The New Plaza Hotel: 'It's Kind of Empty-Looking Now'

Camera-wielding tourists, a smattering of ladies who lunch, and a few nostalgic locals milled around the newly renovated Plaza Hotel this afternoon, two days after the iconic landmark re-opened following a three-year, $400 million renovation.

The Plaza’s new owners, El-Ad Properties, gave the famous Palm Court restaurant a $15 million makeover, and a spruced-up Oak Bar will open again this spring, but only 130 of the 800 original hotel rooms remain.

About 60 percent of the original hotel has been converted to condos so the public spaces of the Plaza redux are smaller, less gaudy, and as one tourist remarked to her husband upon exiting the hotel’s revolving door “kind of stuffy.”

The red brocade and gold and accents of the lobby have given way to white marble flooring with a subtle-mosaic border. The stairway at the Fifth Avenue entrance, however, still appears to be covered in the original (worn) red carpeting.

The dozen or so customers in the new Champagne Bar off the lobby did not seem to mind the more formal atmosphere, the gloved bartender wearing white tie, or the intermittent construction drilling drowning out the classic music playing in the background.

That being said, most of Monday’s visitors seemed to be only passing through. Jared Pingley, a 19-year-old from Virginia, visited the Plaza after a morning trip to Yankee Stadium. He said he approved of the renovation, but admitted that he’d only seen the Plaza in the movie Home Alone.

Laetitia Himinez used to work part-time in the Star and Frost jewelry store over 20 years ago after Ivana Trump had completed another high-profile hotel redesign. She has been looking forward to seeing the renovations since she heard the Plaza would reopen.

“It’s beautiful, but I miss the flower arrangement that used to be on the table when you walked in,” she said, gesturing to the entrance foyer. “I loved those flowers. In my opinion it's kind of empty-looking now.”

Ms. Himinez remembers a much busier Plaza filled with hotel guests, shops, and a tea room that was always full—only a few tables were occupied Monday afternoon.

Her companion, Michael O’Leary, agreed that the new Plaza is “beautiful but empty.”

“I remember Trader Vic’s downstairs," he said. "Once, I saw Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol at the bar just having drinks like everyone else."

The Plaza said it has received positive reviews about the renovation from returning guests and first-time customers alike. A representative said the Plaza doesn’t comment on vacancy rates, but added that 80 rooms (starting at $1,000 per night) are currently available.