The Peninsula New York
Encyclopedia
The Peninsula New York is a luxury hotel located on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 55th Street
. The hotel is part of the The Peninsula Hotel Group
who are based in Hong Kong
. The Hotel was bought in 1988 by the Peninsula group for a price of $127 million. The Peninsula New York has received the AAA Five-Diamond Award for thirteen consecutive years and in 2007 it was named one of the greatest Hotels in the world by Travel + Leisure Magazine
.
. This being the most expensive street in the world, a number of flagship stores are nearby. These include De Beers
, Fendi
, Armani, Prada
and Abercrombie & Fitch
. Some tourist attractions near the hotel include Rockefeller center
, St. Patrick's Cathedral and Radio City Music Hall
. The closest Subway station to the hotel is Lexington Avenue Station
located on East 53rd street.
and also as it was overshadowed by more luxurious hotels like The Plaza Hotel just a few blocks north and the St. Regis just across the street from the Gotham. The hotel was acquired in the 1930s by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
. As they needed the maximum amount of floor area the company tore out many of the public rooms. In 1979, the Swiss hotel owner Rene Hatt took over the hotel and started a long renovation process, intending to reopen it as the Nova Park Hotel . It was this renovation which added the hotel's rooftop pool and fitness centre.The Nova Park plan failed, and the hotel was finally reopened in 1987, after $200 million in work, as the Hotel Maxim's de Paris, an outpost of the famed Paris restaurant Maxim's
. That enterprise quickly failed, and the hotel was sold again in 1988 to its current owners, The Peninsula Hotels
. They spent $45 million on a second renovation in 1999.
was a twenty-six-year-old native of Southampton, New York who committed suicide on July 26, 1938. He leaped from a window ledge of the seventeenth floor of The Gotham Hotel. This case of suicide is famous because an estimated crowd of 10,000 gathered below to watch the events and 400 police officers were also present to try and convince him to come back inside. A film called Fourteen Hours
which was made in 1951 is based on the events of the day.
; John F. Kennedy International Airport
, Newark Liberty International Airport
and LaGuardia Airport
. For these transfers there is a choice between limousines or Mini Clubmans.
The six function rooms have a combined floor area of 3,500 sq ft. The hotel has three restaurants; Salon De Ning who specialize in Chinese food, Fives and the Gotham Lounge named after the hotels previous name.
The Fitness centre at the Peninsula New York is located at the top floor. The pool is in a glass enclosed room and during the summer a sundeck is available. The Spa at The Peninsula is one of the biggest in New York City
with a floor area of 35000 sq ft (3,251.6 m²) spaced out over three floors.
55th Street (Manhattan)
55th Street is a two-mile-long, one-way street traveling east to west across Midtown Manhattan.-Sutton Place South:*The route officially begins at Sutton Place South which is on a hill overlooking FDR Drive....
. The hotel is part of the The Peninsula Hotel Group
The Peninsula Hotels
The Peninsula Hotels is an ultra-luxury hotel operator based in Hong Kong, part of The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited. Their "flagship" hotel, the famous Peninsula Hong Kong, which opened in 1928, used to be known as the 'finest hotel east of the Suez'....
who are based in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. The Hotel was bought in 1988 by the Peninsula group for a price of $127 million. The Peninsula New York has received the AAA Five-Diamond Award for thirteen consecutive years and in 2007 it was named one of the greatest Hotels in the world by Travel + Leisure Magazine
Travel + Leisure
Travel + Leisure is a travel magazine based in New York City, New York. Published 12 times a year, it has 4.8 million readers, according to its corporate media kit. It is put out by American Express Publishing Corporation, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Express Company led by...
.
Location
The Peninsula hotel is located on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 55th Street55th Street (Manhattan)
55th Street is a two-mile-long, one-way street traveling east to west across Midtown Manhattan.-Sutton Place South:*The route officially begins at Sutton Place South which is on a hill overlooking FDR Drive....
. This being the most expensive street in the world, a number of flagship stores are nearby. These include De Beers
De Beers
De Beers is a family of companies that dominate the diamond, diamond mining, diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors. De Beers is active in every category of industrial diamond mining: open-pit, underground, large-scale alluvial, coastal and deep sea...
, Fendi
Fendi
Fendi is an Italian high fashion house best known for its "baguette" handbags. It was launched in 1925 as a fur and leather shop in Rome, but today is a multinational luxury goods brand owned by LVMH...
