Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
From ArticleWorld
The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel is situated in the heart of New York’s Manhattan and is regarded as one of the finest grand hotels of all times to combine luxurious elegance with impeccable service. The Waldorf Towers though occupying the 28th to 42nd floors of The Waldorf=Astoria, is considered a hotel within a hotel: with separate entrance and hotel lobby, its own set of staff and private elevators. It is owned by the Hilton Hotels Corporation.
History
The original Waldorf opened its doors to the public on 13th March 1893. With 450 rooms and a legion of over 1000 workers, the Waldorf then was probably the grandest hotel in America. William Waldorf Astor, the owner, razed his home at 5th Avenue, 34th Street to build this large hotel. Later a cousin and a friend, John Jacob Astor IV built the Astoria next door in 1897 and the two hotels progressed side by side. In fact though they were seen as separate entities, the two were connected by a passageway called the Peacock Alley. At that time, together, these two hotels became the largest in the world.
The Hotel was shut down in May 1929 to allow the world’s most famous skyscraper, the Empire State Building, to be built there. A spanking new Waldorf-Astoria was erected and opened to public in 1931 between the 49th and the 50th Streets, on the block extending from Park Avenue to Lexington. The first manager of the original Waldorf, George C. Boldt was a legend in his own right and was directly instrumental in connecting the two hotels Waldorf and Astoria together, thus making them a force to be reckoned with.
Nuggets
- The name of the Hotel is written as Waldorf=Astoria, with an equal to sign in between.
- The Waldorf Tower which occupies the top floors of the Hotel is a separate entity, giving it the uniqueness of being the only ‘hotel within hotel’.
- A large suite of rooms on the 42nd floor of the Hotel is occupied by the U.S. Government.