Inside The Remade Waldorf Astoria's Posh Residential Amenities

Marilyn Monroe, Mick Jagger and Queen Elizabeth II have all graced the halls of the Waldorf Astoria. Beneath the building is a not-so-secret train track that once routed former Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and George Bush to and from the glitzy New York institution.

But in 2017, the Waldorf shuttered its doors to the public, locking nearly a century of history behind them.

It took eight years and at least $2B — far more than expected — for them to reopen. When they did, a new building emerged from the shell of the old. 

The hotel once had more than 1,400 rooms. They were converted into 375. Above them, 372 for-sale condominiums present, for the first time, an opportunity to live long-term inside the building’s gilded walls.

To complement the residences, sales of which began closing earlier this year, more than 50K SF of private amenities were added. Bisnow was provided a sneak peek at the offerings.

“There’s something surreal about the juxtaposition,” interior designer Jean-Louis Deniot, who was responsible for the residences, said, walking through the mazelike halls of the 25th floor.

The space is inspired by French neoclassicism, creating a sense of nostalgia. It’s the Waldorf of our dreams, the Waldorf of our memories. And yet, none of this was here before.

The showpiece is a swimming pool in place of the Starlight Roof, a supper club that once hosted the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra. A terrace overlooks financiers scurrying up and down Park Avenue. Inside, wellness areas offer spa services, including massages and saunas, and dim bars offer billiard tables.

New columns are adorned with crackled markings. The floor tiles are marked with a subtle pattern that mimics that of a Japanese kimono. Circular windows and mirrors make reference to 1930s yachting expeditions. In the library, the wallpaper is reminiscent of a suit that would have been worn to the Waldorf at that time.

“You won’t see a resident in a suit, so at least they’re on the walls,” Deniot said.

The Waldorf originally opened in 1931 and was already deemed “world-famous” by The New York Times when Conrad Hilton bought it for $3M in 1949. The property became his crown jewel. On his desk, he kept a photo of the hotel, on which he had written “The Greatest of Them All.”

In 2015, Hilton Worldwide Holdings sold it to Anbang Insurance Group for $1.95B. The deal remains the largest single-asset hotel purchase in U.S. history. Hilton continues to be involved in the hotel’s operations under a 100-year management agreement.

Barack Obama became the first to stray from a long tradition of presidents staying in the hotel after the sale, with some raising possible espionage concerns. 

But Anbang had bigger plans to bring the building back to its former glory. It would pursue what was estimated to be a $1B renovation that would be completed by 2021. But nearly immediately after starting, a fog of controversy surrounded the developer.

The Chinese government prosecuted Anbang's former head for corruption and fraud, sentencing him in May 2018 to 18 years in prison. It declared bankruptcy, and foreign officials seized control of the Waldorf. The property is now in the hands of state-owned Dajia Insurance Group.

That, alongside the pandemic, drove the cost of the project to double, according to reports from 2022. At the time, renovations were expected to be completed in 2024. But the hotel only began accepting reservations for stays starting in July.

Deniot, who didn't design the hotel portion, declined to provide an estimate of what the final condo budget was. 

“It’s so nice to see it completed,” Deniot said while giving reporters a tour of the space, attributing the delays to the pandemic.

He made no mention of Anbang nor the property’s new owner. 

He did say that the amenity floors were designed in approximately a year, long before there were any signs of delay. Afterward, the project was set in motion. After all, paints from Paris were already being flown in.

“Once everything is in the pipeline, you can’t change anything,” Deniot said.