147-571: The St. Regis New York is a luxury hotel at 2 East 55th Street , at the southeast corner with Fifth Avenue , in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. The hotel was originally developed by John Jacob Astor IV and was completed in 1904 to designs by Trowbridge & Livingston . An annex to the east was designed by Sloan & Robertson and completed in 1927. The hotel is operated by Marriott International and holds Forbes five-star and AAA five-diamond ratings. In addition, it
294-478: A business degree , and/or certification programs formally prepare hotel managers for industry practice. Most hotel establishments consist of a general manager who serves as the head executive (often referred to as the "hotel manager"), department heads who oversee various departments within a hotel, middle managers , administrative staff, and line-level supervisors. The organizational chart and volume of job positions and hierarchy varies by hotel size, function, and
441-449: A general manager who serves as the head executive (often referred to as the " hotel manager "), department heads who oversee various departments within a hotel (e.g., food service), middle managers , administrative staff, and line-level supervisors. The organizational chart and volume of job positions and hierarchy varies by hotel size, function and class, and is often determined by hotel ownership and managing companies. The word hotel
588-480: A "champagne butler" service in 2024, and the King Cole Bar was renovated from January to September 2024. The 18-story French Beaux-Arts style hotel, the tallest in the city when completed, was designed by Trowbridge & Livingston, with interiors by Arnold Constable & Company . Trowbridge & Livingston's original structure occupies the corner of Fifth Avenue and 55th Street. Sloan & Robertson designed
735-400: A $ 25 million renovation in the early 1980s. The hotel's retail tenants in the 1980s included menswear shop Bijan (which replaced a Gucci store at the same location) and jeweler Fred . The St. Regis hosted many weddings during that decade; the number of weddings at the hotel increased by 35 percent from 1985 to 1988. At the beginning of June 1988, Sheraton announced that it would close
882-420: A balcony instead of a cornice , as they believed that a cornice would be visually jarring. On the 15th and 16th stories, the windows in each bay are connected to each other. In the outermost bays, there are smooth pilasters on either side of the 15th- and 16th-story windows, as well as a broken pediment above the 16th story. The other bays contain paneled pilasters and rounded pediments. The mansard roof , which
1029-411: A balcony with an iron railing, which is supported by brackets. The top section rises above the 13th story. The 14th story contains segmentally arched windows, which are flanked by console brackets. These brackets support a balcony with a balustrade, which curves slightly outward in the outermost bays. This balcony visually separates the roof from the lower stories. Trowbridge & Livingston chose to use
1176-430: A block of hours typically between 8 am and 5 pm, before the typical night shift. These are similar to transit hotels in that they appeal to travelers, however, unlike transit hotels, they do not eliminate the need to go through Customs. Garden hotels , famous for their gardens before they became hotels, include Gravetye Manor, the home of garden designer William Robinson , and Cliveden , designed by Charles Barry with
1323-475: A cost of $ 500,000. Stack resigned as the hotel's general manager in 1938. Jewelry company Brand-Chatillon moved to the hotel in 1940, occupying the basement and parts of the first and second stories. The hotel's Iridium Room closed permanently in 1948. The Iridium Room's closure was attributed to federal excise taxes on live entertainment in hotels, as well as declining demand for live hotel entertainment. The annex's rooftop garden remained relatively popular through
1470-416: A forced-ventilation system. There were fresh-air intakes on the southern elevation of the facade at the 3rd, 7th, and 12th stories. These stories contained chambers where the fresh air was filtered, warmed by steam coils, and moistened. Electric blowers in each chamber supplied fresh air to four or five stories each. Additional filters, coils, and electric fans were placed in the third basement, supplying air to
1617-486: A form of property ownership also referred to as a vacation ownership involving the purchase and ownership of an individual unit of accommodation for seasonal usage during a specified period of time. Timeshare resorts often offer amenities similar that of a full-service hotel with on-site restaurants, swimming pools, recreation grounds, and other leisure-oriented amenities. Destination clubs on the other hand may offer more exclusive private accommodations such as private houses in
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#17328767591581764-652: A guest with lifestyle or personal image in specific locations. They are typically full-service and classified as luxury. A key characteristic of lifestyle resorts is focus on providing a unique guest experience as opposed to simply providing lodging. Lifestyle luxury resorts are classified with a Five Star hotel rating depending on the country and local classification standards. Example brands include: Waldorf Astoria , St. Regis , Wynn Resorts , MGM , Shangri-La , Oberoi , Belmond , Jumeirah , Aman , Taj Hotels , Hoshino , Raffles , Fairmont , Banyan Tree , Regent and Park Hyatt . Upscale full-service hotels often provide
1911-770: A hospital since the Middle Ages . The French spelling, with the circumflex , was also used in English, but is now rare. The circumflex replaces the 's' found in the earlier hostel spelling, which over time took on a new, but closely related meaning. Grammatically, hotels usually take the definite article – hence "The Astoria Hotel" or simply "The Astoria". Facilities offering hospitality to travellers featured in early civilizations. In Greco-Roman culture and in ancient Persia , hospitals for recuperation and rest were built at thermal baths . Guinness World Records officially recognised Japan's Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan , founded in 705, as
2058-459: A limited amount of on-site amenities. Economy hotels are small to medium-sized hotel establishments that offer basic accommodations with little to no services. Extended stay hotels are small to medium-sized hotels that offer longer-term full-service accommodations compared to a traditional hotel. Timeshare and destination clubs are a form of property ownership involving ownership of an individual unit of accommodation for seasonal usage. A motel
2205-457: A limited number of on-site amenities that only cater and market to a specific demographic of travelers, such as the single business traveler. Most focused or select service hotels may still offer full-service accommodations but may lack leisure amenities such as an on-site restaurant or a swimming pool. Examples include Hyatt Place , Holiday Inn , Courtyard by Marriott and Hilton Garden Inn . Small to medium-sized hotel establishments that offer
2352-400: A liquor license was required to gain the approval of the owners of two-thirds of all private property within 200 ft (61 m), and was required to be at least 200 feet from any church. The Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church , which objected to the liquor license, was diagonally across from the hotel. A significant number of local residents also objected to the liquor license. In early 1904,
2499-559: A luxury car service in 2015, with two cars manufactured by Bentley , and the hotel began lending guests Amazon Kindles with titles from the hotel's library. In May 2016, news media reported that Starwood was in talks with the Qatar Investment Authority to sell the St. Regis New York, along with the St. Regis San Francisco , for up to $ 1 billion. Marriott International acquired Starwood
2646-412: A neighborhood-style setting. Examples of timeshare brands include Hilton Grand Vacations , Marriott Vacation Club International , Westgate Resorts , Disney Vacation Club , and Holiday Inn Club Vacations . A motel , an abbreviation for "motor hotel", is a small-sized low-rise lodging establishment similar to a limited service, lower-cost hotel, but typically with direct access to individual rooms from
