Plaza Athénée, New York

Plaza Athénée, New York was a luxury hotel property at 37 East 64th Street between Park Avenue and Madison Avenue on Manhattan's Upper East Side. The building originated as the Alrae Hotel, an apartment-hotel that opened in 1927. Designed by architect George F. Pelham, it was a seventeen-story property combining long-term residential accommodation with hotel-style services, a format that was characteristic of New York's apartment-hotels during the early twentieth century. The property changed hands several times during the middle of the century. Louis Schleifer acquired it in July 1950 and sold it the following year to the Ira Fischer Syndicate. Its most important transformation came after Trusthouse Forte Hotels purchased the building in 1981. Forte undertook a comprehensive gut renovation, converting the older apartment-hotel into a contemporary luxury hotel. The renovated property reopened in September 1984 with 160 rooms under the name Hotel Plaza Athénée. The name referenced the celebrated Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris, which was also associated with Trusthouse Forte at that time. The New York hotel was positioned as an intimate, upscale European-style property rather than as a large convention hotel. Its offering included guest rooms and suites in a prestigious residential neighborhood, as well as La Régence, an elegant French restaurant supervised by chef Daniel Boulud. The restaurant helped connect the property to New York's fine-dining culture and reinforced the hotel's French-inspired identity. Corporate ownership changed again in the 1990s. Granada plc acquired Forte in 1996 and subsequently sold the New York property in 1997 to TCC Group, controlled by Thai businessman Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi. The transaction was reported at £42.5 million. After operating for several decades as Hotel Plaza Athénée, the property closed on March 26, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The supplied reference material does not document a reopening under the original name. A planned redevelopment of the site calls for reopening in 2026 as Plaza Athenee Nobu Hotel and Spa New York. The proposed project is a joint venture between Sirivadhanabhakdi's Asset World Corp Public Company Limited and Nobu Hospitality. The planned hotel is expected to have 145 rooms and to add a traditional Japanese onsen, spa, wellness center, Nobu omakase restaurant, bar and lounge, and rooftop reception space. This planned identity would represent a new operating concept on the same Manhattan property rather than a simple continuation of the former 160-room Hotel Plaza Athénée. The historical Hotel Plaza Athénée brand is therefore treated here as discontinued, while the announced successor remains a redevelopment project.

The property now associated with Plaza Athénée, New York began operation in 1927 as the Alrae Hotel. It was designed by George F. Pelham and developed in the apartment-hotel tradition, offering a combination of residential-style accommodation and hotel services. The seventeen-story building stands at 37 East 64th Street, between Park Avenue and Madison Avenue on Manhattan's Upper East Side, an area known for high-end residential buildings, cultural institutions, and luxury hospitality. Ownership changed during the postwar period. Louis Schleifer purchased the property in July 1950 and resold it in June 1951 to the Ira Fischer Syndicate. The reference material does not identify the hotel's operators during all of this period, but the building continued its role as an apartment-hotel before undergoing a major change in use and identity in the 1980s. Trusthouse Forte Hotels acquired the property in 1981. The company completely gutted and renovated the building as a luxury hotel, a substantial repositioning rather than a cosmetic refurbishment. It reopened in September 1984 with 160 rooms as Hotel Plaza Athénée. The name was taken from the renowned Paris hotel of the same name, which was another Trusthouse Forte property at the time. The New York version therefore entered the market with a deliberately French and European association while remaining rooted in the Upper East Side's residential setting. The hotel included La Régence, a French restaurant supervised by chef Daniel Boulud. Its restaurant operation gave the property a significant culinary component and supported its positioning as an upscale, full-service hotel. The available reference material does not provide a complete list of room categories, facilities, or later restaurant operators, so those details are not expanded here. The ownership structure changed again in the 1990s. Granada plc purchased Forte in 1996. In 1997, Granada sold the hotel to TCC Group, associated with Thai billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, in a transaction reported at £42.5 million. This sale transferred the property away from the Forte and Granada corporate lineage while preserving the Hotel Plaza Athénée identity for the following period of operation. The hotel closed on March 26, 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted travel and hotel operations. The reference material does not establish that the original hotel subsequently resumed business. Instead, it identifies a planned redevelopment and rebranding as Plaza Athenee Nobu Hotel and Spa New York, scheduled to reopen in 2026. The proposed project is described as a joint venture between Asset World Corp Public Company Limited, linked to Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, and Nobu Hospitality. The planned successor is expected to contain 145 rooms, fewer than the former hotel's 160 rooms, and to introduce a distinctly different service mix. Proposed facilities include a traditional Japanese onsen, a spa, a wellness center, a Nobu omakase restaurant, a bar and lounge, and a rooftop reception space. This plan would combine Nobu's Japanese dining and hospitality identity with the existing property's Manhattan location. It is best understood as a successor development rather than evidence that the historical Hotel Plaza Athénée remains active under its former name.

