Worried New Yorkers have been reassured that the Waldorf Astoria New York will once again be central to the city’s dreams and memories when it reopens following an eight-year restoration.
Dino Michael, the SVP and global category head, luxury brands and branded residential, Hilton, says the hotel will start formal reservations on 1 September having originally closed for the work in 2017.
He adds that every effort has been made to honour the iconic building’s spirit during the renovation as he has been left in little doubt as to the affection New Yorkers have for the property that first opened its doors in 1931.
Michael says: “I don’t underestimate, even as a Brit, what this hotel means to New York. I’ve had so many New Yorkers come up to me and say don’t you guys mess this up. Make sure you do it well as we love this hotel.
“So many people have a story about the hotel – people had their prom there – it’s incredible, so we take the location quite seriously.”
The big refurbishment
He adds this thinking has been at the heart of all the work that has seen the property converted from one with 1,400 rooms to 375 rooms with a further 372 private residences.
The reduction in room numbers has allowed for their growth, with room sizes starting at just under 600 square feet while 50,000 square feet has been put aside for residential amenities with a further 30,000 square feet given over to the wellness space.
While the accommodation changes have been considerable, Michael adds the public areas have remained true to the original vision and honour local history, albeit with some changes.
Guests will still enter the hotel via Park Avenue but new areas have been created on the adjoining 49th and 50th streets to allow for drop offs to happen with minimal fuss.
Regulars will still be able to stride down the hotel’s Peacock Alley and admire the Wheel of Life mosaic while the both the World’s Fair clock and Cole Porter piano have been restored.
The restaurant will be called Lex Yard in honour of nearby Lexington Avenue and the underground railway holding station directly below the property, while even the introduction of private residences is a nod to the hotel’s past.
“If you think how many people stayed at the Waldorf Astoria in residence for so long, having a residential component almost befits the history of the hotel,” Michael adds.
But changes have been made too and will be evident from the point of arrival he says, with both the reception desks required for 1,400 rooms no longer needed and now replaced with a “much more elegant desk side”.
Meanwhile, an escalator in the central lobby that led to the meetings and events space has been removed, again out of sympathy to the hotel’s history.
“Having an escalator, a moving escalator, in a building of such majesty almost seems wrong and ill-fitted,” Michael adds.
“The landmark areas have been brought back to above and beyond that original kind of splendour.”
Reservations racking up
And it appears that the plan has worked, with Michael describing the response to reservations finally opening up as “overwhelming” despite fierce local competition.
He adds: “There’s so much interest from local guests and New Yorkers but generally anyone who has a story about New York is interested in coming to see.”
Michael also admits that things have changed at Hilton, which had just two luxury brands, Waldorf and Conrad, when the property closed in 2017. Now there are five.
During the same period, Michael says the Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts brand has grown from having 18 to 36 properties as part of Hilton’s realignment in the market.
He adds: “We’ve transformed as an organisation and luxury and lifestyle has been a focus for the last five years and now you’re seeing that all come to fruition.
“When you think about the life cycle of a luxury deal, it’s between three to six years. This isn’t by coincidence; you know where we’re growing and where we’re opening. It’s by design.”
Michael adds once the New York property reopens, Hilton will have close to 100 hotels across its five luxury brands while the partnerships with small luxury properties gives it more than 500 additional destinations.
Despite the choice, new openings are on the cards and the company recently announced plans for a Waldorf Astoria in Jaipur, India.
Wherever is chosen for future properties, Michael is confident that investors will be keen to get involved in such a gilded market.
“For a lot of owners luxuries tend to be somewhat unique,” he adds. “It’s a mark of prestige. It’s a reflection of them and it’s the crown jewel in their portfolio. It’s not something they want to flip; they want to hold it generationally.
“We’re fortunate in that sense, that there’s much more of a long-term vision in the majority of our investors.”
All those quoted in this article appeared on stage at NYU IHIF, held in New York, USA, between 31 May – 2 June 2025, in a session called: Spotlight on an iconic property – Waldorf Astoria New York.