2793-462: A new restaurant and gym. In addition, the little-used Astor Court was converted into the King Cole Bar and Salon. The hotel catered to a younger and more diverse clientele; about half of the guests were foreign nationals, and the median guest was 45 years old. Most of the work was completed in October 2013, but the spa and health club were not finished until early 2014. The St. Regis New York's operators ran
2940-410: A room and board arrangement. In Japan , capsule hotels provide a tiny room suitable only for sleeping and shared bathroom facilities. The precursor to the modern hotel was the inn of medieval Europe . For a period of about 200 years from the mid-17th century, coaching inns served as a place for lodging for coach travelers. Inns began to cater to wealthier clients in the mid-18th century. One of
3087-525: A rose garden by Geoffrey Jellicoe . The Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi , Sweden , was the first ice hotel in the world; first built in 1990, it is built each winter and melts every spring. The Hotel de Glace in Duschenay, Canada , opened in 2001 and it is North America's only ice hotel. It is redesigned and rebuilt in its entirety every year. Ice hotels can also be included within larger ice complexes; for example,
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#17328767591583234-458: A rounded door; it is sometimes described as a "sentry box". The remainder of the ground story contains round-arched windows, while the 2nd story contains rectangular windows. Above the 2nd story are large console brackets ornamented with garlands. Still within the base, the 3rd story contains a balcony, which wraps across the Fifth Avenue and 55th Street elevations. Above the 3rd story, the facade
3381-478: A row house at 6 East 55th Street, just east of the new hotel, in February 1901. Astor also acquired an option on the residence of Sarah Fox at 3 East 54th Street, next to William Rockefeller Jr. 's residence. By early 1902, the hotel's stonework was almost completed, and contractors were applying interior finishes. Haan acquired a second house at 8 East 55th Street in February 1902, which he planned to use for an annex to
3528-454: A short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a refrigerator , and other kitchen facilities, upholstered chairs, a television, and en-suite bathrooms . Small, lower-priced hotels may offer only the most basic guest services and facilities. Larger, higher-priced hotels may provide additional guest facilities such as
3675-444: A simple dormer window . Above the 18th story, the mansard roof contains a copper crest with shell designs. The annex on 55th Street contains a limestone facade similar to that of the original hotel. The facade of the annex lacks ornamentation and has recessed rectangular windows. The ground story, first mezzanine, and second story contain deeply rusticated blocks, above which is a simple molding. The annex's 2nd mezzanine corresponds to
3822-466: A southward expansion of the St. Regis or to get the hotel's liquor license revoked. Early the next year, several of the hotel's opponents filed a lawsuit to request revocation of the St. Regis's liquor license; they claimed that, in his license application, Haan had provided false statements about the number of local residents who consented to the license. A state judge rejected the suit in April 1905, saying that
3969-845: A stay or re-admission through security checkpoints. Some hotels are built with living trees as structural elements, for example the Treehotel near Piteå , Sweden, the Costa Rica Tree House near the Jairo Mora Sandoval Gandoca-Manzanillo Mixed Wildlife Refuge , Costa Rica ; the Treetops Hotel in Aberdare National Park , Kenya ; the Ariau Towers near Manaus , Brazil, on the Rio Negro in
4116-400: A structure that was used as an employee break room. C. A. Platt designed the alterations. Over the next several months, the storefronts were leased to such tenants as jeweler E. M. Gattle, haberdasher Joseph Holstein, and menswear firm William A. McLaughlin & Co. In May 1926, Vincent bought out the operating lease of Rudolph Haan, who had managed the hotel since it opened. Vincent then leased
4263-445: A swimming pool, a business center with computers, printers, and other office equipment, childcare, conference and event facilities, tennis or basketball courts, gymnasium , restaurants, day spa, and social function services. Hotel rooms are usually numbered (or named in some smaller hotels and B&Bs ) to allow guests to identify their room. Some boutique, high-end hotels have custom decorated rooms. Some hotels offer meals as part of
4410-452: A terrace facing Fifth Avenue, quickly became popular during dinners. According to one critic, the hotel was specifically intended for those "who were rich, and who were or wanted to be fashionable, but [who wanted a hotel] which would also be somewhat quieter and more exclusive". The hotel was relatively close to many theaters and stores, but the immediate vicinity was still largely composed of private residences. Despite recurring reports about
4557-572: A traditional hotel. Extended stay hotels may offer non-traditional pricing methods such as a weekly rate that caters towards travelers in need of short-term accommodations for an extended period of time. Similar to limited and select service hotels, on-site amenities are normally limited and most extended stay hotels lack an on-site restaurant. Examples include Staybridge Suites , Candlewood Suites , Homewood Suites by Hilton , Home2 Suites by Hilton , Residence Inn by Marriott , Element , and Extended Stay America . Timeshare and destination clubs are
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4704-498: A type of booking for less than 24 hours where the customer chooses the check in time and the length of the stay. This allows the hotel increased revenue by reselling the same room several times a day. They first gained popularity in Europe but are now common in major global tourist centers. Hotel management is a globally accepted professional career field and academic field of study. Degree programs such as hospitality management studies ,
4851-549: A type of economical hotel first introduced in Japan, where people sleep in stacks of rectangular containers. In the sleeping capsules, beside the bed, the customer can watch TV, put their valuables in the mini safes, and the customers also can use the wireless internet. Some hotels fill daytime occupancy with day rooms , for example, Rodeway Inn and Suites near Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida . Day rooms are booked in
4998-613: A very limited number of on-site amenities and often only offer basic accommodations with little to no services, catering to the budget-minded traveler seeking a "no frills" accommodation. Limited service hotels often lack an on-site restaurant but in return may offer a limited complimentary food and beverage amenity such as on-site continental breakfast service. Examples include Ibis Budget , Hampton Inn , Aloft , Holiday Inn Express , Fairfield Inn , and Four Points by Sheraton . Extended stay hotels are small to medium-sized hotels that offer longer-term full-service accommodations compared to
5145-881: A wide array of guest services and on-site facilities. Commonly found amenities may include: on-site food and beverage (room service and restaurants), meeting and conference services and facilities, fitness center, and business center. Upscale full-service hotels range in quality from upscale to luxury. This classification is based upon the quality of facilities and amenities offered by the hotel. Examples include: W Hotels , Sheraton , Langham , Kempinski , Pullman , Kimpton Hotels , Hilton , Swissôtel , Lotte , Renaissance , Marriott and Hyatt Regency brands. Boutique hotels are smaller independent non-branded hotels that often contain mid-scale to upscale facilities of varying size in unique or intimate settings with full-service accommodations. These hotels are generally 100 rooms or fewer. Small to medium-sized hotel establishments that offer
5292-406: A yearlong advertising campaign, "Introducing a New Era of Glamour", to advertise the renovated hotel. Meanwhile, Richemont had bought the hotel's ground-level retail condominium in 2012 for $ 380 million. Vornado Realty Trust and Crown Acquisitions bought the retail condominium, as well as the adjacent house at 697 Fifth Avenue, in 2014 for $ 700 million. The St. Regis New York launched
