as a reception room for women. It contains 18th century antiques brought back by Boldt and his wife from an 1892 visit to Europe, including Marie Antoinette's statue, and an antique clock he had once owned. The Empire Room is the largest and most luxurious room in the Waldorf, and soon after it opened, it became one of New York City's finest restaurants, rivaling Delmonico's and Sherry's . It was modeled after a large salon in the castle of King Ludwig in Munich, with satin ornaments, upholstery upholstery and marble, all pale green, and Crowninshield wall paintings. Empire in style, the Waldorf restaurant decorates the dark green marble columns, and the pilasters coming before them are made of mahogany, with ormolu working on the panel. The Waldorf State Apartments, consisting of nine suites, are located on the second floor. The apartments, including the Henry IV Image Room, Francois V's bedroom, which is a reproduction room at the Palais de Fontainebleau, has a music room and banquet hall for seating 20, with a collection of beautiful porcelain including 48 Sevres plates with European portraits.
The old Astoria Hotel, opened in 1897, is located on the southeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 34th Street. It was also designed in the style of the German Renaissance by Henry J. Hardenbergh. With dimensions of 99 x 350 feet (30 m² - 107 m), the height, from the sub-basement floor, which is 33 feet (10 m) below the road surface, to the roofline, is about 270 feet (82 m), or about 240 feet (73 m) above the road surface. It is 16 stories high, including four floors on the roof. The building is constructed of stone, marble and brick, with steel frame frames and modern fire-resistant interior construction, and decorated with "Mansard's Second French Empire Tower with iron roofs and Austrian Baroque domes at the corner of the tower". There are 25 public rooms and 550 guest rooms, with miles of corridors, front spaces and balls.
The main corridor runs the entire length of the building from east to west. To the left is the Astor Dining Room, in front of Fifth Avenue, which is 50 to 92 feet (15 m² - 28 m). Carefully taken to faithfully reproduce the original dining room of the mansion, three floors above where it stands, with all original panels, carpets, curtains and fireplace mantels and pillars and columns of the Italian Renaissance, marble carvings from northern Russia. To the right of the main corridor is the Garden Court of Palms, decorated in Italian style, 88 with 57 feet (27 m 17 m). On the first floor, on the main eastern heads, is the Astor Gallery, 87 by 102 feet (27 m m-31 m), looking out on 34th Street, finished in HÃÆ'Â'tel de Soubise style, with a blue, ash and gold. The second floor contains a private suite of apartments in the northeast corner, with a large drawing room, dining room, pantry butler, hallway, three bedrooms, three auxiliary bedrooms and five bathrooms, all completed in old English oak trees. All floors above the third are given to suites and bedrooms up to the 14th floor. The Ballroom, in the style of Louis XIV, has been described as the "piÃÆ'¨ce de rà ©  sistance" of the hotel, measuring 65 feet (20 m) by 95 feet (29 m) and 40 feet (12 m) (three stories) in height. It has the capacity to sit 700 at banquets and 1,200 at concerts, and features gray and ivory creams in its design. Upstairs the hotel is a roof garden, covered on all sides by glass, with a glass roof over it. It was furnished with rattan chairs and lounges in pale green and pink, hung with gauze.
Current building
Exterior
Travel America states: "Lingering in the Waldorf-Astoria luxury salon is by retreating into the past.Your journey down memory lane is a flashback to glamorous days of the 1930s, when this Art Deco "The masterpiece is the tallest hotel in the world and the center of the elite community. A legendary limestone landmark that occupies all the major real estate blocks in downtown Manhattan, it is still a prestigious address that embodies luxury and power in the world's richest city. "The hotel was designed by Schultze and Weaver architects and built on 301 Park Avenue, at north of the Grand Central Terminal The area was developed by building on the existing railroad tracks to the station, with buildings like the Waldorf Astoria utilizing "air rights" for space on the rail.The new building opened on October 1, 1931. Hotel 190 floors 47 , 5 m (625 ft) is the tallest and largest hotel in the world, and remains so for several years 1,585 cubic feet (44.9 m 3 ) of black marble imported from Belgium, 600 cubic feet 17 m 3 ) from Brech Montalto and 260 cubic feet (7.4 m 3 ) from the Green Alps arrived from Italy, and about 300 antique coats were brought in to complete them. rail cars carry a about 800,000 cubic feet (23,000 m 3 ) limestone for facing buildings, 27,100 tons of steel for skeleton superstructure, and 2,595,000 square feet (241,100 m 2 ) of blocks terra cotta and gypsum. The brick-faced towers, which many people believe the builders run out of money.
