Waldorf-Astoria hotel
A wealthy sybarites paradise, the Waldorf-Astoria hotel is owned by the Hilton Hotel chain. Inaugurated in 1893 where the Empire State Building now stands, it moved to its current location on Park Avenue in New York City, New York in 1931.The official name of the hotel is rendered with an equal sign instead of a dash (Waldorf=Astoria). This rendering is an artifact of the unique history of the hotel's formation.
The original Waldorf Hotel, at today's Empire State Building site, was built by William Waldorf Astor, who tore down his mansion and had a luxurious hotel built in its place. His aunt, Caroline Webster Schermerhorn Astor, with whom he was feuding, responded by allowing her son, John Jacob Astor IV, to tear down her mansion next door and replace it with the Astoria Hotel. The two cousins eventually settled their differences, and a long hallway was built between the two hotels to make them one common unit. At this time, it was agreed that the name of the new hotel would have an equal sign instead of a dash, symbolizing the equality of the two parent hotels and the corridor that connected the two.
Emerging out of the eclectic Art Deco movement, the Waldorf-Astoria combines high-class elegance with multifarious amenities and services, making it an ideal lodging for wealthy epicureans looking to indulge in the accomodative excesses available to the upper class. Guests enjoy full access to several luxurious boutiques, a trio of progressive American and classic European restaurants, and even Narcissis's favorite beauty parlor, Kenneth's Salon. The efficient hospitality and discreet services offered by the customer service staff will thrill even the most demanding and priggish of sophisticates.
The hotel, located near the Fifth and Madison Avenue shops and numerous art galleries, offers both guestrooms and suites. Each room is spacious and individually decorated, and the hotel aims to combine elegance with convenience.
The Waldorf-Astoria is the only hotel in the world that serves as an Ambassadorial residence. It has its own platform as part of the Grand Central Terminal, which was used historically by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and later by Adlai Stevenson and Douglas MacArthur.