The Peninsula New York facts for kids
| The Peninsula New York | |
Quick facts for kids  Entrance to the hotel on 55th Street |
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| Hotel facts and statistics | |
|---|---|
| Location | 700 Fifth Avenue Manhattan, New York City |
| Coordinates | 40°45′41.62″N 73°58′31″W / 40.7615611°N 73.97528°W |
| Architect | Hiss and Weekes |
| Management | The Peninsula Hotels |
| Owner | The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited |
| No. of restaurants | 3 + 1 bar |
| No. of rooms | 241 |
| of which suites | 50 |
| No. of floors | 23 |
The Peninsula New York is a historic luxury hotel located on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 55th Street in Manhattan, New York City. The hotel is part of the Hong Kong-based Peninsula Hotels group, which is owned by The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited. The hotel was bought in 1988 by the Peninsula group for a price of $127 million. The Peninsula New York has received the AAA Five Diamond Award for thirteen consecutive years, and in 2007, it was named one of the greatest hotels in the world by Travel + Leisure magazine.
Location
The hotel is located on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 55th Street in Manhattan, New York City. This being the most expensive street in the world, a number of flagship stores are nearby. These include De Beers, Fendi, Armani, Prada and Abercrombie & Fitch. Some tourist attractions near the hotel include Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and Radio City Music Hall.
History
The hotel was built in 1905 as the Gotham Hotel and was designed in the neo-classical style. It went into bankruptcy in 1908, partly because it could not acquire a liquor license as it was too close to the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church. Also, it was overshadowed by more luxurious hotels, like the St. Regis across the street and the Plaza Hotel just a few blocks north. The hotel was acquired in the 1930s by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. As they needed the maximum amount of leasable retail floor area, the company tore out many of the hotel's public rooms.
In 1979, the Swiss hotel owner Rene Hatt took over the hotel and started a long renovation process, intending to reopen it as the Nova Park Hotel. It was this renovation which added the hotel's rooftop pool and fitness centre. The Nova Park plan eventually failed, collapsing in a bankruptcy, foreclosure and a series of lawsuits. The hotel was finally reopened in 1987, after $200 million of work, as the Hotel Maxim's de Paris, an outpost of the famed Parisian restaurant Maxim's. That enterprise quickly failed, and the hotel was sold in 1988 to its current owner, the Peninsula group. It spent $45 million on a second renovation in 1999.
Features
The hotel offers a limousine transfer service to New York's three main airports: John F. Kennedy International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport and LaGuardia Airport. For these transfers, there is a choice between limousines or Mini Clubmans.
The five function rooms have a combined floor area of 3,300 sq ft (310 m2). The hotel has three restaurants: the Yabu Pushelberg-designed Clement Restaurant and Bar (named after Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels' CEO, Clement Kwok), the Salon De Ning rooftop bar and terrace (which offers views of Fifth Avenue and the Manhattan skyline), and the Gotham Lounge (named after the hotel's original name).
The fitness centre at the hotel is located on the top floor. The pool is in a glass-enclosed room, and during the summer, a sundeck is available. The hotel's spa is one of the biggest in New York City, with a floor area of 35,000 sq ft (3,300 m2) over three floors, and it is one of only two Forbes Five Star-rated spas in the city.