5439-465: Is a New York City designated landmark . The 18-story hotel was designed in the Beaux-Arts style. The facade of the original hotel is made of limestone and is divided into three horizontal sections similar to the components of a column , namely a base, shaft, and capital . The St. Regis required a large amount of mechanical equipment, which was placed on three basement levels. When the St. Regis opened,
5586-482: Is a hotel chain that offers branding to independently operated hotels; the chain itself is founded by or owned by the member hotels as a group. Many former referral chains have been converted to franchises; the largest surviving member-owned chain is Best Western . The first recorded purpose-built railway hotel was the Great Western Hotel , which opened adjacent to Reading railway station in 1844, shortly after
5733-428: Is a small-sized low-rise lodging with direct access to individual rooms from the car parking area. Boutique hotels are typically hotels with a unique environment or intimate setting. A number of hotels and motels have entered the public consciousness through popular culture. Some hotels are built specifically as destinations in themselves, for example casinos and holiday resorts . Most hotel establishments are run by
5880-648: Is a type of short-stay hotel found around the world, operated primarily for the purpose of allowing guests privacy for sexual activities , typically for one to three hours, but with overnight as an option. Styles of premises vary from extremely low-end to extravagantly appointed. In Japan, love hotels have a history of over 400 years. In 2021 a New York-based company introduced new modular and movable hotel rooms which allow landowners and hospitality groups to create and easily scale hotel accommodations. The portable units can be built in three to five months and can be stacked to create multi-floor units. A referral hotel
6027-844: Is built into the remains of an opal mine. Located on the coast but high above sea level, these hotels offer unobstructed panoramic views and a great sense of privacy without the feeling of total isolation. Some examples from around the globe are the Riosol Hotel in Gran Canaria, Caruso Belvedere Hotel in Amalfi Coast (Italy), Aman Resorts Amankila in Bali, Birkenhead House in Hermanus (South Africa), The Caves in Jamaica and Caesar Augustus in Capri. Capsule hotels are
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6174-438: Is clad in rusticated blocks that extend to three-fourths of the height of the 5th-story windows; a horizontal band course runs above the rusticated portions of the facade. The 3rd and 4th stories contain a rusticated facade and square-headed windows, and the 4th story also includes balconettes with ornate iron railings. The 5th story contains segmentally arched windows, as well as projecting balconies with iron railings. Each bay
6321-567: Is concentrated at selected locations throughout the facade; at the time of construction, the facade could only be seen from a distance or from immediately outside the hotel. The largest windows are placed on the lower stories, which contained the largest suites in the hotel. Most of the hotel's windows are of the same design, with two movable casements topped by a transom . The outermost bays contain more ornate windows, which consist of sidelights on either side of each casement, as well as curving brackets and ovals in each transom. The base consists of
6468-472: Is curved, similar to at 689 Fifth Avenue just to the south. Sloan and Robertson's annex on 55th Street is similarly divided into three horizontal sections. According to Architecture magazine, Trowbridge & Livingston had "a great deal of freedom in designing the ornament". The hotel's decorations were heavily inspired by natural forms, although the St. Regis's facade contains custom balusters , consoles , keystones , and other ornaments. The ornamentation
6615-544: Is derived from the French hôtel (coming from the same origin as hospital ), which referred to a French version of a building seeing frequent visitors, and providing care, rather than a place offering accommodation. In contemporary French usage, hôtel now has the same meaning as the English term, and hôtel particulier is used for the old meaning, as well as "hôtel" in some place names such as Hôtel-Dieu (in Paris), which has been
6762-460: Is made of slate and copper, encompasses the 17th and 18th stories. On the 17th story, the outermost bays contain oval windows, flanked by brackets that support a rounded pediment. The center bays contain simple eared frames and triangular pediments; there are urns with garlands between each of the center bays. The 18th story originally contained oval windows with frames; on the Fifth Avenue elevation, all except one of these windows has been replaced with
6909-706: Is often determined by hotel ownership and managing companies. Boutique hotels are typically hotels with a unique environment or intimate setting. Some hotels have gained their renown through tradition, by hosting significant events or persons, such as Schloss Cecilienhof in Potsdam , Germany, which derives its fame from the Potsdam Conference of the World War II allies Winston Churchill , Harry Truman and Joseph Stalin in 1945. The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower in Mumbai
7056-849: Is one of India's most famous and historic hotels because of its association with the Indian independence movement . Some establishments have given name to a particular meal or beverage, as is the case with the Waldorf Astoria in New York City , United States where the Waldorf Salad was first created or the Hotel Sacher in Vienna , Austria, home of the Sachertorte . Others have achieved fame by association with dishes or cocktails created on their premises, such as
7203-505: Is separated by large garlands and contains its own balconies on the 4th and 5th stories, except for the three middle bays on Fifth Avenue, which have no garlands and a shared balcony. The original facade's central section comprises the 6th through 12th stories. There are segmentally arched windows in each bay, which contain balconettes with iron railings; the windows are surrounded by moldings and topped by keystones. The center bays on these stories are clad in smooth stone. The two outer bays on
7350-687: The 1964 New York World's Fair . Balsa restored the original ballroom, which had long been used as a brokerage office, and reopened it as the Versailles Ballroom. The project also involved refurbishing all of the rooms, as well as restoring old furniture that had been stored in the basement. The Glickman Corporation (later the Franchard Corporation) acquired the St. Regis Hotel from the Kratter Corporation in July 1961 for $ 22 million; this
7497-841: The Amazon ; and Bayram's Tree Houses in Olympos , Turkey. Some hotels have accommodation underwater, such as Utter Inn in Lake Mälaren , Sweden. Hydropolis , project in Dubai , would have had suites on the bottom of the Persian Gulf , and Jules' Undersea Lodge in Key Largo , Florida , requires scuba diving to access its rooms. Lily Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough Lily, Lady William Beresford , formery Lily Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (née Price , June 10, 1854 – January 11, 1909)
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#17328767591587644-555: The Delmonico's or Sherry's restaurants. In keeping with the St. Regis's upscale character, the hotel's operators trained the staff extensively and branded it as "The Best in America". According to the 1910 United States census , many of the hotel's permanent residents were families who had relocated from townhouses in Midtown and lived with one or two servants. The St. Regis's terrace restaurant
7791-643: The George and the Tabard . A typical layout of an inn featured an inner court with bedrooms on the two sides, with the kitchen and parlour at the front and the stables at the back. For a period of about 200 years from the mid-17th century, coaching inns served as a place for lodging for coach travellers (in other words, a roadhouse ). Coaching inns stabled teams of horses for stagecoaches and mail coaches and replaced tired teams with fresh teams. Traditionally they were seven miles apart, but this depended very much on
