New York has about 40 hotels that may be ranked as first-class, with as many more in the second class, and perhaps 100 of a lower grade. The largest and best-known is the Waldorf Astoria. It is built upon the site of the family mansions in which lived for many years John Jacob Astor and William Astor, his brother. This structure covers the block between Thirty-third and Thirty-fourth streets, bordering Fifth Avenue, and having a depth of 500 feet. It is 16 stories in height, and contains over 1000 rooms for guests, a large ballroom, and a number of smaller apartments used for public dinners, concerts, etc.

The Buckingham, at Fifth Avenue and Fiftieth Street; the Holland House, at Fifth Avenue and Thirtieth Street; the Murray Hill, at Park Avenue and Forty-first Street; the Manhattan, at Madison Avenue and Forty-second Street; the Netherlands and the Savoy, at Fifth Avenue and Fifty-ninth Street, are large and luxurious hostelries, which accommodate from 800 to 2000 guests. Farther downtown, a number of the Broadway hotels, such as the Fifth Avenue, at Twenty-third Street, the Hoffman House, at Twenty-fifth Street, and the Imperial, at Thirty-second Street, are equally popular. Several immense hotels, among which may be mentioned the Plaza, at Fifty-ninth Street and Fifth Avenue, and the Majestic , at Seventy-second Street and Central Park West, are known as family hotels of the best type.

Hotels Between Thirty-fourth and Forty-second streets.

Among the hotels between Thirty-fourth and Forty-second streets were, and are, the Marlborough on the west side between Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh streets; the Normandie at the southeast corner of Thirty-eighth Street; the Vendome at Forty-first Street; the Albany, the most recent, between Fortieth and Forty-first streets, both on the east side, and the Knickerbocker at the southeast corner of Forty-second Street. This last is one of the Astor properties and occupies the site where stood for many years the Saint Cloud Hotel. On the west side, below Forty-second Street, the Cafe de 1' Opera opened in December, 1909. This was the most gorgeous and extravagantly fitted restaurant the city has ever seen, costing, so it is stated, over a million of dollars. The news spread of its high prices, there was poor service, and its patrons were obliged to wear evening dress; as a result, it closed its doors four months after opening.

After various vicissitudes with the creditors, lasting several months, the place was acquired by Louis Martin, rearranged and refurnished, and opened on Christmas Eve, 1910. Upon the same site at first stood the Rossmore, later the Metropole, and the Saint Charles, upon land which is among the highest in the lower part of the island and which has been a hotel site for over forty years. Upon the angle formed by the junction of Seventh Avenue and Broadway, there was erected, in 1910, the Heidelberg building with its great tower designed for advertising purposes. At this time (January, 1911), it is rumored that the famous Chicago house of Marshall Field & Co. has acquired the Marlborough Hotel property for a great department store.

Miscellaneous Hotels

At Leonard Street, was a hotel known as the Carleton House; there was another at Walker Street, known as Florence's Hotel; The Sinclair House stood for a long time at Eighth Street and has only been demolished within the past five years. Three hotels may still be found above Chambers Street; these are the Hotel St. Denis at Eleventh Street; the Broadway Central, first established as the Grand Central at 671 on the site of the La Farge House, where, when it was the Grand Central, occurred the tragic death of James Fisk in 1872 at the hands of a rival for the favors of a worthless woman; and the Raleigh, opposite Bond Street, adjoining the Broadway Central. This last suffered a severe fire in the fall of 1910, and is marked for demolition, a business building having been planned to take its place.

Besides the hotels mentioned, the Hoffman and the Albemarle, there were the Gilsey at Twenty-ninth Street on the east side, the Grand at Thirty-first Street, just above, now called the New Grand, the Coleman House on the west side between Twenty-seventh and Twenty-eighth streets, the Hotel Martinique at the north-east corner of Thirty-second Street, and the Sturtevant at 1186 Broadway, a favorite stopping place for officers of the army and navy. The last two have disappeared, the Gilsey is termed the New Breslin, and the Imperial at Thirty-first to Thirty-second streets, the finest hotel of all, has been erected and enlarged within less than fifteen years. Where the Gilsey House now stands was the field of the St. George Cricket Club, which was formed by the Englishmen who patronized Clark and Brown's English chop-house in Maiden Lane; the grounds of the club are now on Staten Island. At the southeast corner of Twenty-sixth Street, Delmonico's up-town restaurant was located from 1876 to 1888, when the Cafe Martin took its place and succeeded to its popularity. There are a number of well-known restaurants and Rathskellers on this part of the thoroughfare.

