New York’s iconic Waldorf Astoria is ready for its next chapter

The Waldorf Astoria New York closed temporarily in 2017 in preparation for an extensive renovation and many people, like myself, came to get one last look at this storied New York City hotel.

Perhaps it was to have a cocktail within its famous Peacock Alley or order a Waldorf salad or marvel at its lobby piano that once belonged to resident Cole Porter.

Established during the Gilded Age, this iconic property has witnessed historic events, social changes, and star-studded galas. It introduced room service, in-room telephones, and brought electricity to every floor. 

It was a place to stay and be seen, with an A-list of world dignitaries and celebrities that included Queen Elizabeth II, Grace Kelly, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Dalai Lama.

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Now, after an eight-year renovation, it has been restored to its historic opulent glory. In July 2025, the Waldorf Astoria New York re-opened with two new dining concepts, a Guerlain spa, and interiors by designer Pierre-Yves Rochon.

Signature elements, like Peacock Alley and Porter’s piano, remain. So does a bronze clock from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, as well as the entrance statue, “Spirit of Achievement” by Icelandic artist Nína Sæmundsson.

“The Waldorf Astoria has always exemplified New York,” says David Freeland, historian and author of American Hotel: The Waldorf-Astoria and the Making of a Century. "As New York's fortunes rose, the Waldorf-Astoria followed.”

Founded as two separate hotels

The Waldorf Astoria’s origin starts with the Astor family. The prominent family in New York society, especially in the late 19th century, had accumulated their wealth largely through real estate investments. “At that time, anything with the name Astor on it automatically drew attention,” says Freeland.

The family’s legacy originates with John Jacob Astor. A German immigrant, Astor made his money in New York through fur trading, and had dabbled in opium smuggling, before centering on property holdings. He went on to become America's first multi-millionaire.

In 1836, Astor opened what was considered to be the first luxury hotel in New York City, The Astor House, located near Manhattan's City Hall Park.

Cousins William Waldorf Astor and John Jacob Astor IV were raised in side-by-side mansions along Fifth Avenue. Having a large age gap between them, each relative started what would be the beginning of the Waldorf Astoria on adjoining lots, right below 34th Street. 

The Hotel Waldorf would come first, opened in March 1893 by William on where his father’s mansion once stood. Four years later, John followed by opening the Astoria Hotel where the house of his socialite mother, Caroline Astor, existed. 

While built separately, the two hotels would unite as one entity and become the Waldorf-Astoria (now the Waldorf Astoria New York). The two properties were connected via Peacock Alley, originally a marble promenade where society members mingled.

Amid its surrounding neighborhood falling out of fashion and rising business costs, the Waldorf-Astoria building was sold in 1929. It was demolished to make room for constructing the Empire State Building the following year. 

Its standing successor opened in 1931 as a grander art deco version with a Park Avenue address still occupying an entire city block. 

Fine dining

From employing female chefs, to letting women dine unchaperoned, to making it okay for high society entertaining away from home, the Waldorf-Astoria ushered in culinary milestones.

First under the direction of proprietor George C. Boldt (who instigated Boldt Castle in New York’s Thousand Islands), the Waldorf-Astoria’s management became major hospitality makers.

Known as “Oscar of the Waldorf,” Oscar Tschirky was the prominent maître d'hôtel. His career began in New York as a bus boy at the Hoffman House, before he moved on to Delmonico’s restaurant. Through these jobs, Tschirky developed a knack for connecting with financiers, industrialists, and politicians. 

“He was always so solicitous and he always looked out for his guests and his patrons,” says Freeland. 

Tschirky was an influencer in his day. He authored a Waldorf-Astoria cookbook in 1896 using others’ recipes. He helped to create or popularize certain dishes. Along with the Waldorf salad, there’s red velvet cake, Thousand Island dressing, and eggs Benedict.   

 “You could find his face on bottles of sauce that were sold,” says Freeland. “And that went a long way, too, in establishing the fame of the [Waldorf-Astoria], not just in New York, but across the country.”

Important gatherings 

The Waldorf-Astoria has a history of being used as an events space for ceremonies and meetings, in addition to being a hotel. In fact, the Hotel Waldorf opened with a high-end benefit concert for a children’s hospital. 