7938-620: The Great Western Railway opened its line from London. The building still exists, and although it has been used for other purposes over the years, it is now again a hotel and a member of the Malmaison hotel chain . Frequently, expanding railway companies built grand hotels at their termini, such as the Midland Hotel, Manchester next to the former Manchester Central Station , and in London
8085-861: The Hotel de Paris where the crêpe Suzette was invented or the Raffles Hotel in Singapore , where the Singapore Sling cocktail was devised. A number of hotels have entered the public consciousness through popular culture, such as the Ritz Hotel in London , through its association with Irving Berlin's song, " Puttin' on the Ritz ". The Algonquin Hotel in New York City is famed as
8232-559: The New York State Legislature passed a bill that only required any churches within a 200-foot radius to consent to the license. The sponsors of this legislation did not attempt to hide the fact that the law targeted the St. Regis, and they knew the church would never provide such consent. Accordingly, Haan bought the house at 697 Fifth Avenue in June 1904, and he relocated the hotel's main entrance from Fifth Avenue to 55th Street, which
8379-526: The Sheraton Hotels and Resorts chain in 1966. The St. Regis has been renovated several times over the years, and it became part of the Marriott chain in 2016. The Qatar Investment Authority bought the hotel building in 2019. The St. Regis New York is at 2 East 55th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It is on the southeast corner of Fifth Avenue to the west and 55th Street to
8526-426: The 1990s, the ballroom on the roof was known as the St. Regis Roof. The St. Regis required a large amount of mechanical equipment, which was spread across three basement levels because of the relatively small site. When the hotel opened, a team of 36 engineers maintained its mechanical systems; the engineering team had a bathhouse in the subbasement. As designed, the hotel contained both an indirect heating system and
8673-675: The 19th century. Luxury hotels, including the 1829 Tremont House in Boston , the 1836 Astor House in New York City , the 1889 Savoy Hotel in London, and the Ritz chain of hotels in London and Paris in the late 1890s, catered to an ever more-wealthy clientele. Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is part of a United States law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, religion, or national origin in places of public accommodation. Hotels are included as types of public accommodation in
8820-435: The 2000s as hotel chains have been building economy-priced, limited-service franchised properties at freeway exits which compete for largely the same clientele, largely saturating the market by the 1990s. Motels are still useful in less populated areas for driving travelers, but the more populated an area becomes, the more hotels move in to meet the demand for accommodation. While many motels are unbranded and independent, many of
8967-417: The 6th through 12th stories and is clad in smooth stone. The 13th story of the annex is rusticated and contains band courses both below and above it. The annex's 14th story has a simple design and is topped by a cornice with a balustrade. On the 15th and 16th stories of the annex, each bay is flanked by double-height pilasters; in addition, there is a parapet with urns above the 15th story. The top two stories of
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#17328767591589114-525: The Act. Hotels cater to travelers from many countries and languages, since no one country dominates the travel industry. Hotel operations vary in size, function, and cost. Most hotels and major hospitality companies that operate hotels have set widely accepted industry standards to classify hotel types. General categories include the following: International luxury hotels offer high-quality amenities, full-service accommodations, on-site full-service restaurants, and
9261-582: The Adour restaurant at the St. Regis in 2008, but the restaurant closed after four years. The St. Regis New York added two designer suites in the early 2010s: the Dior Suite in 2011 and the Bentley Suite in 2012. The entire hotel was renovated in 2013 at a cost of $ 90 million. The work, designed by HDC Design and Stonehill Taylor Architects , involved restoring all hotel rooms and most public spaces, and it added
9408-466: The Astor family shortly before the hotel's development. The structure was budgeted at $ 1.25 million, excluding the $ 600,000 cost of the land. Excavation of the site began immediately after Haan leased the hotel. Trowbridge & Livingston had completed their designs for the project in early 1901. The original plans were similar to the final design, except that the roof had multiple chimneys. Astor acquired
9555-672: The Durham Realty Corporation transferred ownership of the hotel to the Hotel St. Regis Inc.; at the time, the hotel owed $ 1.2 million to various creditors. The hotel's resident manager, Eugene T. Hartigan, died the same year. The St. Regis Tropical Garden opened on the hotel's roof in November 1934. The bartender Fernand Petiot , who invented the Bloody Mary cocktail, started working at the hotel that year. Vincent Astor foreclosed on
9702-417: The Fifth Avenue and 55th Street elevations are flanked by rusticated piers ; this was done to "limit and define the design", according to Architecture magazine. The thirteenth story is designed as a "transitional story", with square-headed windows in each bay, as well as ornate pilasters flanking the outer bays. The eight center windows on 55th Street, and the three center windows on Fifth Avenue, each share
9849-562: The ITT Sheraton Luxury Collection, with the St. Regis in New York as the division's flagship. The hotel's Lespinasse restaurant remained popular through the 1990s. Starwood acquired Sheraton from ITT Corporation in 1997 and decided to create the St. Regis Hotels & Resorts luxury hotel chain, with the New York City hotel as the chain's flagship. The New York hotel was renamed The St. Regis New York to differentiate it from
9996-1095: The Mammut Snow Hotel in Finland is located within the walls of the Kemi snow castle; and the Lainio Snow Hotel is part of a snow village near Ylläs , Finland. There is an arctic snowhotel in Rovaniemi in Lapland , Finland, along with glass igloos. The first glass igloos were built in 1999 in Finland , they became the Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort with 65 buildings, 53 small ones for two people and 12 large ones for four people. Glass igloos, with their roof made of thermal glass, allow guests to admire auroras comfortably from their beds. A love hotel (also 'love motel', especially in Taiwan)
10143-430: The Sheraton East (formerly Ambassador Hotel) on Park Avenue. However, a clause in Sheraton's lease prevented the chain from converting the hotel to offices or changing the hotel's character. The next month, the hotel became the St. Regis-Sheraton . Sheraton planned to renovate the hotel with French-style furnishings. The St. Regis-Sheraton's general manager, Charles Carey, relocated some of the Sheraton East's furnishings to
10290-399: The St. Regis back to Webb and Knapp for 200 years. Webb and Knapp sold its leasehold that September to Mexican hotel mogul Cesar Balsa , who took over the hotel in December 1960. The St. Regis had two restaurants at the time of Balsa's takeover: the Oak Room, open during the summer, and the King Cole Bar, open for lunch and dinner. The St. Regis still provided highly personalized service, and
10437-401: The St. Regis's 521 rooms and 84 suites for renovations. The hotel closed on June 30, 1988; at the time, the renovation was expected to cost $ 50 million. Sheraton announced in October 1988 that it had bought out Equitable's ownership stake and that it would begin renovating the St. Regis. The hotel's closure prompted a dispute with Bijan, which refused to pay rent for several months because of
10584-541: The St. Regis, William Rockefeller bought the house at 12 East 55th Street, immediately east of the hotel. Rockefeller already owned the houses at 3–9 East 54th Street, preventing Vincent from expanding the hotel to the south, and the hotel's other two sides faced the street. Haan announced in May 1921 that he would build an 18-story annex, with 150 rooms, to the east of the existing hotel, although this did not happen. Rockefeller's houses on 54th and 55th Streets, which had long prevented
