Hilton HHonors - Any body remember the Statler Hilton NYC

I stayed here in Manhattan New York
City many years ago and was trying to find it again and can find no records. Does any one know what happened to this grand old hotel? (torn down,sold to ?? )

I believe that's the one: Hotel Pennsylvania (http://www.hotelpenn.com/about.htm)

This hotel is across the street from Madison Square Garden. This used to be the hotel for visiting sports teams back in the 60's and 70's. I remember patiently waiting in the lobby to get the player's autograph as they left to go to MSG. I haven't been to MSG since 1976, so I don't know how the hotel rates today, but back in those days it was a pretty classy joint.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by general45:
This hotel is across the street from Madison Square Garden. This used to be the hotel for visiting sports teams back in the 60's and 70's. I remember patiently waiting in the lobby to get the player's autograph as they left to go to MSG. I haven't been to MSG since 1976, so I don't know how the hotel rates today, but back in those days it was a pretty classy joint.</font>

now it is a complete dive... to be avoided at all costs

The Pennsylvania is a very schizophrenic hotel. You have the renovated rooms which are absolutely wonderful, and you have the old rooms that make jail cells look inviting.

The hotel's primary business nowadays comes from airline crew. I can think of at least 15 airlines (both US and International carriers) that put their crew up there.

I've stayed there more times than I can remember and very rarely have had a bad experience since the renovations. The newly renovated rooms often go for as low as $99 on slow weekends, which make them one of the best deals in NYC by virtue of their location alone.

I looked at the web site and it looks like this has always been the Pennsylvania Hotel
even back in the 30's as they mention Glenn Miller. Was it changed to a Statler Hilton then back to Pennsylvania at a later date?
When I stayed here in July 1976 it was a dump
then and was suprised it was called a hilton.

I took a walk through the dismal lobby about a year ago. There must of been 18-20 very big burly security guys walking around. I assume there was a very valid reason why they are there (and why I would not stay there).

MisterNice

I did a Google search and I found that the Pennsylvania is that hotel's original name but that it was indeed called the Statler-Hilton for a time. The text below comes from a Glenn Miller web page and gives a bit of its history (which is cooler than I would have thought).

PENNSYLVANIA SIX - FIVE THOUSAND
During the 1930s and later, it was common for telephone prefix numbers to use the first two letters of a name. The song title was the telephone number of the Hotel Pennsylvania, at 7th and 33rd in New York City, which served as Glenn Miller's home base during his many month tenure at the hotel's Cafe Rouge beginning January 1940. The hotel was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad, across the street, to go with the Pennsylvania Station ("You leave the Pennsylvania Station 'bout a quarter to four..." from "Chattanooga Choo-Choo"). In recent years, the hotel was the Statler Hilton but has re-emerged, once again, as the Hotel Pennsylvania. Through all the years, the phone number has remained the same -- 736-5000 or PE 6-5000.

This very funny 6/1/02 column Dave Barry wrote after a terrible stay at the "Hotel Schpennsylvania" sums up very well the sad decline of this once proud hotel.

http://www.jsonline.com/lifestyle/advice/jun02/47941.asp

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by MisterNice:
I took a walk through the dismal lobby about a year ago. There must of been 18-20 very big burly security guys walking around. I assume there was a very valid reason why they are there (and why I would not stay there).</font>

The security guys are there because of the large numbers of airline crew that I mentioned above. Part of their very attractive crew lodging package includes dedicated room blocks with separate crew facilities and secured access. I won't list the names of the airlines that stay there, but a lot of them are among the world's more security conscious ones.

Also, the hotel contracts with a number of Israeli tour operators for accomodation, so that too requires additional security precautions.

Their security people are very efficient and effective, and they won't let anyone loiter in the lobby unchecked for more than 5 minutes or so. Access to the elevators is secured by key card only and there are regular patrols through the hallways. All in all, I think they have a very effective security program, but obviously one tailored to their specific clientele.