Plaza Hotel renovation: closing in January 2027 for at least 4 years, and the last night is the hotel’s to give
From January the Plaza closes for at least 4 years for the renovation of its façade. For a last night on Central Park I’d phone the hotel: Google’s prices stop on 14 November. And if all you want is the park outside the window, the Pierre is 5 minutes away on foot.
Photo: Fairmont
Why the Plaza is closing for at least 4 years
The Plaza opened on 1 October 19072 on Fifth Avenue, at the corner of Central Park South. On 14 October 2026 the hotel announced1 that from January 2027 it will close for at least 4 years to repair and restore its façade, a protected city landmark: works so complex, it says, that they would intrude too far on the running of the hotel.
There’s a reason for the hurry. In photographs of the façade the city’s Department of Buildings saw signs of unsafe conditions, and from January new city rules allow fines of $6,000 a month.4
After more than a century on duty, it has earned the break.
The release gives no exact day, only «January 2027». NY13, citing The New York Times, reports the last day of service as 19 January, with construction from the 20th. There’s no reopening date: at least 4 years from January takes you to 2031, the earliest it could be.
The closure’s dates
A last night at the Plaza before January
| Nights with a price | On 18 October the last night with a price on Google Hotels was 14 November, from $2,680; for 15 and 20 November, 10 and 31 December, 5 and 15 January no site showed one.5 On the same 10 December the St. Regis nearby had 26 sites selling.6 |
|---|---|
| What it means | That Google shows no price for those nights, nothing more. Whether a room is still there, only the hotel knows. |
| Who to ask | (212) 759-3000 or plazareservation@fairmont.com.2 |
Where to stay in New York while the Plaza is closed
3 grand hotels in the guide, a 5, 6 and 16-minute walk from the Plaza.
The Pierre, A Taj Hotel
For the park under your window: the Pierre stands on Fifth Avenue at 61st Street, facing Central Park, and its 1930 tower still has a lift attendant in white gloves.
There’s no spa and no pool, and a facility fee is added to every night.
Why choose it
For the park from above, ask for a Park View between the 34th and 39th floors. It’s a 5-minute walk from the Plaza.7
The St. Regis New York
For the service of an old-school grand hotel: a butler for every room and the Red Snapper at the King Cole Bar, on Fifth Avenue at 55th Street.
There’s no spa and no pool, and every rate carries a $50 nightly destination fee.
Why choose it
The St. Regis Athletic Club, the 24-hour gym, is free for guests. It’s a 6-minute walk from the Plaza.7
Waldorf Astoria New York
For the halls of a grand hotel that has just finished its own restoration: the 1931 Art Deco tower on Park Avenue reopened in July 2025 after 8 years, with 375 rooms where there used to be 1,400 and the Peacock Alley clock back in place.
Guests have no pool, and rates run from $882 a night in January to over $1,500 in spring.
Why choose it
Big rooms and the Guerlain spa. It’s a 16-minute walk from the Plaza.7
Walking minutes on OpenStreetMap’s streets; prices and fees from each hotel’s page in the guide, each with its date.7
Plaza Hotel renovation, before you ask
Is the Plaza Hotel open?
Yes, until January 2027: from that month it closes for at least 4 years, the hotel announced1 on 14 October 2026.
What is the last night to stay at the Plaza?
The hotel hasn’t said. NY1 reports the last day of service as 19 January 20273; on Google, on 18 October, the nights with a price ended on 14 November. For December and January, call the hotel on (212) 759-3000.
When will the Plaza reopen?
There’s no date. At least 4 years from January 2027 takes you to 2031 at the earliest.
Why is the Plaza closing?
To repair and restore its landmark façade; the city had seen signs of unsafe conditions4, with fines possible from January.
Where to stay near Central Park instead of the Plaza?
At the Pierre, on Fifth Avenue at 61st Street, a 5-minute walk, with Park View rooms between the 34th and 39th floors; the St. Regis is 6 minutes away, the Waldorf Astoria 16.
We wrote this on our own: The Plaza reads it as you do. We sell no rooms: the links go where we read it.
Where we read it
- 1 The Plaza, release of 14 October 2026 on Business Wire, 18 October 2026
- 2 The Plaza’s website, 18 October 2026
- 3 NY1, 15 October 2026, 18 October 2026
- 4 NBC New York, 15 October 2026, 18 October 2026
- 5 Google Hotels, the Plaza’s nights, 18 October 2026
- 6 Google Hotels, The St. Regis New York’s nights, 18 October 2026
- 7 OpenStreetMap, walking and driving routes, 18 October 2026
