Plaza

It was once said, "Nothing unimportant ever happens at the Plaza."
One of America's most celebrated hotels, The Plaza opened its doors on October 1, 1907, amid a flurry of impressive reports describing it as the greatest hotel in the world. Located at Fifth Avenue and Central Park South, it was constructed in the most fashionable residential section of New York. The Plaza was the dream of financier Bernhard Beinecke, hotelier Fred Sterry and Harry S. Black, President of the Fuller Construction Company. They purchased a 15-year-old hotel of the same name on the site. The three men set out to replace it with what is surely one of the most elegant hotels in the world. Construction of the 19-story building (a skyscraper back then) took two years at a cost of $12 million - an unprecedented sum in those days. Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, who also designed the Dakota apartments, the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C. and The Fairmont Copley Plaza Boston, set about his task to provide all the pomp, glory, and opulence of a French chateau. No cost was spared. The largest single order in history for gold-encrusted china was placed with L. Straus & Sons, and no less than 1,650 crystal chandeliers were purchased. Originally, The Plaza served primarily as a residence for wealthy New Yorkers. Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt were the first to sign the register. Today, the Vanderbilt Suite is a luxuriously appointed three-bedroom suite, and is used by Heads of State, Government and other distinguished visitors. For guests who chose to rent on a nightly basis at the time, single rooms started at $2.50 per night. Kings, presidents, ambassadors, stars of stage, screen and sports, as well as business executives and travelers from all parts of the world have gathered and stayed at The Plaza. One of The Plaza's most famous personalities is the fictional and mischievous Eloise from the books by Kay Thompson. The Plaza was so well known that Ernest Hemingway once advised F. Scott Fitzgerald to give his liver to Princeton and his heart to The Plaza. Although The Plaza appeared fleetingly in earlier films, the hotel made its true movie debut in Alfred Hitchcock's 1959 classic North by Northwest - the first time a crew, director and cast assembled on site to make a picture. Before then, movies were shot almost entirely on Hollywood soundstages and rarely on location. The Plaza has provided the location for other motion pictures such as Plaza Suite, The Way We Were, The Great Gatsby, Barefoot in the Park, Funny Girl, Cotton Club, Crocodile Dundee I and II and Home Alone II: Lost In New-York. Designated a New York City Landmark in 1969, The Plaza is listed on the Register of Historic Places and the only New York City hotel to be designated as a National Historic Landmark. In January 2000, The Plaza hotel opened its world-class 8,000 sq. ft. spa - an oasis of rejuvenation in the heart of midtown Manhattan. Designed by Soho-based architects Stonehill & Taylor, The Plaza Spa boasts private dressing, steam and sauna rooms, luxurious dressing and bathing facilities for men and women, an "outdoor" atrium-like whirlpool bath, and an advanced spa treatment center designed to evoke an elegant, residential Mediterranean ambience. Treatments available range from full body massage therapies (including reflexology, aromatherapy, shiatsu, and Swedish, among others) to herbal whirlpools and sensous treatments such as botanical facials, Paraffin dips, milk and honey, seaweed, and aloe wraps, and aroma salt glow and loofah scrubs. Each treatment can be received in the spa, in your hotel room, or in the super deluxe "Private Spa Suite." Customized fitness programs are also available, including one-on-one personal training, "Business Express," a work-out-and massage package especially designed for busy executives, and a "Walk in the Park," in which a personal trainer leads you through a workout of your choice in the serene natural beauty of Manhattan's most famous park. The fitness facilities include a comprehensive strength and aerobic training complex whose main training room is decorated with a 185-ft. long Central park photomural. While guests use the gym's advanced equipment - including Cybex weight-training machines, treadmills, cyclers, steppers and Elliptical trainers, all equipped with personal televisions - the mural's diorama-like views give guests that impression that they are exercising in the Park. The Plaza Spa is a fine addition to The Plaza hotel, recently honored as the Best Hotel in North America in the Business Traveler International Awards.