Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 230: Hotel History: Four Seasons Hotel

Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 230: Hotel History: Four Seasons Hotel

Stanley Turkel | April 28, 2020

By Stanley Turkel, CMHS

Hotel History: Four Seasons Hotel, (367 rooms)

Is it possible to conceive that the Four Seasons Hotel in New York has been converted to house medical professionals battling the coronavirus? In late March, the five-star Four Seasons Hotel located on East 57th Street began to accept hospital employees who work in mid-Manhattan.

This I.M. Pei-designed hotel was surely the most talked-about new hotel in New York when it opened in 1993 at a cost $1 million per room. This 52-story, 367 room building with its limestone-clad lobby, 33-foot-high onyx ceiling, glowing wall sconces and original paintings provided grandeur and elegance that was immediately observed.

On June 27, 1993, in a New York Times Architecture View, Paul Goldberger wrote:

“…. The guest rooms share the qualities of the public rooms but are done in a lusher, softer modern style. They represent a big change for the Four Seasons chain, which has tended to believe that the elegance of a hotel room is in direct proportion to the amount of imitation English furniture it contains. Here, there is an urbane modernism, sophisticated without being at all cold….

And that gets us to the essential fact of this building, which is how wonderfully it combines the aura of a major hotel with the intimacy of a small one. This hotel’s architecture sends us every cue that it is a grand hotel, from the immense scale of the main entrance to the tall tower’s sculpted presence on the skyline. There is no cozy domesticity at the Four Seasons, no coy attempt, as at so many luxury hotels, to pretend that this is just a fancy apartment house that happens to have a check-in desk. No, this is a Major Public Place…. And in an age when almost every new luxury hotel seems to be parading domesticity, a hotel that presents itself as a shimmering and urbane presence is a great thing to happens to New York.”

“This is not a hotel anymore,” said Dr. Robert Quigley, the senior vice president and medical director for International SOS, a medical and travel securities firm that is overseeing the hotel’s new protocols. “It’s housing for a high-risk population.”

The Four Seasons, just like nearby Central Park and the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens is yet another city landmark being retrofitted to fight the pandemic. Although other hotels in the city are helping with hospital bed overflow, the Four Seasons has dedicated itself exclusively to keeping doctors, nurses and other medical professionals well rested and safe.

At the entrance on 57th Street, two nurses, wearing N95 masks, take the temperature of all guests, asking questions about symptoms over the past 72-hours and if they’ve washed their hands. Once inside, guests go straight to their rooms; there is no bar or restaurant. Elevators carry one passenger at a time; others must wait on taped Xs on the floor, placed six feet apart. Of the hotel’s 368 rooms, only 225 will have guests, to limit crowding on the property.

Guest and hotel staff members no longer interact. For check-in, keys are placed in envelopes on a table. Minibars have been removed from guest rooms. Housekeeping is an amenity of the past; rooms are provided with extra linens and towels. Dirty items are collected only after guests, who stay for a minimum of seven days, check out their rooms have been fumigated. Beds no longer have decorative pillows which can spread germs. On every nightstand there is a bottle of sanitizer instead of a piece of chocolate.

The idea to convert the Four Seasons was owner Ty Warner’s idea. In a few days, General Manager Rudy Tauscher helped a new team plan the emergency residence in a few days with reinvented planning and operations. Elizabeth Ortiz, the hotel’s personnel director, started daily call arounds to ensure that every employee is getting to work Ok and is feeling Ok. But despite the careful planning, the hotel was unprepared for what happened after Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mr. Warner announced that the Four Seasons would reopen for medical professionals. Thousands of doctors and nurses swarmed the phone lines. “It totally overwhelmed the ordinary systems in place” said Grey Scandaglia, Mr. Warner’s lawyer. After the initial confusion, the hotel is now working with New York hospitals and medical associations including the New York State Nurses Association, which are handling reservation requests internally.

