Once the largest hotel in the world and the first to put luxury touches within reach of the traveling masses. Now, with two of three phases complete of a top-to-bottom transformation, a New York classic is once again turning heads for all the right reasons. The 1,705-room Hotel Pennsylvania, a marvel of innovation at its 1919 opening, is reinventing itself at 100 with a redesign that represents an evolution of its history, balancing the best of its original features with modern comforts and a fresh new aesthetic.
The next step of Hotel Pennsylvania’s transformation has introduced 230 fully modernized, expansive guest rooms on the 14th and 16th floors of the 22-story hotel and follows the April 2019 completion of 430 rooms. The renovation continues with a third phase, encompassing the hotel’s expansive suites, including the addition of a new Executive floor, public spaces and event spaces, that is slated for completion in early 2021.
The Penn Plaza Collection, as the new rooms are known, features a soothing, contemporary palette of white and pale beige warmed by wood furnishings with sleek modern lines. All have brand-new fittings, carpeting, oversized wall-mounted HD televisions and rejuvenated bathrooms that have retained their original subway tiles and cast-iron bathtubs. Other original touches include the Servidors that were pioneered at Hotel Pennsylvania and can now only be found at two other U.S. hotels. Also called valet doors, the Servidors were installed at the entrance to guest rooms and featured an interior compartment with access both from the hallway and inside the guest room. It allowed guests to drop off their shoes and laundry for the bellman to retrieve and return to the same compartment the following day. Hotel Pennsylvania has preserved these doors in all of its redesigned guest rooms as a nod to the hotel’s legacy of innovation.
Elevator landings on select guest floors have also been reimagined as combined lounge and co-working spaces, which have been fitted with communal tables artisanally crafted from reclaimed materials. In addition, an original Pantry Room on the 12th floor has been transformed into a historical display area that guests can view through a glass wall. Inside are artifacts from the hotel’s heyday, including a laundry “mangle” that was used to squeeze water out of linens before pressing, an original room service phone, a space with pneumatic tubs to place the orders, the hotel industry’s first-ever refrigerator, and a Smithsonian-worthy all-copper fire extinguisher.
Ranking fourth in size among New York hotels, Hotel Pennsylvania’s prime Midtown location offers an unbeatable destination. Situated directly across from major sporting and entertainment events at Madison Square Garden as well as bustling Penn Station, the busiest railroad station in the world, and just a block from the original Macy’s, the world’s largest store. Also, within easy reach are The Empire State Building, Times Square and the newly developed neighborhood on Manhattan’s West Side, Hudson Yards. The hotel is also conveniently located near The Farley Building – the former James A. Farley Post Office – which is being transformed into a creative office hub. Hotel Pennsylvania has remained independent throughout its 100-year history.