The Pacific Hotel

On July 1, 1836 a new and spacious building was opened at 162 Greenwich Street, New York. The proprietors were Mr. Benjamin Jessups and Mr. R.C. Nichols.

The Broadway Hotel

Of hotels proper, there was the Broadway Hotel at the northeast corner of Grand Street, erected by Abraham Davis before 1810, which became the headquarters of the Whigs when their party was formed and where the returns of the elections were received. After the election of 1844, the hotel lost prestige and declined in popularity. After 1830, a large room on one of the upper floors was used for some time as an armory and drill-room by the second company of the Seventh Regiment.

The Astor House 1836

This hotel was located on Broadway between Barclay and Vesey Streets, faced the tall trees and grass of City Hall Park. The architect was Isaiah Rogers. The hotel stood on the site of the mansion of John Jacob Astor. The Astor cost $400,000, blazed with lights fueled by its own gas plant, offered seventeen "bathing rooms" with hot water supplied by its own steam engine. In the 1840's gaslight progressed from hotel public rooms to the bedrooms. In spite of warning signs, people went right on blowing out the light before retiring and frequently blowing out themselves out doors and windows, into hospitals and mortuaries. Gentlemen from Wall Street still came to the Astor dining room for a leisured lunch, and found the linen immaculate, the waiters attentive, the food abundant. In spite of installation of elevators and other extensive repairs, on May 29, 1913, the Astor House locked its doors for the last time.

The City Hotel

The City Hotel opened in 1794 at 115 Broadway. It was the largest hotel in New York until 1813. Operated for a time as Burns Coffee House, it was a hotbed of revolutionary conspiracy and later a military headquarters. The City Hotel catered to the rich, the stylish, the leaders of New York's artistic, literary, and scientific circles. The City Hotel took its last bow in 1849 and was replaced by a five-story business building.

The New York Hotel

In 1847 the New York Hotel, the second of its name in the city, was opened at 721 Broadway, between Washington Place and Waverly Place, by S.B. Monnot. The undertaking was considered by many to be a perilous one, as the hotel was so far up-town. Monnot was successful, notwithstanding the croakers, and after several years was succeeded by Hiram Cranston. The hotel
was a favorite one with Southerners and remained so during the Civil War; so much so, in fact, that it was almost constantly under supervision by the Federal secret service. A number of romances have been written concerning the part played by this hostelry in blockade running and similar enterprises for the advantage of the Confederacy. The building was demolished in 1895, and the site has been marked by a bronze tablet on the front of the great New York Commercial Building which has taken its place.

Holt's Hotel 1833

It was located on New York's Fulton Street between Pearl and Water. It had a hundred-foot dining room with twenty-foot tall ceiling, its twenty-five parlors and one hundred sixty-five rooms. The proprietor Stephen Holt, introduced a steam-powered lift a wonderful idea which cost too much. The Holt's went bankrupt in 1835 and the hotel was knocked down at auction for $175,000.

Spingler House Hotel

The hotel known as the Spingler House stood for many years on the west side of the square on the site now occupied by the Spingler building.

The Metropolitan Hotel 1851

It was located at the corner of Broadway and Prince Street. In the heart of the Metropolitan was Niblo's Garden and Theater. The dinning room was described as "one hundred and three by fifty feet and thirty feet in height, frescoed and decorated. Niblo's Garden was accessible from the street or from the Metropolitan itself.

The St. Nicholas Hotel 1853

It was located at the corner of Broadway and Spring street. The St. Nicholas was the first hotel to cost more than a million dollars. S. Hawk & Co., were the proprietors. The hours for the meal were: Breakfast, from 6 to 11 o'clock. Dinner, 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 o'clock. Tea, 6 to 8 1/2 o'clock and supper, from 9 to 12 o'clock.