• 2026

  Planned Nobu-branded reopening

  [1]Hotel Plaza Athénée (New York City)en.wikipedia.org

  The site is scheduled to reopen as Plaza Athenee Nobu Hotel and Spa New York with 145 rooms and expanded dining and wellness facilities.

• 2020

  Operations cease during the pandemic

  [1]Hotel Plaza Athénée (New York City)en.wikipedia.org

  The hotel closes on March 26 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

• 1997

  Sale to TCC Group

  [1]Hotel Plaza Athénée (New York City)en.wikipedia.org

  The property is sold to TCC Group for a reported £42.5 million.

• 1996

  Forte is acquired by Granada

  [1]Hotel Plaza Athénée (New York City)en.wikipedia.org

  Granada plc acquires Forte, placing the hotel within Granada's hospitality portfolio before its subsequent sale.

• 1984

  Reopening as Hotel Plaza Athénée

  [1]Hotel Plaza Athénée (New York City)en.wikipedia.org

  Following a complete gut renovation, the property reopens in September with 160 rooms under the Hotel Plaza Athénée name.

• 1981

  Trusthouse Forte acquires the hotel

  [1]Hotel Plaza Athénée (New York City)en.wikipedia.org

  Trusthouse Forte Hotels purchases the property and begins a comprehensive conversion into a luxury hotel.

• 1951

  Sale to the Ira Fischer Syndicate

  [1]Hotel Plaza Athénée (New York City)en.wikipedia.org

  Schleifer resells the property to the Ira Fischer Syndicate in June.

• 1950

  Louis Schleifer acquires the property

  [1]Hotel Plaza Athénée (New York City)en.wikipedia.org

  Louis Schleifer purchases the Alrae Hotel in July.

• 1927

  The Alrae Hotel opens

  [1]Hotel Plaza Athénée (New York City)en.wikipedia.org

  The seventeen-story apartment-hotel designed by George F. Pelham opens at 37 East 64th Street in Manhattan.

An Upper East Side luxury hotel with a French-inspired identity, residential scale, and fine-dining orientation. The planned successor shifts the positioning toward a hybrid Japanese hospitality, dining, spa, and wellness concept.

• Luxury hotel accommodation · 1984

  Hotel Plaza Athénée guest rooms and suites

  The principal offering of the renovated property was upscale hotel accommodation in a seventeen-story Upper East Side building. The hotel reopened in 1984 with 160 rooms, combining a relatively intimate scale with a luxury positioning and a location close to Park Avenue and Madison Avenue.

• French restaurant · 1984

  La Régence

  La Régence was the hotel's French restaurant and was supervised by chef Daniel Boulud. Its presence gave the property a prominent fine-dining component and reinforced the French identity implied by the Plaza Athénée name.

• Hotel redevelopment · 2026

  Plaza Athenee Nobu Hotel and Spa New York

  The planned successor is designed as a 145-room hotel combining accommodation with Japanese and wellness-oriented amenities. Announced components include a traditional Japanese onsen, spa, wellness center, Nobu omakase restaurant, bar and lounge, and rooftop reception space.

• 2026

  Planned launch of Plaza Athenee Nobu Hotel and Spa New YorkProduct launch

  Background

  The closed hotel site is being repositioned through a collaboration between Asset World Corp and Nobu Hospitality.

  Action taken

  The planned successor will offer 145 rooms together with an onsen, spa, wellness center, Nobu omakase restaurant, bar and lounge, and rooftop reception space.

  Aftermath

  If completed, the project will replace the former French-oriented hotel concept with a Japanese dining and wellness-led hospitality model.

  Source

• 2020

  Closure during the COVID-19 pandemicStrategy

  Background

  The pandemic severely disrupted hotel operations and international and domestic travel.

  Action taken

  Hotel Plaza Athénée closed on March 26, 2020.

  Aftermath

  The reference material does not document a reopening under the original name; the site was instead associated with a planned redevelopment and rebranding.

  Source

• 1997

  Sale from Granada to TCC GroupM&A

  Background

  After Granada plc acquired Forte in 1996, the New York hotel was sold as part of a change in ownership.

  Action taken

  Granada sold the property to TCC Group for a reported £42.5 million.

  Aftermath

  The hotel moved into the ownership associated with Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi and later became part of a proposed Asset World Corp and Nobu Hospitality redevelopment.

  Reported sale price. £42.5 million (1997)

  Source

• 1981

  Conversion from apartment-hotel to luxury hotelStrategy

  Background

  Trusthouse Forte acquired the older Alrae Hotel property and pursued a complete gut renovation rather than maintaining its previous apartment-hotel format.

  Action taken

  The building was extensively renovated and relaunched in 1984 as the 160-room Hotel Plaza Athénée.

  Aftermath

  The project established the property's modern luxury-hotel identity and introduced the Plaza Athénée name to the New York market.

  Source

1. 1Hotel Plaza Athénée (New York City)en.wikipedia.org