10731-464: The St. Regis. The chain reopened the roof garden in June 1966, renaming it the St. Regis-Sheraton Roof and Penthouse. By the end of 1967, Sheraton had spent over $ 1 million on renovations, including a restoration of the King Cole mural. La Cave du St. Regis, a small dining room for private parties, opened at the hotel in early 1968. Sheraton completely remodeled the hotel in 1977. The project included
10878-850: The Strip, with a total of over 67,000 rooms. The Null Stern Hotel in Teufen , Appenzellerland , Switzerland, and the Concrete Mushrooms in Albania are former nuclear bunkers transformed into hotels. The Cuevas Pedro Antonio de Alarcón (named after the author ) in Guadix , Spain, as well as several hotels in Cappadocia , Turkey, are notable for being built into natural cave formations, some with rooms underground. The Desert Cave Hotel in Coober Pedy , South Australia,
11025-400: The annex are within a double-height mansard window. The annex's eastern elevation is made of buff brick and contains rectangular windows. Placed atop the annex was a roof garden, designed by Joseph Urban . The roof garden was redesigned in 1936 as a Viennese-style roof garden, with a ballroom painted pink, gold, and gray. There was also a dance floor with an ice-skating platform underneath. By
11172-637: The area's increasingly commercial character. Astor announced plans for a three-story commercial structure on the site in 1899 but then changed his plans to those for a hotel. At his niece's suggestion, Astor named the new hotel after Upper St. Regis Lake in the Adirondacks , which in turn was named for French Jesuit priest Jean-François Régis . At the end of December 1900, Astor leased the proposed Hotel St. Regis to hotelier Rudolph Haan for 20 years, with options for three 20-year extensions. New York City police commissioner Theodore Roosevelt had introduced Haan to
11319-451: The base of the hotel in late 1990. The hotel reopened in September 1991 as The St. Regis . After the renovation, the hotel had about 360 units, including a suite themed to Tiffany & Co. The project's reported cost was over $ 100 million, although hospitality-industry experts estimated that the project actually cost twice that amount. The hotel industry in New York City was in decline at
11466-424: The basement kitchen to the top story within 90 seconds. Two more elevators were added in the early 1990s, serving the second floor and the roof. Each room contained an electric clock; they were synchronized with a master clock in the basement, which in turn received the exact time once a day from Western Union . This was a novel feature when the St. Regis opened, as there was no standard timekeeping in New York City at
11613-437: The basement. Ventilation openings and air intakes were concealed behind ornamental panels or bronze decorations. Otis Elevator manufactured the elevators, and Hecla Iron Works created grilles for the elevators. There were two passenger elevators, as well as a service elevator, which provided access to a pantry in each apartment. According to a contemporary New York Times article, the service elevators could deliver food from
11760-404: The car park. Motels were built to serve road travellers, including travellers on road trip vacations and workers who drive for their job (travelling salespeople, truck drivers, etc.). Common during the 1950s and 1960s, motels were often located adjacent to a major highway, where they were built on inexpensive land at the edge of towns or along stretches of freeway. New motel construction is rare in
11907-553: The chambermaids' keys were attached to strings of pearls around their waists. These reports scared away all except the wealthiest guests. Haan described media coverage of the hotel as a "positive injury" to business, saying that the reports were "frightening away millionaires". Nonetheless, the St. Regis was still a luxury hotel; access to the public rooms and the guestrooms was restricted to those who could pay. William Rockefeller bought an adjacent mansion at 7 East 54th Street in October 1904. This purchase may have been intended to prevent
12054-425: The components of a column , namely a base, shaft, and capital . When the hotel was built in the early 1900s, New York City construction codes forbade developers from placing any decorative elements outside their property's lot line . Additionally, the hotel's developers wished to maximize the amount of interior space by placing the facade as close to the lot line as possible. The corner of Fifth Avenue and 55th Street
12201-457: The cornice above the original hotel's second story. There is a projecting band course above the 2nd mezzanine, which corresponds to the balcony above the original 2nd story. The annex's 3rd to 5th stories are clad with lightly rusticated limestone and serve as a transitional section for the facade, similar to in the original hotel. On the 3rd and 4th stories, each bay is flanked by smooth double-height pilasters. The annex's central section comprises
12348-564: The defining characteristic of a resort hotel is that it exists purely to serve another attraction, the two having the same owners. On the Las Vegas Strip there is a tradition of one-upmanship with luxurious and extravagant hotels in a concentrated area. This trend now has extended to other resorts worldwide, but the concentration in Las Vegas is still the world's highest: nineteen of the world's twenty-five largest hotels by room count are on
12495-544: The developers obtained an additional 7,500 sq ft (700 m) by acquiring another site on 55th Street. Before the St. Regis Hotel was developed, there had been proposals to develop a clubhouse for the New York Republican Club on the site. The plot was expanded to 25,000 sq ft (2,300 m) in early 1927, with a frontage of 100 feet on Fifth Avenue and 250 feet on 55th Street. Fifth Avenue between 42nd Street and Central Park South (59th Street)
12642-409: The early 1990s. Because of the presence of massive column-free spaces on the lower stories, the hotel building's steel framework contains large girders and trusses. The foundations extend 40 ft (12 m) deep to the underlying bedrock. To protect the hotel from fires, the contractors used large amounts of concrete and steel, in addition to marble, bronze, and wire glass. The fireproofing material
12789-581: The estate. Her second husband was George Charles Spencer-Churchill, 8th Duke of Marlborough (1844–1892), son of John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough and Frances Anne Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough ; they were married in New York City in New York City Hall by Mayor Abram Hewitt in May 1888. As a result of this marriage, she became the Duchess of Marlborough on June 29, 1888. The inheritance she received from her first husband
12936-662: The first hotels in a modern sense was opened in Exeter in 1768. Hotels proliferated throughout Western Europe and North America in the early 19th century, and luxury hotels began to spring up in the later part of the 19th century, particularly in the United States. Hotel operations vary in size, function, complexity, and cost. Most hotels and major hospitality companies have set industry standards to classify hotel types. An upscale full-service hotel facility offers luxury amenities, full-service accommodations, an on-site restaurant , and
13083-490: The full-ownership condominiums for $ 1.5 million to $ 7 million at the end of 2005, and it started selling memberships for the timeshare condominiums in February 2006. Additionally, to celebrate the hotel's centennial, Stephen Sills and James Huniford renovated all of the guestrooms, redecorating the units with new furniture. The hotel's 8th to 11th floors reopened as the St. Regis Residences in 2006. Alain Ducasse opened
13230-506: The furniture. The Supreme Court's Appellate Division ruled in December 1934 that Astor had the right to foreclose on the mortgage. The Dukes and Astor agreed to a settlement in May 1935. The St. Regis would be brought out of receivership, and Vincent would pay Mary Duke Biddle $ 300,000 for the hotel's furniture. Astor paid $ 5.09 million for the hotel at a foreclosure auction on June 11, 1935. The hotel's staff praised Moley for his work as
13377-430: The ground through 5th stories. The lowest two stories are clad with deeply rusticated masonry blocks. The 55th Street elevation was constructed with three arched entrance portals with glass and metal doors; two of the portals remain. The portals originally contained revolving doors with bronze baldachinos . Between the two remaining entrance portals is an elliptical, brass-and-copper doorman's booth with curved windows and
