Editorial score of 9.1 of 10, the composite average of the three factors above (Rooms, Service, Location). Method at our methodology page. Affiliate disclosure: booking links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you, and never change our verdict.
Why is The Plaza an icon worth booking?
The Plaza is worth booking because no other New York hotel carries the same weight of place. It opened in 1907 on the corner where Fifth Avenue meets Central Park South, a French Renaissance chateau built to read like a castle at the edge of the park, and it has been a National Historic Landmark and a fixed point in the city's imagination ever since. The address itself is part of the product: you are staying inside a building that has appeared in films, novels and a hundred years of New York history, at the exact hinge where the shopping spine of Fifth Avenue turns into the green expanse of Central Park. For a first New York trip, an anniversary or a milestone you want to feel monumental, the sense of occasion starts before you reach the room.
The hotel is managed by Fairmont, part of Accor, and trades formally as The Plaza, A Fairmont Managed Hotel. Behind the landmark facade sit 282 rooms, including 102 suites, with 24-hour butler service that is a genuine differentiator rather than a marketing line. The Royal Suite is one of the largest hotel suites in New York, and even the standard rooms lean grand, with high ceilings, chandeliers and mosaic-tiled bathrooms in the classic Plaza vocabulary. This is not a minimalist modern tower; it is a restored Gilded Age hotel that wants you to feel the history, and on that promise it delivers more completely than almost anywhere else in the city.
Two honest caveats keep it at number six rather than higher. Parts of the building are privately owned condominium and hotel-condo inventory, so the decor and upkeep of individual rooms can vary more than at a single-owner five-star, and it pays to be specific about the category you book. The lobby and The Palm Court are also busy public draws in their own right, so the ground floor can feel more like a landmark you share with the city than a private retreat. Set expectations for a living monument rather than a hushed sanctuary, budget for premium rates, and The Plaza rewards the choice.
What are the best rooms and suites?
Request a Central Park view and, if the budget allows, a named suite, because at The Plaza the room is where the history becomes personal. The 282 rooms and 102 suites share the hotel's restored Gilded Age vocabulary of high ceilings, crystal chandeliers, hand-painted trim and mosaic-tiled bathrooms with deep soaking tubs, but the experience shifts sharply with the view. Rooms and suites facing north over Central Park South put the park at your window, while others look across the city or into the light well, so the outlook is the single most important thing to confirm when you book. The upper-floor park-view suites are the ones people remember, and for a proposal or an anniversary the step up is worth it.
Two suites carry their own following. The Eloise Suite, inspired by the Kay Thompson children's-book character who lived at the Plaza, is decorated in the character's signature pink and is one of the most requested rooms in the hotel, particularly for families and for guests who grew up with the books. At the top of the range, the Royal Suite is one of the largest hotel suites in New York, a multi-bedroom apartment with the kind of space and finish reserved for heads of state and headline celebrations. Between the two extremes sit a broad range of one-bedroom and junior suites that give you the butler service and the address without the top-tier rate.
The honest caveat from the overview applies most directly here. Because parts of The Plaza are privately owned condo and hotel-condo inventory, the furnishing and upkeep of individual rooms can be less consistent than at a hotel with a single owner and one refurbishment cycle, and not every room delivers the Central Park view that the name conjures. The fix is simple: book a specific, clearly described category, confirm the aspect you want in writing, and lean on the concierge and butler team, who are the property's strongest asset, to match you to the right room for the occasion.
Ask specifically for a high-floor room facing Central Park South for the park view, and book The Palm Court afternoon tea in advance, because it sells out well ahead on weekends and around the holidays. Travelling with children? Request the Eloise Suite early, and let the butler team arrange a park carriage ride from the front door.
What is the dining like?
Dining at The Plaza is anchored by two rooms that are destinations in their own right. The Palm Court is the heart of the hotel and the setting for its famous afternoon tea, served beneath a restored stained-glass laylight ceiling that floods the room with soft light. Taking tea here is one of the classic New York rituals, a procession of finger sandwiches, scones and pastries under the glass, and it draws locals and visitors alike, so a reservation is essential. It is the room that best captures what The Plaza is: grand, public, unmistakably of the city, and open to anyone who books a table rather than a suite.
