In the city that never sleeps, a legendary hotel beckons once more.

Photographs by Matt Dutile

Left to right: Concierge Mina Loutfalla; the upstairs dining room of Lex Yard at the Waldorf Astoria New York.

There are few things New Yorkers love more than a comeback story, and the lavishly restored Waldorf Astoria may be one for the books. After an eight-year tip-to-toe renovation that came in at a whopping US$2 billion, the historic hotel is once again ready to dazzle a new generation.

Open since mid-July, the iconic hotel, long a crossroads of style, splendor, and celebrity, has been reinvigorated for the modern traveler by architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and high-profile designer Pierre-Yves Rochon. I checked in for a night, curious to see if some of the magic of the property’s earlier days had also been rebottled. After a restorative 24 hours of plush Frette linens, delicious food, lively people-watching, and art deco Easter eggs galore, I had my answer: absolutely.

“With a landmark as storied as the Waldorf Astoria New York, authenticity has always been our guiding principle,” emphasized Luigi Romaniello, the hotel’s managing director. “It was essential that we honored the building’s heritage while breathing new life into it for today’s travelers.”

That heritage, landmarked by the city more than three decades ago, stretches back to 1893, with the opening of the Waldorf Hotel at Fifth Avenue and 33rd Street. William Waldorf Astor built the glamorous first iteration directly beside his Aunt Caroline Schermerhorn Astor’s mansion—a pointed move in an ongoing family feud. Her son, John Jacob Astor IV, countered by constructing his own hotel, The Astoria, right next door. By 1897, cooler heads prevailed, the family made peace, and a long corridor was built to join the two hotels.

Soon after its completion, the newly rechristened Waldorf-Astoria quickly became the place to see and be seen. On any given evening, celebrities and socialites strutted the latest fashions along its grand corridor, earning the passageway the moniker Peacock Alley. A fixture of New York’s social scene from the Gilded Age through the Roaring Twenties, the hotel remained a symbol of opulence until it was sold and demolished to make way for the Empire State Building.

Left to right: The Waldorf Astoria New York’s Park Avenue entrance; an archival photo of the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel circa 1910.

Left to right: One of the restored murals in the Silver Corridor, a gallery that connects the Waldorf Astoria’s event venues; a butler delivering room-service breakfast.

In 1930, deep in the Great Depression, construction began on a new Waldorf Astoria, this time spanning an entire city block between 49th and 50th Streets at Lexington and Park. When the 47-story hotel reopened a year later, it was the tallest and largest in the world. Many of its most enduring icons date from this era, including the gilded Waldorf Astoria Clock, originally crafted for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, and Icelandic artist Nína Sæmundsson’s Spirit of Achievement statue, whose outstretched wings still rise above the Park Avenue entrance.

Over the following decades, the Waldorf cemented its reputation as a central pillar of New York society. Its opulent Grand Ballroom, gleaming Silver Corridor, and muraled Basildon Room hosted everything from the first Tony Awards to a pre-birthday gala for President John F. Kennedy. The hotel became a favorite retreat for celebrities from Marilyn Monroe to Cole Porter, who lived in its residences for three decades and left behind his beloved Steinway grand piano.

Conrad Hilton, who famously dubbed the Waldorf Astoria the “Greatest of Them All,” acquired management in 1949, with Hilton Corporation taking full ownership in 1972. The hotel lost some of its luster after piecemeal renovations in the late 20th century, and by the early 2000s it had slipped behind the times. In 2014, Anbang Insurance Group acquired the Waldorf Astoria for a record US$1.95 billion and began a sweeping renovation in 2017. Following Anbang’s restructuring, Dajia Insurance Group took over in 2018, ushering the storied property to its grand reopening this year.

Spend a few hours wandering the cavernous interiors and one thing becomes abundantly clear: every facet of the restoration brims with care and attention to detail. In the Silver Corridor, original murals by American impressionist Edward Emerson Simmons now glow in jubilant pastel hues, while the reliefs on the oversize elevator doors gleam beneath crystal chandeliers. Even more spectacular are the ceiling frescoes in the Basildon Room, whose depictions of Dante’s Divine Comedy are vivid once again thanks to the painstaking efforts of conservationists. Nearby in the Park Avenue Foyer, the 148,000-tile Wheel of Life floor mosaic dazzles as it did in the 1930s, flanked by a pair of giant silver urns. And at the heart of it all stands the refreshed Waldorf Astoria Clock in its rightful position at the center of the Peacock Alley lobby lounge, where live music now fills the air on most evenings. It’s all too easy to lose an afternoon amid this art deco splendor, as I happily did.