13524-560: The highest level of personalized and professional service in major or capital cities . International luxury hotels are classified with at least a Five Diamond rating or Five Star hotel rating depending on the country and local classification standards. Example brands include: Grand Hyatt , Conrad , InterContinental , Sofitel , Mandarin Oriental , Four Seasons , The Peninsula , Rosewood , JW Marriott and The Ritz-Carlton . Lifestyle luxury resorts are branded hotels that appeal to
13671-443: The highest level of personalized service, such as a concierge , room service , and clothes-ironing staff. Full-service hotels often contain upscale full-service facilities with many full-service accommodations, an on-site full-service restaurant , and a variety of on-site amenities . Boutique hotels are smaller independent, non-branded hotels that often contain upscale facilities. Small to medium-sized hotel establishments offer
13818-439: The hotel and replace it with an office building. Balsa resold the hotel in May 1965 to Wellington Associates, led by Sol Goldman and Alex DiLorenzo Jr. , for between $ 14 million and $ 16 million. Wellington appointed Frank C. Bromber as the St. Regis's executive director. Sheraton Hotels leased the St. Regis from Wellington in February 1966. At the time, many old hotels in New York City were being demolished, including
13965-463: The hotel because no private residence would need such deep basements. A New York Supreme Court judge ruled against them in November 1903, saying that the covenant did not prevent multiple basements at 10 East 55th Street. Astor and Haan wanted to obtain a liquor license to offset the high construction costs, to the annoyance of local residents who already opposed the hotel's construction. At the time, New York state law required that any establishment with
14112-411: The hotel employed 700 staff members, more than one for each of the 600 rooms. The staff catered to a daily average of 500 guests; the kitchen alone employed 90 people. Twenty percent of guests at the time were from Europe. Balsa wished to make the hotel "like a private home", so he began giving flowers, scales, and hangers to female guests. Balsa began renovating the hotel again in early 1961, in advance of
14259-462: The hotel from its opening until 1926. Astor's son Vincent Astor sold the St. Regis in 1927 to Benjamin Newton Duke , who developed the annex. After an acrimonious dispute in 1934, Vincent Astor re-acquired the hotel the next year and continued to own it until his death in 1959. The hotel was sold several times in the early 1960s, and Cesar Balsa operated the hotel briefly before the St. Regis joined
14406-502: The hotel to 54th Street. Several nearby properties were also damaged during the hotel's construction. For instance, city officials found in late 1901 that the excavations had ruptured a sewage pipe and flooded nearby houses, and a construction accident in early 1902 caused a marble block to smash through the roof of a neighboring house. One neighbor sued the construction contractor, the Thompson–Starrett Company , after his house
14553-456: The hotel to Julius and William Manger of Manger Hotels , who announced that they would retain the hotel's existing staff and policies. Vincent sold the St. Regis to Benjamin Newton Duke 's Durham Realty Corporation in February 1927. It was the only hotel in New York City that the Astor family still owned, as the family had previously sold off its other hotels. Architecture firm Sloan & Robertson immediately filed plans for an eastward annex to
14700-415: The hotel to families, rather than the entire hotel as originally planned. In addition, plans for the hotel were revised to include an annex at 6 and 8 East 55th Street. Construction of the annex began in February 1903, but work was temporarily delayed by a labor strike in June 1903. Astor also acquired a site at 10 East 55th Street from local residents who had bought it in an attempt to block a further annex to
14847-459: The hotel's $ 5 million mortgage in May 1934. Astor retained the right to buy the St. Regis's furniture for $ 100,000 if he foreclosed on the hotel. Accordingly, Astor sought and received a temporary injunction in early June 1934, preventing the Dukes from selling the furniture; a state court granted another injunction the same month. The dispute stemmed from the fact that the Dukes believed the furniture
14994-400: The hotel's bank accounts, the hotel's assets were essentially frozen when Vincent died. The executors of his estate quickly filed his will for probate , allowing the executors to continue paying the hotel's expenses. William Zeckendorf of Webb and Knapp expressed interest in acquiring the St. Regis from Astor's estate. By early 1960, Zeckendorf had beat out more than twenty other bidders for
15141-536: The hotel's butler service, 65 percent of guests were repeat visitors. In addition, the hotel employed 600 staff members, almost twice the 315 guests that stayed at the hotel on an average night. The Lespinasse restaurant at the St. Regis closed in 2003, and a large De Beers store opened in the hotel the next year. By 2005, there were plans to convert 59 rooms into up to 33 condominium apartments, which would be rented to guests seasonally and occupied by their owners at other times. St. Regis Hotels and Resorts started offering
15288-444: The hotel's eastern annex on 55th Street, which was completed in 1927. The Thompson–Starrett Company was the general contractor, and John H. Shipway & Bros. was responsible for the marble work. The facade of the original hotel is made of limestone and is divided vertically into five bays on Fifth Avenue and ten bays on 55th Street. Similar to other Beaux-Arts buildings, the facade is divided into three horizontal sections similar to
15435-474: The hotel's exorbitant prices, the St. Regis's rates were no higher than those of similar upscale hotels in New York City. Many of the hotel's first patrons were upper-class but not ultra-wealthy. Town and Country reported in 1907 that many rooms were being rented at nightly rates of $ 5 to $ 10, while the more expensive suites rented for $ 14 to $ 20. By then, the hotel had become a popular venue for wealthy New Yorkers' dinner-dances, which had previously been hosted at
15582-485: The hotel's expansion, were sold in 1924. The residences on the adjacent blocks of Fifth Avenue had been replaced with stores by the mid-1920s. In July 1925, Vincent filed plans with the New York City Department of Buildings to construct six storefronts at ground level at a cost of $ 200,000. One of the storefronts would be placed in the ground-level dining room, and another storefront would be constructed within
15729-510: The hotel's receiver, saying that he helped the St. Regis turn a net profit at a time when many hotels were operating at a loss. Vincent began remodeling the St. Regis, and he appointed James Otto Stack as the hotel's general manager in September 1935. The Maisonette Russe restaurant, modeled on an eponymous restaurant in Paris, opened within the St. Regis in October 1935, and the King Cole Room opened
15876-405: The hotel. The hotel was next to numerous wealthy New Yorkers' homes and, as such, was controversial from the start. Even as other commercial developments were being built along the midtown section of Fifth Avenue, concerned locals bought up nearby houses to prevent the construction of similar hotels in the area. Rockefeller, who opposed the project, bought Fox's house to prevent Astor from expanding
16023-403: The hotel. A covenant required the site to be used as a private residence for 15 years, and Astor planned to erect a house for Haan on the site. The sites at 6–10 East 55th Street were excavated simultaneously to save money, and workers built three basements on the site of Haan's house. Several residents filed a lawsuit to halt the excavations, contending that the basements were being excavated for
16170-443: The hotel. Duke bought an adjacent row house at 12 East 55th Street the next month, extending the hotel's 55th Street frontage to 250 ft (76 m). Duke planned to add 317 rooms, nearly doubling the hotel's size to 615 rooms. A new dining room, grill room, and rooftop garden were also planned as part of the project. The work also included minor upgrades to the existing hotel, including elevators and bathrooms. Leddy & Moore Inc.
