The Peninsula New York

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The Peninsula New York
The Peninsula New York Entrance.jpg
Entrance to the hotel on 55th Street
The Peninsula New York is located in New York City
The Peninsula New York
Location within New York City
General information
Location700 Fifth Avenue
Manhattan, New York City
Coordinates40°45′41.62″N 73°58′31″W / 40.7615611°N 73.97528°W / 40.7615611; -73.97528Coordinates: 40°45′41.62″N 73°58′31″W / 40.7615611°N 73.97528°W / 40.7615611; -73.97528
Opened1905 (as Gotham Hotel)
1988 (as The Peninsula New York)
OwnerThe Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited[1]
ManagementThe Peninsula Hotels
Technical details
Floor count23
Design and construction
ArchitectHiss and Weekes
Other information
Number of rooms241
Number of suites50
Number of restaurants3 + 1 bar
Website
www.peninsula.com/new-york
The Peninsula New York

The Peninsula New York is a historic luxury hotel located on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 55th Street in Manhattan, New York City. The hotel is part of the Hong Kong-based Peninsula Hotels group, which is owned by The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited. The hotel was bought in 1988 by the Peninsula group for a price of $127 million.[2] The Peninsula New York has received the AAA Five Diamond Award for thirteen consecutive years, and in 2007, it was named one of the greatest hotels in the world by Travel + Leisure magazine.

Site[]

The hotel is on the southwest corner of Fifth Avenue and 55th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. A number of flagship stores are nearby such as De Beers, Fendi, Armani, Prada and Abercrombie & Fitch. Some tourist attractions near the hotel include Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and Radio City Music Hall.[3]

History[]

The hotel was built in 1905 as the Gotham Hotel and was designed in the neo-classical style. It went into bankruptcy in 1908, partly because it could not acquire a liquor license as it was too close to the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church. Also, it was overshadowed by more luxurious hotels, like the St. Regis across the street and the Plaza Hotel just a few blocks north.[4][5] The hotel was acquired in the 1930s by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. As they needed the maximum amount of leasable retail floor area, the company tore out many of the hotel's public rooms.[6]

In 1979, the Swiss hotel owner Rene Hatt took over the hotel and started a long renovation process, intending to reopen it as the Nova Park Hotel. It was this renovation which added the hotel's rooftop pool and fitness centre.[7] The Nova Park plan eventually failed, collapsing in a bankruptcy, foreclosure and a series of lawsuits.[8] The hotel was finally reopened in 1987, after $200 million of work, as the Hotel Maxim's de Paris, an outpost of the famed Parisian restaurant Maxim's. That enterprise quickly failed, and the hotel was sold in 1988 to its current owner, the Peninsula group. It spent $45 million on a second renovation in 1999.[9]

Death of John William Warde[]

John William Warde was a 26-year-old from Southampton, New York, who committed suicide on July 26, 1938, by jumping from a 17th-floor window ledge of the Gotham Hotel. An estimated crowd of 10,000 had gathered below to watch, and 400 police officers were present to try to convince him to come back inside.[10] The 1951 motion picture Fourteen Hours is based on the events of that day.[11]

Features[]

The hotel offers a limousine transfer service to New York's three main airports: John F. Kennedy International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport and LaGuardia Airport. For these transfers, there is a choice between limousines or Mini Clubmans.

The five function rooms have a combined floor area of 3,300 sq ft (310 m2).[12] The hotel has three restaurants: the Yabu Pushelberg-designed Clement Restaurant and Bar (named after Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels' CEO, Clement Kwok), the Salon De Ning rooftop bar and terrace (which offers views of Fifth Avenue and the Manhattan skyline), and the Gotham Lounge (named after the hotel's original name).[13]

The fitness centre at the hotel is located on the top floor. The pool is in a glass-enclosed room, and during the summer, a sundeck is available. The hotel's spa is one of the biggest in New York City, with a floor area of 35,000 sq ft (3,300 m2) over three floors, and it is one of only two Forbes Five Star-rated spas in the city.[14]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "The Peninsula Hotels". The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  2. ^ "Old Gotham Hotel bought". nytimes.com. March 24, 1991. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  3. ^ "New York Peninsula". peninsula.com. March 2011. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  4. ^ "Gotham Hotel". nytimes.com. January 3, 1999. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  5. ^ "Hidden Gems". hotelinteractive.com. February 3, 2009. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  6. ^ "Metropolitan Life Insurance Company". nytimes.com. January 3, 1999. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  7. ^ "Rene Hart". nytimes.com. January 3, 1999. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  8. ^ Daniels, Lee A. (November 5, 1984). "Nova-Park's Embattled Hotel". The New York Times.
  9. ^ "The Peninsula Renovation". nytimes.com. January 3, 1999. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  10. ^ "Jogn William Warde". time.com. August 8, 1938. Archived from the original on August 26, 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  11. ^ "Fourteen Hours". imdb.com. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  12. ^ "The Peninsula New York". peninsula.com. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  13. ^ "Dining at The Peninsula". peninsula.com. March 2011. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  14. ^ "New York Peninsula Spa". ask.com. January 9, 2009. Retrieved March 7, 2011.

External links[]

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