Peacock Alley, a 300-foot (91 m) corridor lined with yellow marble connects two hotel buildings. Gilded, the woman of that era would love to walk along it and admire themselves in the mirror. In 1931 it was reported that as many as 36,000 people walked on it on certain days. The Peacock Alley restaurant at Waldorf takes its name from the alley.
The hotel has its own railway platform, Track 61, which is part of the New York City Subway and connected to the Grand Central Terminal complex. The platform is used by Franklin D. Roosevelt, James Farley, Adlai Stevenson, and Douglas MacArthur, among others. The platform was also used for the exhibition of new locomotive locomotive locomotive American Locomotive Company in 1946. In 1948, Filene and New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad also held a fashion show on the platform. A large enough elevator for Franklin D. Roosevelt's car provides access to the platform. However, it is rarely open to the public.
Interior
Such is the architectural and cultural heritage of the hotel that the tours are conducted from the hotel to its guests. Frommer had referred to the hotel as an "icon of luxury," and highlighted "vast corridors, Deco antique doors, white gloved monks, luxury shopping arcades," "stunning round mosaics under great crystal chandeliers" and "freestanding Waldorf clocks , covered with bronze relief figures "in the main lobby. They compare the room decor with that of an English country house, and describe the corridors as expansive and extravagant carpets that "seem to last forever".
The lobby floor contains room registration and cashier desk, Imperial Room and Hilton Room, Private Marco Polo Club, Wedding Salon, Kenneth's Salon, Lounge and Peacock Alley Restaurant and Mr. Harry's Bar . From 1992 to 2013, Kenneth, sometimes called the world's first celebrity hairdresser, was famous for inventing Jacqueline Kennedy's bouffant in 1961, transferring her hair and beauty salon to the Waldorf after a 1990 fire destroyed her East 54th Street store. In the main foyer is a 10 foot (3.0 m) hanging lamp with 10 feet (3.0 m). The elevator is equipped with a pollard oak panel and Carpathian elm. Special desks in the lobby are allocated for transportation and theater, where exclusive tickets to many of the city's leading theaters can be purchased. The lobby is furnished with polished nickel-bronze cornices and rockwood rocks. The large, 4,000-pound (1,800kg) bronze clock was built by Goldsmith's Company of London originally for the 1893 Columbia World Exposition in Chicago, but purchased by the Waldorf owner. The base is an octagonal, with eight memorial plaques of George Washington president, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Andrew Jackson, Benjamin Harrison and Grover Cleveland, and Queen Victoria and Benjamin Franklin. A shield that once belonged to Waldorf was transferred to the Alexis restaurant at W. Franklin Street in 1984. Several boutiques surround the lobby, which contains Steinway & amp; Cole Porter's & amp; Sons floral print decorated grand piano in Cocktail Terrace, which once given the hotel as a gift. Porter was a resident at the hotel for 30 years and compiled many of his songs here. The Empire Room is a place where many musical and dance performances are shown, from Count Basie, to Victor Borge, Gordon MacRae, George M. Cohan, and Lena Horne, the first black player in the hotel.