Each space has been thoughtfully updated: the restored black marble columns and maple-burl panels of Peacock Alley; a redesigned reception area to ease congestion; and a porte cochere on 49th Avenue for discreet arrivals. The result is a harmonious blend of modern convenience and painterly nostalgia.

Thirst slaked by history, I finally sidled up to Peacock Alley’s recessed black marble bar for a rye-based Waldorf Cocktail, admiring the floral and feathered back bar. The drinks program, curated by Jeff Bell of speakeasy Please Don’t Tell (PDT), feels as considered as the decor. Soon my wife, Laura, joined me with a tequila-based Bullfighter in hand, and together we indulged in the pastime this setting most encourages: people-watching. On the Jaipur-blue carpets encircling the clock, New York paraded by in all its timeless theater.

That evening we made for Lex Yard, a brasserie-style restaurant helmed by chef Michael Anthony of New York’s famed Gramercy Tavern. (The hotel’s other dining options are kaiseki– inspired Yoshoku and lighter fare at the Peacock Alley bar). The seasonal menu offered just the right amount of choice. I opted for a delightful fluke tartare and slow-poached halibut in a flavorful beet broth, while Laura enjoyed a chilled cucumber soup and leek ravioli. A shared ice cream sundae with mascarpone chantilly made the perfect finale before we absconded to our room.

Left to right: Slow-poached halibut in a beet broth at Lex Yard; an archival photo of the Silver Corridor.

Left to right: The hotel’s new reception area; a detail from Louis Rigal’s Wheel of Life mosaic.

Left to right: The calm interiors of a Park Avenue Junior Suite; the lower-floor bar and dining room at Lex Yard.

In a city where everything seems to be shrinking tighter every year, the Waldorf Astoria proffers the rarest of luxuries: space. When it closed for renovations in 2017, the hotel boasted a staggering 1,400 rooms. Today, that number has been reduced to 375—each spanning more than 53 square meters—along with a similar number of residences in an adjacent tower.

Our Park Avenue Junior Suite was blissfully quiet thanks to double-glazed windows that blocked out the city’s bustle. A cream-hued oasis in the chaos, it featured a big walk-in shower, soaker tub, and double vanity stocked with Aesop bath products, ensuring maximum refreshment after a day in Manhattan. An enveloping couch was the perfect place to don robes and curl up with tea and a book before sinking into the embrace of Frette bed linens.

The next morning, breakfast in bed at the very establishment credited with inventing 24-hour room service was a must. Between the last bites of eggs Benedict and a smoked salmon tartine, we stole one final glance at our urban sanctuary.

Perhaps what the Waldorf Astoria does best is roll out the red carpet and make every guest feel like a star. While gracious hospitality is expected (though not always delivered) from reception, concierge, and wait staff, even a passing engineer on the way to the lobby proved genuinely warm and charming.

Back on the main floor, while Laura went to ask about the soon-to-open Guerlain Wellness Spa, I took a quick look at the Grand Ballroom. A team moved about the 930-square-meter space, busy with preparations for its first event since the renovation. Red velvet curtains, glittering chandeliers, and silver-leaf accents gleamed as they must have in New York’s grandest days. I could almost see the bold and the beautiful of that era drifting between tables—until a text from Laura broke the spell.

“Spa looks great. Booked a treatment for next month. Where can I find you?” she asked.

There was only one possible reply.

“Meet me at the clock.”

The Waldorf Astoria’s central lobby, with Cole Porter’s piano, the hotel’s iconic clock, and the Peacock Alley Bar.

Left to right: A silver-plated panel on the Waldorf Astoria Clock—originally commissioned by Queen Victoria for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair—depicting the then newly constructed Brooklyn Bridge; pouring a Bullfighter cocktail at the Peacock Alley bar.

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This article originally appeared in the October/November 2025 print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“Waldorf Reborn”). Buy a single issue or subscribe here.

A Night at the Revived Waldorf Astoria New York