There are hotels in New York City that became prominent in the 1940s and 1950s for luxury, style and grace, and that still are going strong today. The hotels were built and modeled to provide high-class accommodations for visitors, some of them famous celebrities, and the architecture, amenities and service of the hotels helped to shape the standards of today's hotel industry.
Hilton Waldorf-Astoria
The Waldorf-Astoria is a luxury hotel that was originally built in the late 1800s. Conrad Hilton purchased the hotel in 1949 and turned it into a notable luxury hotel. The hotel occupies an entire block between Park Avenue and Lexington Avenue. The official website explains that the Waldorf-Astoria is a 47-story art deco building that was recognized as an official landmark in 1993. The Waldorf-Astoria was the first hotel to offer room service to guests. The hotel has 1,245 guest rooms and 197 suites. Each of the rooms contains a marble-floored bathroom and is individually decorated. The hotel is in walking distance from Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Radio City Music Hall and shopping on Fifth Avenue.
The Barbizon Hotel
The Barbizon Hotel, now named the Melrose Hotel, was built in the 1920s as a luxury hotel that only hosted female guests. The NYC Architecture website explains that the hotel is a sandstone and brick high rise that is located at 63rd Street and Lexington Avenue. The hotel gained renown in the 1940s and 1950s, and some notable guests have included Grace Kelly, Liza Minelli, Candace Bergen and Joan Crawford. The Barbizon was designed with Italian Renaissance inspiration. It was known as the most upscale hotel residence for women who were living in the city to obtain a career. Men were not allowed beyond the second floor of the hotel and were not accepted as guests until 1981. The hotel has luxury rooms and suites, personal service and a tile mosaic pool.
Hotel Edison
The Hotel Edison was built in 1931 and quickly became a well-known luxury hotel in New York. In the 1950s, it offered guests a variety of amenities not common everywhere for the times, including air-conditioned dining rooms, circulating ice water, showers, baths, radios and televisions. The Edison has 1,000 rooms and is decorated in art deco style. The hotel is centrally located in the heart of Manhattan on 47th Street, within walking distance of Broadway, Times Square, St. Patrick's Cathedral and Rockefeller Center. In the 1940s and 1950s the Edison gained fame for its Green Room bar, where big bands and entertainers performed. It is still a historical luxury hotel today.
Tags: luxury hotel, 1940s 1950s, Barbizon Hotel, explains that, Hotel Edison, hotel that, Lexington Avenue
