THE NEW YORK PLAZA HOTEL / EL HOTEL PLAZA DE NUEVA YORK.

Hi my dear friends, today I'm going to share with you some information about one of the most famous hotels in New York, The Plaza Hotel. New York is one of my favourite cities in the world so  I hope you'll like it!

Hola mis queridos amigos, hoy voy a compartir con vosotros  información sobre uno de los hoteles más famosos de Nueva York, el Hotel Plaza. ¡ Nueva York es una de mis ciudades preferidas del mundo así que espero que os guste!


Info: Speak Up magazine.
Photos:  el economista.es  /  alamy.es  /  robbreport.es

ULTIMATE LUXURY  /  THE NEW YORK PLAZA HOTEL

New York's Plaza Hotel is a twenty-storey building extending along Central Park and Fifth Avenue.  It features fountains and statues commemorating American history and Roman architecture and deities.  It has one of the most expensive rooms in the world: the Plaza Royal Suite that at $40,000 a night is still almost always booked.  Yet the Plaza is persistently unprofitable, and has had many owners.


FAME NOT FORTUNE

In the late 19th century, a skating club was demolished to construct a hotel. But it turned out to be too small. $12.5 million were invested to rebuild it to resemble a French chateau.  The Plaza opened in 1907 as a hotel and city residence for the rich.  A room cost under three dollars a night (around seventy in today's term)  Now, the same room costs over one thousand dollars.

IMAGINE

As the 20th century advanced, the Plaza Hotel consolidated its reputation as the place to party with celebrities. Marilyn Monroe gave her first press conference at the Plaza, during which the strap of her dress strategically broke.  When The Beatles first came to America they stayed here.  John Lennon and Yoko Ono later frequenting its Oyster Bar.  Kay Thompson, the creator of popular children's character Eloise, lived at the Plaza for many years with an entourage of pets.  She was evicted in the 1980s by its new owner, Donald Trump.


TRUMP LOVE

Yes, even Trump fell for its charms.  He bought the Plaza in 1988, making the extraordinary claim that it was an act of love and not money;  he called it "the Mona Lisa", spent millions on refurbishment, installed his wife, Ivana Trump, as president of the hotel, married his subsequent wife Marla Maples there in front of one thousand five hundred guests, and filed the hotel for bankrupcy in 1991.  Three years on, Trump sold his stake in the company to foreign investors.

SHINE ON!

Still, the Plaza partied on, although behind the scenes there was more scandal.  Finally, in 2018 after years of uncertainty, Shahal Khan, a wealthy Dubai investor, and Kamran Hakim, a major New York City landlord, came to an agreement to purchase a majority share of the property for six hundred million dollars.  It seems that even in the age of fast profit, the Plaza shines on as a symbol of glamour and decadence.


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VOCABULARY

-twenty-store. de veinte pisos.
-to feature: presentar.
-deities: divinidades.
-to book:  reservar.
-to resemble: parecerse.
-chateau; castillo.
-strap: tirante.
-to evict: desahuciar.
-fell for its charms: se rindión a sus encantos.
-claim: afirmación.
-refurbishment: remodelación.
-guests: huéspedes.
-to file for bankrupcy; declararse en bancarrota.
-sold his stake: vendió su participación.
-to party on: continuar.
-landlord: propietario inmobiliario.


SEE YOU MY FRIENDS!