Inside New York City's The Plaza hotel that's been a perfect movie set for decades

Publish date: 2024-06-15

Nothing screamed luxury as much as the hotel where Kevin McCallister stayed in as part of Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, which was The Plaza hotel in the city.

When watching the movies while growing up, most of us dreamed of waking up in the luxe penthouses where the McCallister’s ended up staying for Christmas Day. The incredible spiral staircase, high-ceilings and breathtaking views almost seemed like they were created from a dream. But they were real, and the set was The Plaza which overlooks Central Park in the iconic setting of the Big Apple. Now, the Pinnacle Penthouses are up for sale in the high-end hotel, so we finally get a sneak peek inside we’ve always been waiting for.

Inside The Plaza in New York City

Designed by the ‘master of the skyscraper’ Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, the hotel has been ranked by experts as the most famous hotel in the world. It probably helps it’s also been used in several Hollywood films, including Macaulay Culkin‘s classic hits.

The building, inspired by the French Renaissance, was constructed in 1907, for $12.5 million, which was astronomical at the time. In present day, with inflation, it has the same purchasing power as $407,900.000 today. So it’d be a half-a-billion-dollar property if the chateau-style hotel was constructed in the 21st century.

Something like The Plaza isn’t just the brainchild of one man, but three. It was the dream of financier Bernhard Beinecke, president of the Fuller Construction Company Harry S Black and hotelier Fred Sterry. The trio bought a 15-year-old hotel with the same name on the site and replaced it with something that would become one of the most elegant places on the globe.

Standing tall with 19 stories (what was considered a skyscraper in those days) it took two years to construct. They hired Hardenberghm, known for his work on the Willard Hotel in Washington DC, The Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston and the Dakota apartments. The designer tried to encapsulate the feeling of a French château in The Plaza at the heart of New York City.

To build the luxury site, materials were imported from Europe, including the single-largest order of gold-encrusted crystal chandeliers in history. They snapped up 1,650 chandeliers from L Straus & Sons for the job.

Opening its doors on October 1, 1907, it’s located at Fifth Avenue and Central Park South, in the most fashionable residential section of New York City.

It had a remarkable $450 million restoration in 2008, and we can look inside, thanks to TopTenRealEstateDeals.

‘Nothing unimportant ever happens at The Plaza’

The famous quote, “Nothing unimportant ever happens at The Plaza”, comes from American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald who penned the novel The Great Gatsby.

It didn’t just attract the wealthy and powerful, but royals and celebrities.

The author is said to be a frequent patron of the bars in The Plaza when he was in New York City. He loved visiting so much, he wrote about the hotel in his most beloved novel. It’s during the lead-up to the climax of the tale when Daisy and Tom Buchanan travel to the site with Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway and golfer Jordan. As Daisy and Gatsby have been having an affair, Gatsby asks her to tell her husband she never loved Tom, which she refuses to do. The wealth and power the couple holds is represented by the fact they travel to The Plaza on a hot summer’s day in New York City.

It’s also been a favorite for Hollywood blockbusters, including the likes of Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest (1959), and The Way We Were (1973). Woody Allen then stepped into The Plaza for the flick The Front in 1976, with the movie set in the 1950s of New York City.

Now, one of the most recent movies that most of us remember, is Home Alone 2, (1992), as well as the romance Sleepless in Seattle the following year.

Interestingly, Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson’s film Bride Wars was set at The Plaza but was mostly filmed in their Boston sister property because the New York City estate was having renovations.

Circling back to Gatsby, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and the rest of the cast of Baz Luhrman’s rendition of the Jazz Age story returned in 2013 for their scenes.

Donald Trump even bought the hotel

Former President of the United States purchased The Plaza for $407.5 million in 1998, two years after it was declared a National Historic Monument.

He said at the time: “It isn’t just a building, it’s the ultimate work of art”.

Donald Trump declared he was “in love with it”, and ordered renovations that stayed true to the American historic essence and Roman architecture. They added new chandeliers, a Japanese restaurant and bar and a fitness center. Magnificent onyx was installed in every bathroom, and wall-to-wall carpeting from the lobby was removed for the mosaics to shine through underneath.

He sold the site in 1995.

Pinnacle Penthouses up for sale

At the top of New York City’s The Plaza hotel sits the famous double penthouses. They’re now on the market for $70m, a steal compared to the rest of the real estate dream.

The main residence is a 6,316-square-foot triplex with its own elevator, four bedrooms and four-and-a-half baths – that’s more bathrooms than guests!

It boasts a spectacular terrace with incredible views of Central Park and New York skylines that most tourists flock to the city to see, although not everyone gets to stay at The Plaza when they do visit.

The terrace connects to its twin penthouse, a 3,974-square-foot duplex that has three bedrooms and three baths – although this may be bigger than some people’s entire homes, it’s described as a ‘guest house’.

Forget crashing on the sofa.

Floor-to-ceiling windows lets natural light shine through, and the angled ceilings on the top floor give a modern feel. The duplexes are crafted with marble and hardwood, perfect for anyone that loves the luxury aesthetic.

The main residence’s primary suite has double dressing rooms – who wants to share? – and spa baths. Whereas the guest house has a white marble surrounded-wood burning fireplace, five-fixture marble bath and an elegant sitting room. It’s ideal for entertaining.

The grand double foyer is stunning

The penthouse also features a formal living room anchored by a marble bar, media room, glass fireplace, eat-in kitchen with a huge skylight and formal dining room.

The second residence features a grand double foyer, spacious kitchen, curved staircase of our dreams and a loggia with sliding doors opening onto the iconic terrace.

Both penthouses have access to New York City’s finest, which is The Plaza’s Palm Court, Champagne Bar, fitness center and Guerlain Spa.

But with those spa baths in the bathroom, who needs to leave?

Of course, if you lived here, you’ll also get to walk through the famous lobby with marble walls and crystal chandeliers. It’s screaming Instagram.

I mean, who comes to New York City and doesn’t have some sort of selfie at The Plaza, even if it’s just the doors?

Celebrities flock to The Plaza in New York City

It really is a celebrity-magnet. Stars like Tommy Hilfiger, Marlene Dietrich and Frank Lloyd Wright would often stay, and some celebrity names would live there.

Kay Thompson, who wrote the children’s book character Eloise in 1955, was a real resident of the hotel.

And if they want to meet up with their pals, they can call up Taylor Swift, Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep and Hugh Jackman who live nearby.

It’s located at one of Manhattan’s most prestigious addresses, round the corner from the famous Fifth Avenue, filled with high-end boutiques, museums, and top-class restaurants.

And if you fancy a stroll, you can cross the street to Central Park. Sorted.

The Plaza is based in the iconic Midtown Manhattan neighborhood full of New York City’s top landmarks, like Times Square, Rockefeller Center and the Empire State Building.