The first three condos out of a total of 375 have sold at the Waldorf Astoria Residences New York, according to property records and multiple reports this week.
The landmarked, legendary hotel’s oft-delayed opening is also finally slated for this spring — eight years after its Chinese owners shuttered it for renovations.
The dwellings range from a $1.8 million studio to four-bedrooms and penthouses in the $70 million-plus range. The buyers are split between local New Yorkers and the global rich, said sales director Loretta Shanahan.
Douglas Elliman Development is handling sales. B&B Italia and, separately, Josh Greene have designed the condos’ interiors — and the residences can be bought furnished.
The $2 billion renovation, led by top architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, restored the hotel to its Art Deco glory.
Auctioneer and art dealer Simon de Pury curated the hotel’s modern art collection.
A Chinese government-linked insurance company, Anbang Insurance Group — then headed by Chairman Wu Xiaohui — bought the Waldorf from Hilton for $1.95 billion in 2014, and Hilton signed a 100-year contract to manage the hotel. By 2017, the hotel shut down for major renovations.
Around that time, the Chinese government arrested Wu — who was married to former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping’s granddaughter — on corruption charges. He has not been heard from since. The hotel is now owned by another Chinese government-linked firm, Dajia Insurance Group.
The Waldorf Astoria has quite the history. It’s been home to Cole Porter, Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe — and it’s also where famous culinary dishes, like the crunchy Waldorf salad, were created. There were even secret train tracks underneath the hotel used by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Waldorf residents have their own 50,000 square feet of private amenities designed by Jean-Louis Deniot, including a skylit pool, a gym and a wellness center, along with a winter garden, a business center, a theater and event spaces.
There are an additional 375 hotel rooms — down from the original 1,400 rooms — that are now slated to open later this spring. Condo owners also have access to the hotel’s 100,000 square feet of amenities.
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