16317-513: The insulation values of the walls it needs no conventional heating or air conditioning system, although the Maya Guesthouse is built at an altitude of 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) in the Alps. Transit hotels are short stay hotels typically used at international airports where passengers can stay while waiting to change airplanes. The hotels are typically on the airside and do not require a visa for
16464-510: The interior was extensively decorated in marble and bronze. The first floor contained a restaurant, café, palm court, and hotel office, while the second floor contained a banquet hall, ballroom, and private dining room. Astor began constructing the hotel in 1901 and named it after Upper St. Regis Lake in the Adirondack Mountains . The hotel opened on September 4, 1904, and quickly became known as an upscale hostelry. Rudolph Haan operated
16611-462: The late 1950s, but it was only open five days a week by 1959. At the time, it was the only remaining rooftop garden at a hotel in New York City. Serge Obolensky designed the La Boite nightclub in the hotel's basement; in the late 1950s, the nightclub frequently hosted Russian royals during Russian New Year celebrations. Vincent Astor died in February 1959. Because he was the only person with access to
16758-527: The meeting place of the literary group, the Algonquin Round Table , and Hotel Chelsea , also in New York City, has been the subject of a number of songs and the scene of the stabbing of Nancy Spungen (allegedly by her boyfriend Sid Vicious ). Some hotels are built specifically as a destination in itself to create a captive trade, example at casinos , amusement parks and holiday resorts . Though hotels have always been built in popular destinations,
16905-622: The mid-18th century, and consequently grew in grandeur and in the level of service provided. Sudhir Andrews traces "the birth of an organised hotel industry" to Europe's chalets and small hotels which catered primarily to aristocrats. One of the first hotels in a modern sense, the Royal Clarence , opened in Exeter in 1768, although the idea only really caught on in the early-19th century. In 1812 Mivart's Hotel opened its doors in London , later changing its name to Claridge's . Hotels proliferated throughout Western Europe and North America in
17052-425: The new hotel would serve guests on a " first come, first served " basis. The hotel had cost $ 5.5 million to develop; the building itself had cost $ 4 million, while the furnishings had cost another $ 1.5 million. In the months after the St. Regis opened, there was much coverage of its costs and expenses; for instance, one of the beds cost $ 10,000 and a turkey cost $ 4.50. Daily room rates ranged from $ 4 for
17199-545: The north. The land lot is L-shaped and covers 22,544 sq ft (2,094.4 m), with a frontage of 250 ft (76 m) on 55th Street and a depth of 100 ft (30 m). Nearby sites include the University Club of New York to the southwest; The Peninsula New York hotel to the west; the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church and 712 Fifth Avenue to the northwest; the 550 Madison Avenue to
17346-547: The northeast; 19 East 54th Street to the east; and 689 Fifth Avenue and the William H. Moore House to the south. When the St. Regis was announced in 1900, the L-shaped site measured 150 ft (46 m) wide on 55th Street to the north and 75 ft (23 m) wide on Fifth Avenue to the west. The eastern end of the site measured 100 ft (30 m) deep. The L-shaped site spanned 12,500 sq ft (1,160 m), though
17493-463: The numerous other St. Regis hotels in the new chain. The other St. Regis hotels provided butler service for all guests, similar to the New York hotel. Starwood appointed Richard Cotter as the St. Regis New York's managing director, in which capacity he served until 2001. At the beginning of the 21st century, the average guest was in their late 50s, and four-fifths of guests were American. The hotel's marketing director said in 2000 that, in part because of
17640-495: The oldest hotel in the world. During the Middle Ages , various religious orders at monasteries and abbeys would offer accommodation for travellers on the road. The precursor to the modern hotel was the inn of medieval Europe , possibly dating back to the rule of Ancient Rome . These would provide for the needs of travellers, including food and lodging, stabling and fodder for the traveller's horses and fresh horses for mail coaches . Famous London examples of inns include
17787-584: The ones above St Pancras railway station and Charing Cross railway station . London also has the Chiltern Court Hotel above Baker Street tube station , there are also Canada's grand railway hotels . They are or were mostly, but not exclusively, used by those traveling by rail. The Maya Guesthouse in Nax Mont-Noble in the Swiss Alps, is the first hotel in Europe built entirely with straw bales. Due to
17934-434: The other basements and the first three above-ground stories. Dirty air was exhausted through chimney flues in each room and collected at the top of the building, where large exhaust fans discharged the air. This obviated the need for guests to open their windows to exhaust dirty air. Each room and corridor had its own thermostat. There was also a pneumatic vacuum cleaning system, with ten ducts on each floor, which blew dust into
18081-462: The other motels which remain in operation joined national franchise chains, often rebranding themselves as hotels, inns or lodges. Some examples of chains with motels include EconoLodge , Motel 6 , Super 8 , and Travelodge . Motels in some parts of the world are more often regarded as places for romantic assignations where rooms are often rented by the hour. This is fairly common in parts of Latin America . Hotels may offer rooms for microstays ,
18228-430: The plaintiffs had to file a lawsuit individually. Opponents then requested that a state judge enjoin Astor from developing an annex to the hotel at 10 East 55th Street. A further amendment to the liquor law, exempting all hotels with over 200 rooms from having to obtain permission from nearby churches, failed in 1905 and again in 1907. An outdoor restaurant opened at the St. Regis in 1906. The outdoor restaurant, placed along
18375-454: The planned renovation. Architecture firm Brennan Beer Gorman Monk designed the renovation. The work included restoring the interior; adding a bar, cocktail lounge, and tea garden; and replacing mechanical systems. The King Cole restaurant was converted into the Lespinasse restaurant, operated by Gray Kunz , and the kitchen was overhauled for $ 1 million. In addition, mid-20th-century decor
18522-601: The restoration of the dining room in the annex, which was rebranded as the Old King Cole Restaurant. In 1980, Equitable Holdings bought a 50 percent stake in the St. Regis-Sheraton. By then, the hotel's stature had declined, and it was being compared to cheaper hotels that served business guests, such as the Drake Swissotel , InterContinental New York , and the Parker Meridien . The St. Regis-Sheraton underwent
18669-470: The rights to the hotel. Zeckendorf and Obolensky, the latter of whom now worked at the Zeckendorf Corporation, agreed to buy the St. Regis that February for $ 14 million. The buyers paid $ 5 million in cash and assumed a $ 9 million mortgage. In April 1960, Webb and Knapp agreed to sell the hotel building to the Kratter Corporation. Kratter took title to the hotel the next month and leased
18816-510: The same month. In part because of the repeal of Prohibition, the hotel's restaurant business increased by 300 percent between 1935 and 1937. Astor also installed air conditioning in more than 250 rooms, reusing the hotel's original ventilation ducts. The annex's roof garden reopened in May 1936 as a Viennese roof garden, and the King Cole Room became an event venue called the Iridium Room that October. The renovations were completed in June 1937 at