The third floor contains the Grand Ballroom, Silver Corridor, Basildon Room, Jade Room and Astor Gallery. Many organizations hold their annual dinners in the glorious Waldorf ballroom, including the St. University President's dinner. John's, a Catholic charity activity from the Archdiocese of New York, where the Deus Caritas Est Award for philanthropy is presented, and the Alfred E Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner. The NASCAR Celebration of the season-end Sprint Cup award was held at the Waldorf-Astoria each year between 1981 and 2008 before moving to Wynn in Las Vegas. Originally held in the Starlight Room, but since 1985, it was staged in the Grand Ballroom, except in 2001 and 2002. On May 1, 2004, the Waldorf-Astoria was the site for the Hungarian Grand East Ball Network of Manhattan, a historic black charity business headed shared by Archduke Georg of Austria-Hungary celebrating EU Enlargement. Bob Hope is a regular player in the Ballroom that he says, "I have played so many dinners in the Grand Ballroom, I always make mistakes when I get up to talk that I left my dinner jacket in the lobby so I do not have to send it to the Beach along time ". Notes in the Astor Gallery are 12 allegorical women, painted by Edward Emerson Simmons. Every October the Paris Ball is held in the Grand Ballroom, before moving on to Americana (now the Sheraton Center). It hosts an impressive New Year's Eve party with Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadians, and Lombardo is used to broadcast live on the radio right there from "Starlight Roof". Maurice Chevalier appeared in the ballroom in 1965 in his last performance. The Silver Corridor outside the ballroom has a resemblance to Peacock Alley, but is shorter and wider. The fourth floor has a banquet and sales office, and many suites include Barron, Vanderbilt, Windsor, Conrad, VertÃÆ'¨s, Louis XVI, and Cole Porter, named after the celebrities who live in it. The fourth floor is where the famous Sunday night card game is played. There is also the re-creation of one of the Waldorf-Astoria Hoover suite living rooms at Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum.
Rooms and suites
The Waldorf Astoria and Towers has a total of 1,413 hotel rooms by 2014. In 2009, when it had 1,416 rooms, the main hotel has 1,235 single and double rooms and 208 mini suites, 17 of which are classified as "Level Astoria", enhanced with luxurious amenities and free access to the Astoria Lounge. The Waldorf Towers, from floors 28 through 42, have 181 rooms, of which 115 are suites, with one to four bedrooms. In the late 1990s, the hotel had almost 400 household staff, with a 150-day waiter and two dozen night maids. The rooms retain original Art Deco motifs, although each room is decorated differently. Guest rooms, classified as Deluxe, Superior and Luxurious, feature "Waldorf Serenity" beds and feature marble bathrooms or showers with utensils designed by Salvatore Ferragamo. This suite has a King or Double bed and measures from 450 square feet (42 m 2 ). The smallest is the One Bedroom suite, which ranges from 450 square feet (42 m 2 ) to 600 square feet (56 m 2 ), then there is the Signature Suite, with a separate living room and one or two bedrooms, ranging from 750 square feet (70 m 2 ) to 900 square feet (84 m 2 ), and finally the Towers suite which are generally larger and more expensive, and have a maid service twice a day.
Tower Suite is divided into standard, The Towers Luxury Series, which has its own sitting room, Penthouse Towers Series, Presidential-Style Suites Towers, and finally the most expensive Presidential Suite on the 35th floor. The Penthouse Series contains three suites, The Penthouse, The Cole Porter Suite, and The Royal Suite, named Duke and Duchess of Windsor. They start at 1,800 square feet (170 m) with two or more bedrooms, and are equipped with a kitchen and dining room that can accommodate 8-12 guests. The Presidential-Style Suites Towers are divided into MacArthur Suite and Churchill Suite, and have their own grand entry foyer. Like the Penthouse Series, they have their own kitchen and dining area. Presidential Suite of 2,250 square feet (209 m) with Georgian furnishings to mimic the White House. It has three large bedrooms and three bathrooms, and offers plenty of treasures, including General MacArthur's desk and John F. Kennedy rocking chair.
Other facilities
The fitness center of 2,500 square feet (230 m 2 ) is on the 5th floor. The $ 21.5 million Waldorf Astoria Guerlain Spa was inaugurated on September 1, 2008 on the 19th floor. The hotel has 16 treatment rooms and two relaxation lounges. The hotel has its own Business Center, 1,150 square feet of digital facilities (107 m 2 ), where guests can access the internet and photocopy. In 2004 the hotel launched its product line in line with the hotel's Art Deco style, reportedly becoming the first individual hotel in the world to have its own merchandise collection.