, Armani, Prada
Prada
Prada S.p.A. is an Italian fashion label specializing in luxury goods for men and women , founded by Mario Prada.-Foundations:...
and Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch is an American retailer that focuses on casual wear for consumers aged 18 to 22. It has over 300 locations in the United States, and is expanding internationally....
. Some tourist attractions near the hotel include Rockefeller center
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering between 48th and 51st streets in New York City, United States. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National...
, St. Patrick's Cathedral and Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
. The closest Subway station to the hotel is Lexington Avenue Station
Lexington Avenue / 51st – 53rd Streets (New York City Subway)
51st Street on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line, opened on July 17, 1918, is a local station with two local tracks and two side platforms. The two express tracks, used by the 4 and 5 trains during daytime hours, pass through a lower level and are not visible from the platforms.The station features...
located on East 53rd street.
History
The hotel was built in 1905 as the Gotham Hotel. It is designed in the neo-classical style. It went into bankruptcy in 1908 partly because it could not acquire a liquor license as it was too close to The Fifth Avenue Presbyterian ChurchFifth Avenue Presbyterian Church
The Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church is a large congregation of the Presbyterian Church . The church was founded in 1808 as the Cedar Street Presbyterian Church and has been located on Fifth Avenue at 55th Street in midtown Manhattan since 1875. It has approximately 3,250 members from a variety...
and also as it was overshadowed by more luxurious hotels like The Plaza Hotel just a few blocks north and the St. Regis just across the street from the Gotham. The hotel was acquired in the 1930s by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
MetLife, Inc. is the holding corporation for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, or MetLife, for short, and its affiliates. MetLife is among the largest global providers of insurance, annuities, and employee benefit programs, with 90 million customers in over 60 countries...
. As they needed the maximum amount of floor area the company tore out many of the public rooms. In 1979, the Swiss hotel owner Rene Hatt took over the hotel and started a long renovation process, intending to reopen it as the Nova Park Hotel . It was this renovation which added the hotel's rooftop pool and fitness centre.The Nova Park plan failed, and the hotel was finally reopened in 1987, after $200 million in work, as the Hotel Maxim's de Paris, an outpost of the famed Paris restaurant Maxim's
Maxim's Paris
Maxim's is the name of a restaurant in Paris, France, located at No. 3 of the rue Royale. It is known for its art nouveau interior decor.-History:...
. That enterprise quickly failed, and the hotel was sold again in 1988 to its current owners, The Peninsula Hotels
The Peninsula Hotels
The Peninsula Hotels is an ultra-luxury hotel operator based in Hong Kong, part of The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited. Their "flagship" hotel, the famous Peninsula Hong Kong, which opened in 1928, used to be known as the 'finest hotel east of the Suez'....
. They spent $45 million on a second renovation in 1999.
John William Warde
John William WardeJohn William Warde
John William Warde was a twenty-six-year-old native of Southampton, New York who committed suicide on July 26, 1938. He leaped from a window ledge of the seventeenth floor of the Gotham Hotel at 5th Avenue and 55th Street in Manhattan. The son of a Long Island express agent, his eleven-hour dilemma...
was a twenty-six-year-old native of Southampton, New York who committed suicide on July 26, 1938. He leaped from a window ledge of the seventeenth floor of The Gotham Hotel. This case of suicide is famous because an estimated crowd of 10,000 gathered below to watch the events and 400 police officers were also present to try and convince him to come back inside. A film called Fourteen Hours
Fourteen Hours
Fourteen Hours is a 1951 drama film directed by Henry Hathaway, which tells the story of a New York police officer trying to stop a despondent man from jumping to his death from the fifteenth floor of a hotel....
which was made in 1951 is based on the events of the day.
Features
The hotel offers a limousine transfer service to New York's three main airportsTransportation to New York City area airports
Transportation to New York City area airports is provided by trains , buses, taxi cabs, private shuttle services, helicopters and other means. The three major airports are:* John F...
; John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
, Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport , first named Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport within the city limits of both Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States...
and LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport is an airport located in the northern part of Queens County on Long Island in the City of New York. The airport is located on the waterfront of Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay, and borders the neighborhoods of Astoria, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst. The airport was originally...
. For these transfers there is a choice between limousines or Mini Clubmans.
The six function rooms have a combined floor area of 3,500 sq ft. The hotel has three restaurants; Salon De Ning who specialize in Chinese food, Fives and the Gotham Lounge named after the hotels previous name.
The Fitness centre at the Peninsula New York is located at the top floor. The pool is in a glass enclosed room and during the summer a sundeck is available. The Spa at The Peninsula is one of the biggest in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with a floor area of 35000 sq ft (3,251.6 m²) spaced out over three floors.