Dr. Quigley suggested that other vacant properties could follow the Four Seasons model soon. “I’ve gotten multiple calls from multiple hotels around this country and the world to replicate what we did,” he said. “Now we have a benchmark.”


My New Book “Hotel Mavens Volume 3: Bob and Larry Tisch, Curt Strand, Ralph Hitz, Cesar Ritz, Raymond Orteig” has just been published.

My Other Published Hotel Books

  • Great American Hoteliers: Pioneers of the Hotel Industry (2009)
  • Built To Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels in New York (2011)
  • Built To Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels East of the Mississippi (2013)
  • Hotel Mavens: Lucius M. Boomer, George C. Boldt, Oscar of the Waldorf (2014)
  • Great American Hoteliers Volume 2: Pioneers of the Hotel Industry (2016)
  • Built To Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels West of the Mississippi (2017)
  • Hotel Mavens Volume 2: Henry Morrison Flagler, Henry Bradley Plant, Carl Graham Fisher (2018)
  • Great American Hotel Architects Volume I (2019)

All of these books can be ordered from AuthorHouse by visiting www.stanleyturkel.com and clicking on the book’s title.

If You Need an Expert Witness:

For the past twenty-seven years, I have served as an expert witness in more than 42 hotel-related cases. My extensive hotel operating experience is beneficial in cases involving:

  • slip and fall accidents
  • wrongful deaths
  • fire and carbon monoxide injuries
  • hotel security issues
  • dram shop requirements
  • hurricane damage and/or business interruption cases

Feel free to call me at no charge on 917-628-8549 to discuss any hotel-related expert witness assignment.107

ABOUT STANLEY TURKEL

Stanley Turkel was designated as the 2014 and the 2015 Historian of the Year by Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This award is presented to an individual for making a unique contribution in the research and presentation of hotel history and whose work has encouraged a wide discussion and a greater understanding and enthusiasm for American History.

Turkel is the most widely-published hotel consultant in the United States. He operates his hotel consulting practice serving as an expert witness in hotel-related cases, provides asset management and hotel franchising consultation. He is certified as a Master Hotel Supplier Emeritus by the Educational Institute of the American Hotel and Lodging Association.

Contact: Stanley Turkel

stanturkel@aol.com/917-628-8549

Categories

Instagram

hotelonlinenewsInstagram post 18072439732009889Instagram post 18037678936156831Instagram post 17870090452391124Instagram post 17976176743256949Instagram post 17993811919233333Follow on Instagram

Tags

four seasons hotelfour seasons hotel new york downtownfour seasons new yorkhotel historynoboby asked mestan turkelstanley turkel

RELATED NEWS:

Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 229: Hotel History: Admiral Fell InnNobody Asked Me, But… No. 228: The Barbizon Hotel, New YorkNobody Asked Me, But… No. 227: Hotel History: The Carlyle Hotel, New York (1929)Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 226 Hotel History: Peninsula Hotel, New YorkNobody Asked Me, But… No. 225: Hotel History: The Grand Hotel, Point Clear, AlabamaNobody Asked Me, But… No. 224: Hotel History: The Red Lion InnNobody Asked Me, But… No. 223: Hotel History: The Wales Hotel (1902)Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 222: Hotel History: YMCA of Greater New YorkNobody Asked Me, But… No. 221: Hotel History: Hotel FlorenceNobody Asked Me, But… No. 220: Hotel History: The Heathman HotelNobody Asked Me, But… No. 219: Hotel History: Josh Billings on Hotels One Hundred and Forty-Eight Years AgoStolen Coffee Pot Wins New Orleans Local $15,000 Roosevelt Hotel StayNobody Asked Me, But… No. 218; Hotel History: Raymond Orteig and Charles LindberghNobody Asked Me, But… No. 217, Hotel History: Catskill Mountain Resort HotelsNobody Asked Me, But… No. 216: Hotel History: Ellsworth M. StatlerNobody Asked Me, But… No. 215: Hotel History: The TWA HotelNobody Asked Me, But… No. 214: Hotel History: Shepheard’s Hotel, Cairo, EgyptNobody Asked Me, But… No. 213: Hotel History: Sheraton’s Classic Advertising CampaignsNobody Asked Me, But… No. 212: Hotel History: Hotel del Coronado, Coronado, California (1888)Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 211: Hotel History: Asian American Hotel Owners Association*

Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 229: Hotel History: Admiral Fell Inn

Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 229: Hotel History: Admiral Fell Inn

Stanley Turkel | April 07, 2020

By Stanley Turkel, CMHS

Hotel History: Admiral Fell Inn (80 rooms)

Fell’s Point was founded in the early 1700s when the Fell Brothers arrived from Lancaster, England. Edward was a shopkeeper and his brother William was a shipbuilder. The old street names in Fell’s Point are unchanged: Fell, Thames, Bond, Bank, Caroline, Fleet, Aliceanna, Wolfe, Lancaster, Shakespeare. They are still paved mostly with Belgian stone blocks and their narrow paths are edged by brick sidewalls.

The Admiral Fell Inn is four stories high, and therefore the only building in the Point that qualifies as a skyscraper. The Inn is a group of eight different buildings which date from the late 1700s. Before becoming an inn, the site was a ship chandlery, a vinegar factory, a YMCA, a boardinghouse for actors and a sailor’s lodging house. The eighty guestrooms each have their own unique decor with wonderful views, many overlooking Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Some have canopy beds with balconies and Jacuzzi tubs.

The streets of Fell’s Point contain hundreds of buildings built before the war of 1812 and many others before the Civil War. It was the first district in Maryland to be included on the National Register of Historic Places. Most of the homes are narrow brick row houses two and a half stories tall. The gabled roofs are of slate and the narrow passageways between houses are called sallyports, allowing access from the street to the rear of the houses. Many tourists tour the famous Inner Harbor and then walk a few blocks to historic Fell’s Point where they find a real neighborhood, restaurants, patisseries, bars and galleries.

Nearby attractions

  • Antique Row – 10 blocks west
  • Aquarium – 10 blocks west
  • B & O Railroad – 1 ½ miles west
  • Babe Ruth House – 10 blocks
  • Baltimore Museum of Art – 6 miles
  • Baltimore Zoo – 3 ½ miles west
  • Oriole Park at Camden Yards – 12 blocks
  • Center Stage- 14 blocks
  • Christopher Columbus Building – 8 blocks
  • Convention Center – 10 blocks west
  • Edgar Allen Poe House – 1 ½ miles
  • Fort McHenry – 2 ½ miles
  • The Gallery – 9 blocks west
  • Inner Harbor – 10 blocks
  • Little Italy – 4 blocks
  • Lyric Opera House – 3 ½ miles northwest
  • Maryland Historical Society – 1 mile
  • Morris Mechanic Theater – 1 mile
  • Meyerhoff Symphony Hall – 3 ½ miles north
  • Peabody Conservatory – 1 ½ miles
  • Science Center – 10 blocks west
  • Walter’s Art Gallery – 1 ½ miles
  • World Trade Center – 8 blocks

Frommer’s Review describes the Inn as follows:

Updated and expanded over the years, this charming inn sits just across Thames Street from the harbor in the heart of the Fell’s Point Historic District. It spans eight buildings, built between 1790 and 1996, and blends Victorian and Federal-style architecture. Originally a boardinghouse for sailors, later a YMCA, and then a vinegar bottling plant, the inn now features an antiques-filled lobby and library, along with individually decorated guest rooms with Federal-period furnishings.

The Inn is a charter member of the Historic Hotels of America and a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

My New Book “Hotel Mavens Volume 3: Bob and Larry Tisch, Curt Strand, Ralph Hitz, Cesar Ritz, Raymond Orteig” has just been published.