Secret railroad
Below the hotel is a private railway line and platform connected directly to the Grand Central Terminal, referred to as Line 61. However, it is not open to the public.
Restaurants and cuisine
The Waldorf Astoria was the first hotel to offer room service and was the first major hotel in the world to employ women as a chef, starting in 1931. An extensive menu is available for guests, with special menus and dieters. The Waldorf executive chef for many years was John Doherty, following Arno Schmidt of Austria who held that position for ten years from 1969 to 1979. Restaurant owner George Lang was awarded the Hotelman of the Year Award in 1975. In the early 1990s, the hotel it serves more than three million dishes a year, and successfully penetrates 27,000 pounds of lobster, 100 pounds of beluga caviar, 380,000 pints of strawberries each year. The hotel has gained significant fame for its luxurious feast. During one big party for Francis Cardinal Spellman, more than 200 VIP guests, according to Arno Schmidt, ate about 3,600 pounds of fillet, 600 pounds of fresh halibut, 1,500 pounds of potatoes, and 260 pounds of petit fours, eaten on a gold porcelain plate. One party in 1973 by the Explorers Club devouring hippos, crocodiles along 4 feet (1,2 m), baby sharks, amberjack tuna, a boa, boar pig, 480 pieces of tongue fried flour and cheek, antelope steak, two boxes Chinese rabbits, and 20 pounds of poisonous snakes.
The hotel has three main restaurants, Peacock Alley , The Bull and Bear Steak House , and Oscar's Brasserie , as well as a secondary restaurant, Japanese Inagiku . At its peak in the late 1940s, the hotel has nine restaurants. Peacock Alley , located in the heart of the lobby, features Art Deco design with gilded ceilings and includes a main restaurant, bar and lounge, and three private dining salons. It is known primarily for fish and seafood dishes. Sunday Brunch is popular with locals and features over 180 gourmet dishes split into 12 themed displays, with dishes ranging from lobsters and oysters to Belgian waffles, Eggs Benedict, and scrambled eggs to hollandaise sauce. The Bull and Bear Steak House is complemented by a luxuriously polished mahogany in the English Regency style, and has a "like-den" atmosphere, and is reportedly the only restaurant on the East Coast that serves a 28-day major USDA rate Certified Angus Beef. It has won awards from the National Restaurant Association and Holiday magazine. Between 2007 and 2010, the restaurant was the filming location for Fox Business Happy Hour , presented live between 5 and 6 pm. The Bull and Bear Bar is based on the original Waldorf Astoria Bar, which was the favorite spot for many of the city's finance elite from the start of the hotel in 1893, such as Diamond Jim Brady, Buffalo Bill Cody and Bat Masterson. Behind the bar is a bronze statue of a bull and a bear, representing Wall Street's successful people. The Inagiku , meaning "rice chrysanthemum", serves contemporary Japanese cuisine. The restaurant is open for lunch on weekdays, cocktails and dinner in the evenings. Designed by Henry Look San Francisco, this restaurant has four "different" rooms, including one that represents the ancient Japanese farmhouse, and the Kinagu Room, resembling a Japanese temple. You have the option to book a private orthodox tatami room.
Oscar's Brasserie , overlooking Lexington Avenue in what was once Savarin's restaurant, designed by Adam Tihany. The restaurant takes its name from Oscar Tschirky (Oscar from Waldorf) and serves traditional American cuisine, with many dishes based on recipe books that have earned world reputations, including Waldorf salads, Eggs Benedict, Thousand Island sauce and Veal Oscars. The Waldorf salad - a salad made with apples, walnuts, celery, grapes, and mayonnaise or mayonnaise-based sauces - was first made in 1896 at the Waldorf by Oscar. The original recipe, however, did not contain nuts, but they were added to the recipe at The Rector Cook Book in 1928. Tschirky is also famous for his "Oscar's Sauce," which became so popular that it sold in hotels. Another of the hotels specialties is the red velvet cake, which became one of the most popular desserts.
