January 17, 2006

Waldorf=Astoria plans new spa, ballroom renovation

As New York's grand Waldorf=Astoria will begin lending its name to other five-star properties in a management deal announced today by its owner Hilton hotels, the Jazz Age-era Midtown landmark is undergoing renovations that will tony up and expand the spa, fully renovate the main ballroom, add 42-inch plasmas TV to all suites and upgrade electrical and data services in every room.

Eric Long, the general manager of the Waldorf=Astoria and The Waldorf Towers, outlined the hotel's capital improvements during an interview with NewYorkology this morning in the hotel's recently renovated and re-opened Peacock Alley.

Long said the hotel plans to spend $49 million on about 46 capital projects this year, (about the same number undertaken in 2005 with a price tag in the "mid-20" millions, he said,) the largest of which is the 14,000-sqaure-foot spa, which will be operated by the hotel. The new spa will add luxury, great common areas, and at least 10 treatment rooms. The plan is to make it exceptional. "We're not going to put in just another spa," Long said.

The existing spa will remain open throughout, with the new facility scheduled to open in early 2007.

The major project scheduled for 2007 at the Waldorf=Astoria is a complete renovation of the Hilton Ballroom, located near the Park Avenue entrance. Gold leaf and plaster-cast fixtures will be touched up, all the drapery, carpets and wall coverings will be replaced and the kitchen will be upgraded. Long said there have been three minor investments into the ballroom in the 12 years he's been at the hotel, but it's probably been 20 years since a major renovation has taken place.

The hotel is accelerating its infrastructure improvements, which already include free wi-fi in the hotel's public spaces and port connectivity in all rooms.

The busy capital improvement schedule, which currently stretches through 2010, comes on the heels of the Waldorf's "most successful year ever," Long said. The Waldorf occupancy rate was in the mid-90 percent range for all of 2005, making them the busiest hotel in the city for the past several years, Long said.

When the Waldorf=Astoria opened on October 1, 1931, it was the world's largest and tallest hotel. It has been owned by Hilton since 1949.

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January 17, 2006 11:43 AM in Architecture, Hotelology, Midtown

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