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Tags: Vintage NYC Hotels / 1950s Manhattan Hotels / Hotel History / → All Tags

The Barbizon Hotel for Women is Now...What?

Where: 140 E. 63rd Street [map], New York, ny, United States, 10021

Long before there was the cheesy Barbizon School of Modeling, there was the Barbizon Hotel for Women in New York on 63rd and Lexington which was built in 1927. This where "all nice young ladies" stayed when they came to New York, including screen legend Grace Kelly. (See this New Yorker piece on the actress.)

According to an article in the NY Times a few years ago, the building had 700 tiny hotel rooms with just enough space for a desk, bed, dresser and a window. The bathrooms were shared and men were not allowed above the second floor. There was also a swimming pool inside so ladies could work on their fitness, we presume.

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Tags: Vintage NYC Hotels / 1950s Manhattan Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / Hotel History / → All Tags

The Algonquin Has Been Hosting And Toasting Glitterati For 100+ Years

We devote more than enough ink to Manhattan Hotels, but what about the days when hotels first started tuning their cool? Thanks to an old tourist materials from the 1930s-1950s, we're exploring back in the day versus today, for NYC hotels.

Back in the day:
Settle into a banquette for a cigarette and call over the maître d' for a story of his boyhood on the Aegean Sea, and you're having a grand evening in New York's Algonquin Hotel. It is the late 1930s, and The Rose Room frequently buzzes with the conversations of the glitterati. Diners in The Oak Room and The Round Table enjoy special evenings out order such fine dishes as "rolled pancakes stuffed with chicken hash" and "Indian pudding."

Be sure to consult the 77-year-old wine steward for the best accompaniment, and for an after-theatre drink, the concierge recommends the neighboring NY Yacht Club, Harvard Club, Princeton Club, or Columbia Club.

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Hilton Snaps Up A Piece of History in the Tudor Hotel

Where: 304 East 42nd Street [map], New York, ny, United States, 10017

Last week we took you back to a time when a hotel room near the United Nations cost a mere $3.50. Now, a tipster informs us that one of our Vintage Hotels, The Tudor Hotel, is set to become a Hilton. When browsing Hilton.com, this HotelChatter reader saw that the chain’s portfolio of New York properties had grown to include the Hilton New York/East Midtown.

Indeed, the Hilton site tells us that “this hotel will be joining the Hilton Family soon but is not yet accepting reservations. It is scheduled to open in March 2010.”

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Tags: Vintage NYC Hotels / 1950s Manhattan Hotels / Hotel History / → All Tags

We Wish Hotels In NYC's Murray Hill Still Cost $3.50

Where: 304 East 42nd Street [map], New York, ny, United States

We devote more than enough ink to Manhattan Hotels, but what about the days when hotels first started tuning their cool? Thanks to an old tourist brochure from 1953, we're exploring back in the day versus today, for NYC hotels.

Back in the day:
The United Nations is the hot new spot to visit, and the Hotel Tudor is only a block away. Singles (with bath!) are only $3.50, and the hotel's location in Tudor City means plenty of lovely scenery for an evening stroll. When you return, comfortable chairs, innerspring mattresses, maple furniture and even venetian blinds will greet you and make sure you sleep soundly in the center of the city.

The Hotel Tudor today...

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Tags: Vintage NYC Hotels / 1950s Manhattan Hotels / Hotel History / Biltmore Hotels / → All Tags

The Biltmore Hotel Is No More, But Its Sisters Live On

We devote more than enough ink to Manhattan Hotels, but what about the days when hotels first started tuning their cool? Thanks to an old tourist brochure from 1953, we're exploring back in the day versus today, for NYC hotels.

Back in the day:
Step off your train at Grand Central Station and right into your bed at The Biltmore Hotel, since it's adjoining the station along with its sister hotels The Commodore and The Roosevelt. But before calling it a night (room rates of $6-$8), how about unpacking your swimsuit for a dip in one of the first indoor swimming pools, or your smoking jacket for a highball and cigar at the Men's Bar. Relax before tomorrow's big meeting with a lobster and a pretty girl in the Madison Room; the Biltmore has it all.

The Biltmore today...

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Tags: Vintage NYC Hotels / 1950s Manhattan Hotels / Hotel History / → All Tags

The Hotel Edison Of 1953 Is The Edison Of Now, With Air-Conditioning Even

Where: 228 West 47th Street [map], New York, ny, United States

We devote more than enough ink to Manhattan Hotels, but what about the days when hotels first started tuning their cool? Thanks to an old tourist brochure from 1953, we're exploring back in the day versus today, for NYC hotels.

Back in the day:
As one of the city's newest hotels (if you count being built in 1931 when it's now 1953 new), the Hotel Edison boasts luxurious modern comforts like radios, private baths, and dining rooms air-conditioned with circulating ice water. It's also home to the famous Green Room, where the city's glitterati spin in their best evening gowns to the live orchestra. Don't forget that Times Square is around the corner, with all the lights of Broadway.

The Hotel Edison today...

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Tags: Vintage NYC Hotels / 1950s Manhattan Hotels / Hotel History / Marriott Hotels / → All Tags

NYC's Marriott Marquis Was The Hotel Piccadilly In 1953

Where: 227 West 45th Street [map], New York, ny, United States, 10036

We devote more than enough ink to Manhattan Hotels, but what about the days when hotels first started tuning their cool? Thanks to an old tourist brochure from 1953, we're exploring back in the day versus today, for NYC hotels.

Back in the day:
Look at how fancy the Hotel Piccadilly is; doesn't it just remind you of London? It's home to the famous Piccadilly Circus Lounge, and "New York's smorgasbord sensation," the Scandia restaurants. 600 rooms with private baths and radios for your glitzy New York stay, and televisions are available. Only $4.50 for a single room and $7 a double means more money for stepping out on Broadway.

The Hotel Piccadilly today...

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The Park Sheraton Hotel in 1953: In-Room TVs at No Extra Charge

We devote more than enough ink to Manhattan Hotels, but what about the days when hotels first started tuning their cool? Thanks to an old tourist brochure from 1953, we're exploring back in the day versus today, for NYC hotels.

Back in the day:
Oh my gosh! The dandy Park Sheraton Hotel at 202 West 56th Street now has television in every room, and it won't even cost a slid tip to the bellhop. There's 1,450 rooms in this baby opened in 1927, but still a chance that you might bump into famous faces like residents Jackie Gleason, Mae West, and Eleanor Roosevelt. Be sure to order a Manhattan in the famous Mermaid Room, and enjoy washing up with "running ice water."

The Park Sheraton today...

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