New York: The Plaza Hotel to Close for at Least Four Years for Façade Restoration
The Plaza Hotel will close in January 2027 for at least four years to restore its landmark façade. Condo residents’ fate is unclear, while the union says 378 workers can return afterward at current pay
X/@realEstateTrent
New York’s grand dame is about to go dark.
The Plaza Hotel will shut its doors in January 2027 for a closure expected to last four years or longer, as crews take on the repair and restoration of its landmark-protected façade. The hotel confirmed the news in a press release issued Oct. 14, noting that the work is complex enough to significantly disrupt day-to-day operations.
Planning is still underway, and the hotel says specifics on how the project will unfold remain under review. Any approach will need to be coordinated with relevant stakeholders and must meet historic preservation requirements.
The closure marks a major pause for a property that has been a Manhattan fixture since it opened on Oct. 1, 1907. According to its website, the hotel has hosted world leaders, dignitaries, entertainers and travelers from every corner of the globe. Its Fifth Avenue address, steps from Central Park, has long made it one of the city’s most recognizable destinations.
Guests have come for more than the postcard views. The Plaza is celebrated for its luxurious rooms and refined dining, with afternoon tea in the Palm Court among its best-known rituals. Shopping, wellness facilities and several restaurants round out the offering, while the Grand Ballroom and Terrace Room, both restored to their original grandeur by the hotel’s account, serve as event spaces.
Architect Henry Janeway Hardenbergh designed the building, which has seen ownership change hands and undergone multiple renovations over the decades. Donald Trump bought it in 1988 for $390 million and held it until 1995, as The New York Times reported at the time. In the early 2000s, part of the building was converted into condominiums. Today it comprises 282 hotel guestrooms, 102 of them suites, alongside 181 condo units, per the hotel’s website.
That residential component raises a pressing question. Fairmont, the hotel’s operator, has yet to say whether condo owners will have to move out while work is underway, The New York Times reported.
Employees face uncertainty, too. The Hotel & Gaming Trades Council, which represents workers at the property, said its 378 members will be eligible to return to their jobs at their current pay rates once The Plaza reopens. In the meantime, the union plans to help affected workers find employment elsewhere, a union spokesperson told The New York Times.