Story perspectives

Plaza Hotel to Close Four Years for Facade Restoration

By Drooid · Oct 15, 2026, 3:30 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Fairmont Closes Plaza

Fairmont Hotels and Resorts will close the U.S. Plaza Hotel for four years, starting in January.
The shutdown aims to restore the building’s landmark French Renaissance façade.
Palm Court and other event rooms will also be closed during the renovation.
Bride-to-be Christine Carney says the Plaza’s closure jeopardizes her May 1 wedding.
Planner Alyssa Pettinato warned the couple must secure a different venue and possibly a new date.

Summary

Council Guarantees Jobs

The Hotel and Gaming Trades Council says its 378 Plaza workers will retain jobs and pay after reopening.
The union pledged to seek temporary assignments for staff during the four-year shutdown.
Plaza management has not disclosed how the renovation will affect the 181 condominium owners living onsite.
The building’s landmark status protects Henry Janeway Hardenbergh’s French Renaissance design.
The status requires NYC historic-preservation compliance.

History

Historical Context

When the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Plaza Hotel’s exterior as a city landmark in 1969 and later protected its public interiors in 2005, any renovation had to retain the French-Renaissance façade and key rooms. That precedent now guides Fairmont Hotels’ four-year closure, as the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council fights to keep 378 jobs while balancing condo owners’ interests.

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Fairmont Closes Plaza

Fairmont Hotels and Resorts will close the U.S. Plaza Hotel for four years, starting in January.
The shutdown aims to restore the building’s landmark French Renaissance façade.
Palm Court and other event rooms will also be closed during the renovation.
Bride-to-be Christine Carney says the Plaza’s closure jeopardizes her May 1 wedding.
Planner Alyssa Pettinato warned the couple must secure a different venue and possibly a new date.

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