Tom Hanks stayed there in “Sleepless in Seattle,” Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson fought over getting married there in “Bride Wars,” and a young Macaulay Culkin spent $967 on room service there as Kevin McCallister in “Home Alone 2.” Now, the iconic Plaza Hotel is up for sale.
Sahara Group, a conglomerate based in India that’s currently the hotel’s majority owner, has put the popular film location and NYC icon up for sale. The Wall Street Journalinitially reported that the property is going on the market. While an exact price has not been disclosed, the paper suggested that the luxury hotel could go for around $560 million.
Interested buyers shouldn’t get their hopes up too high, however. Minority owners Prince al-Waleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia and the investment firm Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation told the New York Times they are not interested in selling, and would instead buy out the Sahara Group and return the hotel to a renowned five-star destination. This includes reopening the famous Oak Room, which has been shuttered for the past six years thanks to ongoing renovations.
The Plaza originally cost $12 million to build in 1907. It went under a $400 million renovation in 2008, and has previously been owned by Conrad Hilton and President Donald Trump, amongst others.