My Other Published Hotel Books

  • Great American Hoteliers: Pioneers of the Hotel Industry (2009)
  • Built To Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels in New York (2011)
  • Built To Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels East of the Mississippi (2013)
  • Hotel Mavens: Lucius M. Boomer, George C. Boldt, Oscar of the Waldorf (2014)
  • Great American Hoteliers Volume 2: Pioneers of the Hotel Industry (2016)
  • Built To Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels West of the Mississippi (2017)
  • Hotel Mavens Volume 2: Henry Morrison Flagler, Henry Bradley Plant, Carl Graham Fisher (2018)
  • Great American Hotel Architects Volume I (2019)

All of these books can be ordered from AuthorHouse by visiting www.stanleyturkel.com and clicking on the book’s title.

If You Need an Expert Witness:

For the past twenty-seven years, I have served as an expert witness in more than 42 hotel-related cases. My extensive hotel operating experience is beneficial in cases involving:

  • slip and fall accidents
  • wrongful deaths
  • fire and carbon monoxide injuries
  • hotel security issues
  • dram shop requirements
  • hurricane damage and/or business interruption cases

Feel free to call me at no charge on 917-628-8549 to discuss any hotel-related expert witness assignment.83

ABOUT STANLEY TURKEL

Stanley Turkel was designated as the 2014 and the 2015 Historian of the Year by Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This award is presented to an individual for making a unique contribution in the research and presentation of hotel history and whose work has encouraged a wide discussion and a greater understanding and enthusiasm for American History.

Turkel is the most widely-published hotel consultant in the United States. He operates his hotel consulting practice serving as an expert witness in hotel-related cases, provides asset management and hotel franchising consultation. He is certified as a Master Hotel Supplier Emeritus by the Educational Institute of the American Hotel and Lodging Association.

Website: (www.stanleyturkel.com)

Contact: Stanley Turkel

stanturkel@aol.com/917-628-8549

Categories

Instagram

hotelonlinenewsInstagram post 18072439732009889Instagram post 18037678936156831Instagram post 17870090452391124Instagram post 17976176743256949Instagram post 17993811919233333Follow on Instagram

Tags

admiral fell innhistoric hotelshotel historynobody asked mestan turkelstanley turkel

RELATED NEWS:

Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 228: The Barbizon Hotel, New YorkNobody Asked Me, But… No. 227: Hotel History: The Carlyle Hotel, New York (1929)Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 226 Hotel History: Peninsula Hotel, New YorkNobody Asked Me, But… No. 225: Hotel History: The Grand Hotel, Point Clear, AlabamaNobody Asked Me, But… No. 224: Hotel History: The Red Lion InnCBRE Issues U.S. Lodging and 2020-2021 Historic Hotels Forecast at Historic Hotels of America Annual ConferenceNobody Asked Me, But… No. 223: Hotel History: The Wales Hotel (1902)Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 222: Hotel History: YMCA of Greater New YorkHistoric Hotels of America Announces the Top 25 Haunted HotelsNobody Asked Me, But… No. 221: Hotel History: Hotel FlorenceNobody Asked Me, But… No. 220: Hotel History: The Heathman HotelNobody Asked Me, But… No. 219: Hotel History: Josh Billings on Hotels One Hundred and Forty-Eight Years AgoHistoric Hotels of America Announces 2019 Awards of Excellence Nominee FinalistsStolen Coffee Pot Wins New Orleans Local $15,000 Roosevelt Hotel StayNobody Asked Me, But… No. 218; Hotel History: Raymond Orteig and Charles LindberghNobody Asked Me, But… No. 217, Hotel History: Catskill Mountain Resort HotelsNobody Asked Me, But… No. 216: Hotel History: Ellsworth M. StatlerWhy Historic Buildings Make Great HotelsNobody Asked Me, But… No. 215: Hotel History: The TWA HotelNobody Asked Me, But… No. 214: Hotel History: Shepheard’s Hotel, Cairo, Egypt