Historic and Traditional Hotels in New York City

In the 17th century, Dutch and later English taverns and inns were the usual place used as accommodation for travelers in Manhattan. The 18th-century Fraunces Tavern is historically the most famous tavern in New York.

More: Early Taverns in New York ►

In the last decades of the 18th century, the industrial revolution drove the construction of many hotels and boarding houses in the City of New York, including the fashionable City Hotel that opened in 1794, at 123 Broadway. It occupied the whole block bounded by Cedar, Temple, and Thames Streets.

New York hotel industry momentum continued through the 19th century. In 1827, the elegant Adelphi House opened its doors in Bowling Green, in a six-story building above ground, a kind of skyscraper of the time.

About 1831, the historic Holt's Hotel opened its doors, also a six-story building, the largest hotel in the United States. It was the first hotel to provide its guests with a lift for their luggage. Food was raised from the kitchen by a steam engine of 12 horse power.

In 1836, John Jacob Astor opened its iconic Astor House on Broadway.

The six-story St. Nicholas Hotel, considered to be the largest in the world, opened its door in 1853. The New York Times reported (August 24, 1853) that the Pearl-street House was seven stories high when it burned down the day before.

In 1859, the Fifth Avenue Hotel building was completed. It had an entire block of frontage between 23rd Street and 24th Street. It was the first hotel in the United States to be equipped with passenger elevator. It also offered private bathrooms. Passenger elevators were fundamental for the rise of the early skyscrapers in New York City, in the 1870s.

In 1868, the Grand Hotel opened its doors on Broadway, with six above-ground stories plus a two-story mansard roof. Gilsey House opened in 1871. In 1873, the seven-story Hotel Windsor opened at 575 Fifth Avenue, corner of East 47th Street. It was then one of most comfortable hotels in New York. It burned down in 1899. In 1878, the nine-story Park Avenue Hotel opened its doors, being one of the tallest hotels in New York City. It was located in Park Avenue, between 32nd and 33rd Streets. The 12-story Chelsea opened its doors in 1884 as a cooperative apartment house and became the tallest hotel in New York. In 1893, the Hotel Netherland was completed on Fifth Avenue, claiming to be the tallest hotel in the world with 17 stories.

The Old Waldorf Hotel was completed in 1893 and joined the Astoria Hotel, in 1897, to became the Waldorf-Astoria. It was razed in 1929 to make way for construction of the Empire State Building. The current Waldorf-Astoria New York, was built on Park Avenue in 1931, being the greatest hotel edifice of the time.

There was a hotel boom at the turn of the century. In 1906, Belmont Hotel was completed on Park Avenue, claiming to be the tallest in the world with 22 stories. In 1907, Plaza Hotel opened its doors, at Fifth Avenue and Central Park South, to became one of the most fashionable hotels in New York City.

In the 20th century, much of the hotel industry has become multinational companies, with hotel chains. Large, traditional hotels have been incorporated into them.

Historic Hotels in New York City:

• Algonquin, 44th Street ►

• Adelphi Hotel, Bowling Green ►

• Albemarle Hotel, Madison Square West ►

• Ansonia ►

• Astor House ►

• Barbizon Hotel ►

• Barbizon Plaza ►

• Belmont Hotel ►

• Benjamin, East 50th St. and Lex. Ave. ►

• Biltmore Hotel ►

• Bolkenhayn Apartments ►