Sir Harry's Bar is one of the hotel's main bars, located near the main lobby. Named after British Sir Harry Johnston (1858-1927). In the 1970's this bar was renovated with the design of a "luxury African safari" in honor of Johnston, a leading explorer in Africa, with "zebra-striped wall coverings and carpets, with bent-sugar cane furniture". It has since been redecorated back into a more conservative design, with walnut panel and banquet leather, and featuring an 8 foot (7 m) ebony wooden bar at a distance of 8 feet (2.4 m) in the early 1990s. Frank Sinatra has often visited Sir Harry's Bar for many years. In 1991, while drinking at Sir Harry's with Jilly Rizzo and Steve Lawrence, he was approached by a fan asking for autographs. Sinatra replied, "Did you not see me at my own time here? Damn What's wrong with you?" The fan said something that infuriated Sinatra, who hit the fan, and Sinatra had to be restrained.
Cocktail book
Albert Stevens Crockett, journalist and veteran hotel historian, wrote his first cocktail book "Old Waldorf Bar Days" in 1931 during the Prohibition and construction of the current hotel on Park Avenue. It is a tribute to the original hotel and its famous bar and client. The book contains Crockett's books about the original hand-written leather handbook given to him at the closing by the bartender Joseph Taylor. This edition is never reprinted.
In 1934, Crockett wrote the second book, "The Old Waldorf Astoria Bar Book", in response to the revocation of the Volstead Act and the end of the Prohibition era. He edited most of the text from the first book. From his experience as a travel writer, Crockett adds over 150 recipes, most of which can be found in the chapters of "Cuban Collection" and "Jamaican Jollifers". These books serve as reference books on pre-Prohibition cocktails and their culture.
In 2016, the old hotel bar manager Peacock Alley and La Chine, Frank Caiafa, added a completely new edition to canon. Caiafa's "The Waldorf Astoria Bar Book" includes all the recipes in Crockett's books; many of the most important hotels recipes made since 1935; and his own creation. In 2017, was nominated for the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Drinking Book.
Other famous books with connections to the hotel include "Drinks" (1914) by Jacques Straub, a wine inspector and friend of Oscar Tschirky who has written about the first famous hotel recipe. Tschirky himself compiled a list of 100 recipes for his own book "100 Famous Cocktails" (1934), a favorite of Crockett's books. Finally, hotel publisher Ted Saucier wrote "Bottoms Up" in 1951, which consisted of a summary of popular national recipes that day.
Leading residents and tenants
Leaders and businesspeople
At the 100th anniversary of the hotel in 1993, one publication wrote: "This is not the biggest hotel in New York, or the most expensive, but when it comes to prestige, the Waldorf-Astoria has no partner." When the president comes to New York, at the Waldorf-Astoria, the kings and queens keep them away from home, as are the diverse people like Cary Grant, the Dalai Lama and Chris Evert.Some of them liked the hotel very well, they made it home. , The Waldorf has always been a "must stay" hotel for foreign guests. The Young King of China, Li Hung Chang stayed at the hotel in 1896 and partied with the hundred-year-old eggs he brought. For many years, many nobles from around the world lived in the Waldorf Astoria including Shahanshah of Iran and Empress Farah, King Frederick IX and Queen Ingrid of Denmark, Princess Astrid of Norway, Crown Prince Olav and Crown Princess Martha of Norway, King Baudouin I of Belgium and Queen Fabiola, Prince Albert and Princess Paola of Belgium, King Hussein I of Jordan, Prince of Rainier III and Princess Grace of Monaco, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, King Michael of Romania, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip of the British Empire and Commonwealth of Nature , Mohammed Zahir Shah and Homaira Shah Afghanistan, King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit of Thailand, and Crown Prince Akihito and Princess Michiko from Japan and many others. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip stayed at the hotel during their first visit to America on 21 October 1957, and a banquet was held for them at the Grand Ballroom. In the year of Bicentennial in 1976, most heads of states from around the world and all the European Kings and Queen were invited to the hotel, and it also served the presidential candidate ahead of the election that year.