Shortly after the sinking of the RMS Titanic, with John Jacob Astor IV  being among more than 1,500 people who perished, the hotel was where the first U.S. Senate hearings on the sinking were held.

As survivors were brought to New York City via the Carpathia, U.S. Senator William Alden Smith (of Michigan) wanted an immediate inquiry started.

“As such a high-profile case with media attention expanding worldwide, it would be expected for the hearings to be held in a prominent space,” says Titanic researcher Ross Mumford. The hearings would move to Washington, D.C., but additional proceedings returned to the hotel that May. 

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When the United Nations established its headquarters in New York City, the Waldorf-Astoria developed a lasting connection in accommodating members. 

“The UN Secretariat had been very concerned about where to put people, especially because at the time in New York, often there was still a de facto segregation that affected New York hotels,” says Freeland. “Of course, many of the delegates and many of the staff members coming would be people of color.” 

Hotel manager Lucius M. Boomer worked out an agreement that the Waldorf-Astoria would host delegates and staff in exchange for becoming the preferred hotel for UN events.

Award shows started here, too. The American Theatre Wing held their inaugural ceremony in 1947, while Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted its first class in 1986. 

Admired by Conrad Hilton

The Waldorf-Astoria opened amid the Great Depression, and the news caught Conrad Hilton’s attention. The then Texas hotel operator had his businesses floundering, so he tore out its photograph as a vision board piece and wrote “The greatest of them all” on it. 

“I think that was his motivation to keep going,” says Mark E. Young, director of the hospitality industry archives at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership in Houston. “In the depths of the depression, opening a hotel was not the thing to be doing, because the industry was devastated.” 

Hilton bought control of the hotel in 1949. His company still manages it as part of its Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts brand.

Famous guests and residents

The Waldorf-Astoria’s guest reservation association with presidents started with Herbert Hoover. Hoover gave a radio speech from Washington, D.C. during the hotel's 1931 opening and took up residence there later in life.

Many sitting U.S. presidents followed in staying there, especially during the UN General Assembly.

Since 1931, the now Waldorf Astoria New York has maintained a residential component with a private entrance. Cole Porter maintained a 30-year residence until his death in 1964. The composer, who penned many of his works there, was gifted the custom-built Steinway & Sons piano that remains on view in Peacock Alley. Others included Douglas MacArthur, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Harry S. Truman, and Frank Sinatra.

The hotel today 

The recently reopened Waldorf Astoria New York underwent a meticulous restoration process. Its exterior was landmarked in 1993 while certain interior spaces were distinguished in 2017. Architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill conducted extensive forensic research of the building as it was originally intended. Conservation experts handled the Park Avenue Lobby, the Silver Corridor, and other landmarked spaces.

"Preserving every historic detail was our highest priority, which meant treating the building, inside and out, as the irreplaceable work of art that it is,” says the hotel’s managing director, Luigi Romaniello.

During the project’s deconstruction, workers sometimes found architectural details that had been covered up decades ago. One involves the nearly 150,000 piece “Wheel of Life” floor mosaic in the Park Avenue Lobby. 

“It was like finding a secret chapter in the hotel's long, incredible story,” says Romaniello. “Discovering and then restoring those lost details gave us a chance to bring even more of the original design vision back to life."

Nearly 1,400 rooms and suites were reduced to 375 and start at 570 square feet. They span across 11 guest room categories and five specialty suites, all with spacious closets and beverage bars. Events space now spans 43,000 square feet, with a new opera-inspired Grand Ballroom.

The famed Peacock Alley is now alounge bar and an all-day restaurant. Its cocktail program of classics and seasonal drinks is curated by mixology expert Jeff Bell, managing partner of the New York speakeasy, Please Don’t Tell. Try a Rob Roy, another Waldorf-Astoria invention, a red velvet soufflé tart, or a twist on the Waldorf salad.

The flagship Lex Yard is a two-story American Brasserie split between an upstairs dining room and a downstairs bar. It’s led by chef-partner Michael Anthony, who was the executive chef at Gramercy Tavern. 

Within the Park Avenue Lobby Terrace, Yoshoku offers a six-course, kaiseki-inspired menu from chef Ry Nitzkowski, with reimagined dishes like tuna tartare with white ponzu and crispy nori; opt for à la carte selections. 

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