The other signature room is The Champagne Bar, which overlooks Fifth Avenue and the Pulitzer Fountain at the hotel's Grand Army Plaza corner. By night it pours champagne, caviar and wines with a view straight out onto one of the most photographed corners in Manhattan; by day it turns to pastries and coffee, so the same handsome room works for an early cappuccino and an evening glass with equal ease. Between the tea in The Palm Court and a nightcap at The Champagne Bar you can bracket a full day in New York without leaving the building, and both rooms trade heavily on the sense of theatre that the address provides.
Signature amenities
On Fifth Avenue at Central Park
Central Park South at Fifth Avenue
What's nearby
- Central Park
At the front door1 min walk - Fifth Avenue shopping
Adjacent1 min walk - Bergdorf Goodman
Luxury department store2 min walk - Museum of Modern Art
MoMA10 min walk - Columbus Circle
Time Warner shops10 min walk - Metropolitan Museum of Art
Museum Mile15 min walk
Is it good for families?
Yes, The Plaza is one of the more genuinely family-friendly grand hotels in New York, and the location does much of the work. Central Park begins at the front door, so a morning walk, the zoo, the carousel or a row on the lake are all a few minutes away, and horse-drawn carriages wait at the entrance for the ride children remember most. The large suites give families room to spread out rather than crowd into a single room, and the 24-hour butler service takes the friction out of travelling with children, from unpacking to arranging strollers, cribs and early meals.
The clinching detail is The Eloise Suite, inspired by the Kay Thompson children's-book character who lived at the Plaza. Generations of children have grown up with Eloise's Plaza, and staying in her suite, or simply taking tea in The Palm Court where the stories are set, turns a hotel stay into part of the trip's story. Add Fifth Avenue toy stores and Bergdorf Goodman a block or two away and MoMA within a ten-minute walk, and the hotel works as a base for a family New York itinerary as easily as for a couple's weekend.
The facade, the Palm Court, the suites
Facade
Park-view suite
The Palm Court
LobbyHow does The Plaza compare with New York's other landmark hotels?
Against the field, The Plaza is the historic Fifth Avenue landmark, the choice when the address and the sense of occasion matter as much as the room. Mandarin Oriental, New York is the modern alternative, a Columbus Circle tower with Central Park views, a pool and strong meeting space, but contemporary rather than storied. The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel offers old-New-York romance and the legendary Bemelmans Bar on the Upper East Side, quieter and off the park. The Mark Hotel, also on the Upper East Side, leads on rooms, restaurant and service, but its address is residential rather than iconic. The Plaza's own trade-off is that its condo-hotel inventory means decor can vary, the public spaces are busy, and rates sit at the premium end.
| Hotel | Style | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Plaza Hotel | Historic Fifth Avenue landmark | Iconic address, families, afternoon tea | Condo-hotel decor varies; busy public spaces; premium rates |
| Mandarin Oriental, New York | Columbus Circle tower | Central Park views, pool, meetings | Modern, not historic |
| The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel | Upper East Side landmark | Old-New-York romance, Bemelmans Bar | Quieter, off the park |
| The Mark Hotel | Upper East Side five-star | Rooms, restaurant, service | Residential, less iconic address |
Frequently asked questions
When did The Plaza open and what style is the building?
The Plaza opened in 1907 and is a National Historic Landmark built in the French Renaissance chateau style, on the corner where Fifth Avenue meets Central Park South. It has anchored the southeast corner of Central Park for more than a century and remains one of the most recognisable buildings in New York.
How many rooms and suites does The Plaza have?
The Plaza has 282 rooms, including 102 suites, and is operated as The Plaza, A Fairmont Managed Hotel under Accor. Twenty-four-hour butler service comes with the stay, and the Royal Suite is one of the largest hotel suites in New York.
What are the restaurants and bars at The Plaza?
The Palm Court is the setting for afternoon tea under a restored stained-glass laylight ceiling, and The Champagne Bar overlooks Fifth Avenue and the Pulitzer Fountain, serving champagne, caviar and wines by night and pastries and coffee by day.
Is The Plaza good for families?
Yes. Central Park begins at the front door, horse-drawn carriages wait at the entrance, and the large suites suit families. The Eloise Suite, inspired by the Kay Thompson children's-book character who lived at the Plaza, is one of the most requested rooms.
Where is The Plaza located?
The Plaza is at 768 Fifth Avenue, on Central Park South at Fifth Avenue. Fifth Avenue shopping is adjacent, Bergdorf Goodman is a two-minute walk, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art is about fifteen minutes on foot.
Other luxury stays in New York
Columbus CircleMandarin Oriental, New York
Upper East SideThe Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel
Upper East Side