18963-559: The same year, including the St. Regis New York. In November 2019, the QIA bought the St. Regis New York for $ 310 million. Under the agreement, Marriott would lease the St. Regis from the QIA and would continue to operate the hotel. The hotel was temporarily closed to the public in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City , and the space was instead used by hospital patients who were not undergoing critical care . The St. Regis began offering
19110-617: The site passed first to his widow Caroline Schermerhorn Astor , then to their son John Jacob Astor IV . John Jacob Astor IV was a co-owner of the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel at Fifth Avenue and 34th Street; his great-grandfather John Jacob Astor had built one of the first modern hotels in the world, the Astor House in Lower Manhattan, in 1836. Although Astor had considered building a residence at Fifth Avenue and 55th Street in 1896, he ultimately decided to develop against it because of
19257-424: The smallest suites to $ 125 for the state apartment. Haan disavowed claims that the hotel was expensive, saying: "We charge $ 14 a day for salon, bedchamber, and bath." Media reports still exaggerated the hotel's high prices. According to Town and Country magazine, the public was given the impression that guests had to spend "two or three figures" on food and "a small fortune" on the rooms. Another rumor circulated that
19404-426: The terrain. Some English towns had as many as ten such inns and rivalry between them became intense, not only for the income from the stagecoach operators but for the revenue from the food and drink supplied to the wealthy passengers. By the end of the century, coaching inns were being run more professionally, with a regular timetable being followed and fixed menus for food. Inns began to cater to richer clients in
19551-463: The time, but officials of Sheraton (which by then had been renamed ITT Sheraton) expressed optimism that the St. Regis would be profitable. The St. Regis's managers planned to cater to businesspeople, but they did not wish to host conventions. Room rates at the time ranged between $ 350 and $ 3,000; in exchange, guests received such amenities as a minibar, a health club, and butler service. In January 1992, ITT Sheraton designated 28 of its premier hotels as
19698-399: The time. The basement also had a large wine cellar, and the hotel also included numerous mail chutes . The hotel's kitchen, on the second basement, was decorated with marble floors, tiled walls, and white marble tables. The kitchen alone cost $ 200,000 in 1904 dollars, while the refrigerating plant cost another $ 50,000. This kitchen, covering 1,400 sq ft (130 m), was restored in
19845-723: Was an American heiress and socialite during the Gilded Age . Lilian Warren Price was born on June 10, 1854, in Troy, New York . Her father was Commodore Cicero Price (1805–1888), an officer in the United States Navy who served in the American Civil War and was Commander of the East India Squadron , and her mother, Elizabeth Homer Paine (1828–1910). She attended Emma Willard School in Troy, New York . Her first marriage
19992-455: Was demolished after Fifth Avenue was widened in 1911, since the terrace protruded 14 ft (4.3 m) into the street. John Jacob Astor died when the RMS Titanic sank in 1912. His 20-year-old son Vincent Astor inherited $ 150 million of real estate, including the St. Regis Hotel, which had been valued at $ 2.675 million. That year, amid rumors that Vincent was planning to expand
20139-411: Was hired as the general contractor for the alterations in June 1927. To protect views from the annex, Duke leased Rockefeller's old row houses at 3–9 East 54th Street, for 63 years in October 1927. The roof garden atop the annex opened in early June 1928, and the annex itself was completed on July 1, 1928. Prior to the opening of the annex, the St. Regis had never contained a roof garden. In January 1933,
20286-525: Was manufactured by the Roebling Company. When the St. Regis opened, the interior was extensively decorated in marble and bronze. Marble was used extensively in the corridors on each story; in the trim around the doors; and on all stairways, including those to the basement. John Jacob Astor had opted to use French marble in the St. Regis because he considered Italian marble to be too common a material. The hotel also used large amounts of fireproof wood, which
20433-484: Was more than 200 feet away from the church. Haan obtained a liquor license the next month, and the church dropped its formal opposition to the license. The Hotel St. Regis opened on September 4, 1904, almost simultaneously with the completion of the Hotel Astor , operated by John Jacob Astor's cousin and rival, William Waldorf Astor . Thousands of people had sought invitations to the hotel's opening-night dinner. Haan said
20580-406: Was relatively undeveloped through the late 19th century, and many row houses were developed on the avenue. By the early 1900s, that section of Fifth Avenue was becoming a commercial area. Lily Churchill, Dutchess of Marlborough , owned the site at the southwest corner of Fifth Avenue and 55th Street until 1891, when she sold it to William Backhouse Astor Jr. for $ 55,000. After William Astor's death,
20727-399: Was removed, and the original plasterwork, marble floors, and chandeliers were restored. Most of the units were enlarged, so the average number of units on each story decreased from 16 to 10, but the facade remained intact and was restored. The renovation was supposed to take 18 months, but the reopening date was postponed to late 1990, then to early 1991. Fashion house Dior opened a store at
20874-536: Was repeatedly damaged by debris, construction materials, and leaks. Construction was temporarily halted in May 1902 after the Bureau of Buildings discovered that the hotel's yellow-pine wood decorations were not sufficiently fireproofed. The contractors agreed to replace the yellow pine with another wood, and work resumed shortly afterward. Haan traveled for two years to procure furniture and furnishings from Europe. Midway during construction, Astor decided to lease only part of
21021-442: Was severely undervalued. Raymond Moley was appointed as the receiver for the hotel shortly afterward. The Dukes sued Moley in July 1934, as they wanted him to pay $ 16,000 per month for the right to use the hotel's furniture. A state judge ruled that a foreclosure auction for the hotel could not be hosted until the disputes over the furniture were resolved. The New York Supreme Court ruled the next month that Moley had to pay rent for
21168-490: Was the third time the hotel had been sold in less than two years. Balsa received a $ 1.2 million loan for the hotel the next year. Balsa bought the hotel's leasehold from the Kratter Corporation in April 1963 for $ 2.5 million. In November 1964, Balsa agreed to buy the building itself and the land under it from the Franchard Corporation for $ 6 million. Balsa outbid two other buyers who both wanted to demolish
21315-486: Was to Louis Carré Hamersley , a millionaire heir to a real estate fortune in New York City, who died in 1883 and was buried in the Trinity Church Cemetery . As stipulated in his will, the bulk of his estate went to the first male child of his cousin, J. Hooker Hamersley , whose estate in turn went to his son, Louis Gordon Hamersley . However, she was guaranteed to receive an annual income of US$ 150,000 from
21462-402: Was used for some decorative moldings, in contrast to many buildings of the time. The doors to each guestroom were made of white or red mahogany or Circassian walnut. The public rooms were paneled in imported English oak and illuminated by massive chandeliers. The sash windows and window frames were made of metal. Luxury hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on
21609-519: Was used to restore Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire . After the 1892 death of the 8th Duke and her subsequent remarriage, she sued her stepson, Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough , then married to Consuelo Vanderbilt , to retrieve the money spent on its restoration. Her third husband was Lord William de la Poer Beresford (1847–1900), son of John Beresford, 4th Marquess of Waterford (1814-1866) and Christiana Leslie. As
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