The Plaza Hotel opened to the public last weekend, so we paid a visit. Not to stay the night, or eat in the Palm Court. It was jammed with tourists. The Times said that the owners spent $400 million on renovations, which is why it was closed for three years. It was supposed to open last November in time for its 100th anniversary, but delays prevented that. The owners shot off fireworks instead.
The tie for Dorothy Parker and The Plaza is the Palm Court. This is where she was taken in January 1920 to be fired from Vanity Fair. She was also a guest here on occasion. This got us thinking about a comparison with the other great literary hotel in town (sorry, Ed and Debbie at The Chelsea). How does The Plaza stack up against The Algonquin? Let’s compare:
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Algonquin Hotel
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Plaza Hotel
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Opened
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1902
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1907
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Literary Landmark
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Yes
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Yes
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Closest Avenue
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Sixth
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Fifth
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Floors
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12
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19
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No. of Rooms
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275
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130
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Room Cost*
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$284
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$835
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No. of Condos
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0
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181
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Renovations
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2004: $8 million
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2008: $400 million
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Most Famous Guest
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Dorothy Parker
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Eloise
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In Literature
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“The Dorothy Parker Murder Case”
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“The Great Gatsby”
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On Film
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Otto Preminger’s “Laura”
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Chris Columbus’ “Home Alone 2”
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Signature Space
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Oak Room
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Oak Bar
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Lobby Feature
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Matilda
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Champagne Bar
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On Nightstands
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The New Yorker
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Room Service Menu
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*Room cost of Friday night, single room. Price on Hotels.com and Fairmont.com.
I always get into this argument, that the Algonquin is where writers and editors meet, so it is a better literary landmark than other hotels. Scott Fitzgerald set “The Great Gatsby” in The Plaza. Eloise is a guest because her creator, Kay Thompson, was a Plaza regular. But at the Algonquin, it is where writers hung out (and still do), where writers and editors would meet and then collaborate. So in a way, the Algonquin is a more important literary hotel because of the contribution writers made by gathering there.
We continue our photo tour:
Tourists outnumber everyone else in the one part of the public space that is open, the lobby.
This is new. There is a small champagne bar in the side of the building that is now a lobby for the public part of the hotel.
The Palm Court is beautiful and the stained glass ceiling cost $15 million to renovate. The Times says a glass of orange juice will set you back $12. At that price, I want the waiter to grow me the oranges and squeeze them himself.
That is The Plaza. The Oak Bar opens again in 2009.