In modern times, Waldorf customers are more typically politicians and wealthy businessmen than playboys and royalty. All floors are often rented out to wealthy Saudi Arabs with their own staff. The rich Japanese entrepreneurs during their stay will sometimes remove the furniture and replace it with their own mats. One of the richest starters was the Chicago J. W. Gates businessman who would gamble with shares on Wall Street and play poker at the hotel. He pays up to $ 50,000 a year to rent a suite at the hotel. Victoria's Melita daughter from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was invited by Waldorf president Lucius Bloomer to stay at the hotel in the 1920s. The demands of famous people are often too high or strange, and Fidel Castro once entered the hotel with a group of live chickens, insisting that they were killed and freshly cooked there for his satisfaction, only to be rejected. While serving as Minister for Foreign Affairs, Henry Kissinger ordered all antiques to be moved from one suite and replaced them with 36 tables for his staff. An unnamed First Lady also requested that all lights in her room be converted to 100 watts and stored throughout the day and night to simulate daylight; he further insisted that there were plenty of chewing gum available.
Postmaster General James Farley occupied two adjoining suites at the current Waldorf Astoria during his tenure as chairman of the board of the international division of Coca-Cola from 1940 until his death in 1976, arguably one of the longest tenants in this landmark. The Presidential Suite at the hotel dates from when, during the 1950s and early 1960s, former US president Herbert Hoover and retired US General Douglas MacArthur lived in suites on different floors of the hotel. Hoover has lived in the Waldorf Astoria for over 30 years since the end of his presidency until his death in 1964; former President Dwight D. Eisenhower lived there until he died in 1969. MacArthur's widow, Jean MacArthur, lived there from 1952 until his death in 2000. A plaque affixed to a wall on the side of the 50th Street commemorates this. John F. Kennedy liked the Waldorf Astoria and held a number of private meetings at the hotel, including one with Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. Since Hoover, every President of the United States has remained or stayed at the Waldorf Astoria, although Jimmy Carter claims he never stayed overnight at the hotel. Nancy Reagan is said to dislike Presidential Suite.
The official residence of United States Permanent Representatives to the UN, an unnamed 42nd floor apartment, has been located at the Waldorf Towers for many years. On June 17, 2015, however, the US State Department announced that it moved its headquarters during a UN General Assembly meeting to The New York Palace Hotel. Although State Department officials do not provide official reasons for changes affecting both the President and hundreds of American diplomats and support staff who travel to New York for the General Assembly every September and usually stay and hold meetings on two safe floors at the Waldorf, they appoint sales Waldorf-Astoria Hilton Worldwide to Beijing-based Anbang Insurance Group for $ 1.95 billion in 2014, an agreement that encourages security concerns. While the terms of sale allow Hilton to run the hotel for the next 100 years, they are also calling for a "major renovation" that officials have raised eyebrows in the US Government due to concerns about Chinese intercepts and cyberspace espionage.
Carlos P. Romulo, Philippine Foreign Minister and UN member has room 3600, under Hoover, for about 45 years since 1935 onwards, and former First Lady Imelda Marcos of the Philippines also spends a lot of time and money in the hotel. Another connection with the Philippines is that many meetings are held here between President Manuel L. Quezon and high-ranking American politicians and senators. Through the meeting, Quezon encouraged investment into the country and convinced General MacArthur to accompany him back to the Philippines as his military adviser.
Celebrity
The hotel has many well-known under its roof throughout its history, including Charlie Chaplin, Ava Gardner, Liv Ullmann, Edward G. Robinson, Gregory Peck, Ray Bolger, John Wayne, Tony Bennett, Jack Benny, Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Muhammad Ali , Vince Lombardi, Judy Garland, Sonny Werblin, Greer Garson, Harold Lloyd, Liberace, Burt Reynolds, Robert Montgomery, Cesar Romero, and many others. Due to the high profile guests staying at the hotel at one time, writer Ward Morehouse III calls the Tower "a kind of vertical Beverly Hills.On each given night you may find Dinah Shore, Gregory Peck, Frank Sinatra [or] Zsa Zsa Gabor there ". Gabor married Conrad Hilton in 1941.
