Waldorf Astoria

The Waldorf Astoria was not so luxurious when I stayed in it as teenager back in the 1960's...and I couldn't believe how much soot came in if you opened the window.

One item that struck me at the time was seeing well dressed African American guests staying there at the time. Lord, our society was so segregated back then!

Clinton liked the Waldorf a lot and a lot of political fund raisers and other events are often held there.

As for history, I will just take the easy way out again and quote Wikipedia:

"The Waldorf=Astoria is a luxury hotel in New York. It has been housed in two historic landmark buildings in New York City. The first, designed by architect Henry J. Hardenbergh, was on the Fifth Avenue site of the Empire State Building. The present building at 301 Park Avenue in Manhattan is a 47-storey, 190.5 m (625 ft) Art Deco landmark, designed by architects Schultze and Weaver and dating from 1931. The Waldorf Astoria New York is a member of Hilton's Luxury and Lifestyle Brands along with The Waldorf=Astoria Collection and Conrad Hotels & Resorts.

Waldorf=Astoria was the first hotel to serve room service, making a huge impact for the future of the hotel industry. Luxury was the brand they sought after.

The hotel is now branded as the Waldorf=Astoria, with a double hyphen, but originally a single hyphen was employed between "Waldorf" and "Astoria," as recalled by a popular expression and song, "Meet Me at the Hyphen".

The modern hotel has three American and classic European restaurants, and a beauty parlor located off the main lobby. Several boutiques surround the lobby. A "hotel within a hotel" in its upper section is known as The Waldorf Towers operated by Conrad Hotels & Resorts.

The hotel has its own railway platform as part of Grand Central Terminal, used by Franklin D. Roosevelt, James Farley, Adlai Stevenson, and Douglas MacArthur, among others. An elevator large enough for Franklin D. Roosevelt's automobile provides access to the platform.^[4]

Its name is ultimately derived from Walldorf in Germany and the prominent German-American Astor family, that originated there.