The Plaza Is About to Go Dark for Longer Than Its Last Makeover

The Plaza Hotel in New York will close for at least four years beginning in January, the property announced, so that work can be done on its historic facade. No reopening date has been given, and planning and execution details are still described as under review. The hotel said the project’s “significant intrusion to operations” makes staying open impractical.

The scale of the pause stands out against the hotel’s own history. The Plaza, which opened in 1907 at Fifth Avenue and Central Park South, closed once before, in 2005, for a top-to-bottom restoration costing $450 million. That project ended with a reopening in 2008, roughly three years later. This time the minimum stated closure is already longer.

The Fairmont-branded hotel has 282 guest rooms, including 102 suites, and is also home to a collection of residential condominiums. The announcement did not say whether any part of the property, including the residences, will stay open during the work, and it did not name the owner. Travelers with future reservations should expect to hear from the hotel directly about what happens to bookings.

For visitors who have the Plaza on a New York bucket list, the window to stay or dine there is closing. A hotel of this profile going offline for years also removes a landmark option from Midtown’s luxury inventory, which may nudge demand toward other properties around Central Park while the restoration proceeds.

Sources: Travel Weekly