During the 1930s, Benjamin's gangster "Bugsy" Siegel had an apartment at the Waldorf, and Frank Costello was said to have cut his hair and nails at Barber's Shop in Waldorf. Around the time of World War I, the inventor Nikola Tesla lived at the Waldorf-Astoria earlier.
In 1955, Marilyn Monroe stayed at the hotel for several months, but because of the cost to try to finance his production company "Marilyn Monroe Productions", only paid $ 1,500 a week for his role in The Seven Year Itch and was suspended from 20th Century Fox due to get out of Fox after creative differences, staying in hotels becomes too expensive and Monroe has to move to another hotel in New York City. Around the same time Monroe stayed at the hotel, Cole Porter and Linda Lee Thomas had apartments at the Waldorf Towers, where Thomas died in 1954. 1934 Porter song "You're the Top", contains lyrics, "You're top, you're a salad Waldorf ". The Cole Porter Suite, Suite 33A, is the place where Porter lives and is entertained for a period. Frank Sinatra paid nearly $ 1 million a year to make it his private room at the hotel between 1979 and 1988, which he called "home" when out of Los Angeles. Sinatra took over part of the hotel during the filming of The First Deadly Sin in 1980.
Grace Kelly and Rainier III are regular guests at the hotel. At one time Kelly was known to fall in love with the Waldorf hotel banquet manager, Claudius Charles Philippe. Elizabeth Taylor often visited the hotel, and often attended a banquet at the hotel to discuss the various causes. His visit was eagerly awaited by the hotel staff, who would prepare well ahead of time. Taylor was honored at the 1983 Friar Club dinner at the hotel.
In 1980, brother John Travolta, Joey Travolta and Wendy Shawn, comedian daughter Dick Shawn, held a wedding reception at the hotel. Brooke Shields has stated that her first encounter with the paparazzi was at the Waldorf Grand Ballroom at the age of 12, stating that she "stood like a statue wondering why they were all hired to take my picture", and that she "made her debut at the Waldorf." During his childhood in the 1980s and 1990s, Paris Hilton stayed with his family at the hotel.
One of the most prestigious, most exclusive and most renowned ball debutants in the world is an invited Special International Debut Ball held every two years at the Grand Ballroom at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, where girls from world's leading families are presented to the upper class. The International Debutante Ball has presented princesses, countesses, baronesses, and many European nobles and aristocrats as debutants to the upper class. The daughters and grandchildren of billionaire businessmen, American politicians, senators, congressmen, ambassadors and even many Presidents of the United States have also been presented at the International Debut Ball.
In popular culture
Waldorf Astoria has been the location of filming for various movies and TV series. Ginger Rogers heads up an ensemble star in the 1945 movie "Week-End at Waldorf", which was installed in the hotel and filmed partly in a location there. Other films taken at the hotel include The Out-of-Towners (1970), Broadway Danny Rose (1984), Coming to America (1988)), Scent of a Woman (1992), The Cowboy Way (1994), Random Hearts (1999), This Analysis (1999), For Love of the Game (1999), Serendipity (2001), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001 ), Maid in Manhattan (2002), Two Week Notice (2002), End of the Century (2005), and Mrs. Smith (2005), The Pink Panther (2006), and The Hoax (2006). The television series that have been filmed on the Waldorf include Law and Order , Rescue Me , Sex and the City , The Sopranos > and Will and Grace .
Several biographies have been written about the Waldorf, including Edward Hungerford The Waldorf Story (New York: GP Putnam's Sons, 1925) and Horace Sutton Confessions of a Grand Hotel: The Waldorf- Astoria New York: Henry Holt, 1953). Langston Hughes wrote a poem titled "Ad for Waldorf-Astoria", criticized the hotel and invited the unemployed and homeless to take over the hotel room. Wallace Stevens wrote a poem entitled "Arrival at the Waldorf", where he distinguished the wild country of the Guatemalan forest to "return to the Waldorf". In nov
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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