The Plaza Hotel in New York: room prices, suites, afternoon tea and history, our complete 2026 guide

Opened on 1 October 1907 facing Central Park, The Plaza is New York’s most famous hotel: 282 rooms including 102 suites, a Palm Court under a glass roof for afternoon tea, and film sets from North by Northwest to Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Here is everything you need to know before booking: prices recorded in September 2026, suites, restaurants, history and practical information.

☰Contents

1. A 1907 château facing Central Park
2. Rooms and suites: prices in 2026
3. Afternoon tea at the Palm Court
4. Eloise, Kevin and Gatsby: The Plaza on screen
5. Spa, services and practical information

A 1907 château facing Central Park

Designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh in the style of a French Renaissance château, The Plaza opened on 1 October 1907, after 27 months of construction and 12.5 million dollars of work; its first guest, Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, arrived at 9 a.m. that same day. The 18-storey building has been a New York City landmark since 1969 and a National Historic Landmark since 1986.

Conrad Hilton, then Donald Trump in 1988, owned it before a major restoration from 2005 to 2008 converted part of the floors into private residences. Since 2018, The Plaza has been owned by Katara Hospitality, Qatar’s hotel fund, and is operated by Fairmont, a brand of the Accor group. Frank Lloyd Wright lived there for six years during the construction of the Guggenheim, and Truman Capote hosted his famous Black and White Ball there in 1966.

Rooms and suites: prices in 2026

The prices below were recorded on the official booking site on 27 September 2026, for two adults, including taxes and urban fees, for one night on 10 November 2026. They vary significantly depending on the dates: the same Plaza King room was displayed at €1,417 for 19 January 2027.

The Royal Suite features a private lift, a grand piano, a dining room for twelve and a library. The Eloise suite, decorated in pink by Betsey Johnson, cannot be booked online. In addition to these prices, there is an urban fee of 65 dollars per night, which provides dining and spa credits.

Afternoon tea at the Palm Court

Under its glass roof and palm trees, the Palm Court is the hotel’s most photographed lounge. The official menu offers four afternoon tea options: the Central Park Tea at 130 dollars, the High Society Tea with The Gilded Age at 150 dollars, the Grand Imperial Tea with caviar at 265 dollars, and the Eloise tea for children at 120 dollars. An 18% service charge is added, and cancellations made less than 72 hours in advance are charged at 75 dollars per person. The Champagne Bar, successor to the 1907 Champagne Porch, overlooks Fifth Avenue.

Eloise, Kevin and Gatsby: The Plaza on screen

The Plaza is one of the most filmed hotels in the world. Cary Grant is kidnapped there in North by Northwest (1959), Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand meet outside its entrance in The Way We Were (1973), and filming for Home Alone 2: Lost in New York began in the lobby in December 1991. Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, sets several scenes there, hence the Gatsby Suite on the 18th floor. Finally, Eloise, the heroine of Kay Thompson’s books published from 1955, “lives” at the hotel: her portrait hangs in the hotel, and a mailbox allows guests to write to her.

Spa, services and practical information

There is no swimming pool, but a spa, the 111SKIN Spa/Clinic, on the 4th floor, opened in 2025 with nine treatment rooms. The concierges are members of the Clefs d’Or, housekeeping is performed twice daily, and a Maybach car complimentary transports guests within a ten-block radius, from Tuesday to Saturday. Pets are welcome. Check-in is at 3 p.m., check-out at noon, and the 5 Av/59 St subway station is at the foot of the hotel.

To prepare for your stay, find all our hotel news in the United States.

A few blocks away, another historic Fifth Avenue hotel is for sale: The Pierre, whose $2 billion sale has stalled.