The Plaza
New York, United States
The château on Central Park that Eloise made famous.
Since 1907 The Plaza has been the backdrop to New York's biggest moments, real and imagined, from the Beatles' first American press conference to Eloise's fictional rampages down its corridors. To stay here is to check into the city's collective memory.
A gut renovation in the 2000s restored the mosaic floors and 24-carat gold-plated fixtures while quietly modernising everything behind the walls. The result is a hotel that photographs like 1907 and runs like today.
The Verdict
It's touristy, and it knows it. But ask for a room facing Central Park, take tea in the Palm Court, and you'll understand why this particular château has stayed famous for well over a century.
Afternoon tea in the Palm Court under the restored stained-glass ceiling, a New York ritual that has survived a full century.
You May Also Like
Wilderness LodgeExplora Patagonia
Inside Torres del Paine National Park, an all-inclusive base camp for serious hikers, with guided treks by day and a spa over the water by night.
From $2,600 / night
Design OutpostFogo Island Inn
On stilts at the far edge of Newfoundland, a social-enterprise hotel where every dollar goes back into the community and every window frames raw, roaring ocean.
From $1,975 / night
Hollywood LegendThe Beverly Hills Hotel
Bungalows, banana-leaf wallpaper, and a poolside where studio history was written. A touch faded now, but the myth is fully intact.
From $850 / night