This story originally appeared in Afar’s Stay Here Next newsletter on Sunday, January 26, 2025. Sign up to follow Afar’s own hotel expert Jennifer Flowers as she covers the world’s most noteworthy retreats, and the unforgettable experiences they offer.
There’s a hotel in New York City that’s months from opening its doors that is so dazzling, so grand in scale, and so important to the United States’ cultural heritage that I flew from my West Coast office to check on its progress this week.
The Waldorf Astoria New York hardly needs an introduction. The 1,400-room art deco building, which opened in 1931 on a prominent Park Avenue block, was originally funded by the city’s Astor family and later owned by Conrad Hilton. It was the first hotel in the world to have electricity on each floor. Charlie Chaplin checked into the hotel, Ginger Rogers performed here, JFK celebrated his 46th birthday here, and Dwight D. Eisenhower lived out the last years of his life here. But in recent years, the hotel lost its luster: The last time I peeked at a guest room nearly 10 years ago, it felt as if I had traveled back in time—and not in a good way.
A rendering of the Waldorf Astoria New York’s new lobby
Noë & Associates Courtesy The Boundary
The hotel closed in 2017 for a complete overhaul that would restore the landmarked areas and take the number of guest rooms down to 375 hotel rooms, about 20 percent of which will be suites, and 375 private residences. (While the exact price tag for the restoration isn’t public knowledge, the hotel team shared that it’s in the billions.) In the works are a new 30,000-square-foot spa and a restaurant by superstar chef Michael Anthony of Gramercy Tavern. Jeff Bell, who is behind Manhattan’s beloved PDT bar, is creating the cocktails for the famous Peacock Alley lounge.
The hotel’s renovation progress was halted by the pandemic, but now it’s full steam ahead. The Waldorf Astoria New York is accepting reservations from September 1, 2025, and beyond, with a soft opening slated for this spring. The starting nightly rate: $1,500.
The Waldorf Astoria New York’s art deco exterior
Left: Courtesy of Hilton College, University of Houston. Right: Courtesy of Waldorf Astoria New York.
This week, Dino Michael, head of Hilton Luxury Brands, invited Afar on a preopening tour, and we’re still picking our jaws up off the floor. The landmarked public spaces, including the Park Avenue Lobby, the Grand Ballroom, and the Silver Gallery, are art deco masterpieces so well restored that they’re like a window into 1931 (in the most impressive way). Think curvaceous art deco figures and motifs, original frescoes, restored silver leaf accents, and wood-encased elevators still wide enough to accommodate two women wearing the hoop skirts that were popular when the hotel opened.
The hotel sourced artisans specializing in rare techniques seldom used for interiors anymore. “At one point we had a workshop with all the craftspeople working on the hotel, and it was divided into wood, plaster, and metal,” said Luigi Romaniello, managing director of Waldorf Astoria New York, who most recently ran the iconic Plaza Hotel nearby.
I had a fangirl moment when French design superstar Pierre-Yves Rochon, who created the hotel’s new interiors, appeared seemingly out of nowhere on our tour. He explained the philosophy behind the sumptuous and residential-feeling guest rooms and residences and described how the public spaces should give guests a sense of both intimacy and grandeur.
It was clear to me that this hotel is being resurrected as a place first and foremost for New Yorkers by a team that is passionate about preserving its past while making it relevant to modern-day travelers. As Afar’s resident hotel obsessive, I can rest easy that this legendary landmark retreat is in good hands.
See you on the road,
Jennifer Flowers
Senior deputy editor, Afar
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