An Eighties icon: The New York Helmsley Hotel

Part of what made the Helmsley brand so esteemed was Leona’s eye for elegance and glamour, even for a more functional executive business hotel. Her $8 billion dollar hotel empire somehow managed to not produce ostentatious or over-the-top flashy décor thanks to Leona’s careful adherence to style and quality materials.

Gold lead embossed hardwood, twelve-foot ceilings, panoramic picture windows, a reception desk designed to remind you that you had arrived. These were the type of building bones that Leona  put an emphasis on. It’s spacious and comfortable, all without sacrificing luxury. A feat for Manhattan, a city where 8 million people often times must sacrifice space for magnificence.

The Helmsley Hotel is currently being refurbished in the spirit of the fabulous Leona.

Text and pictures courtesey of The New York Helmsley Archives.

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Tags: Leona Helmsley, The New York Helmsley Hotel

Category: 1980s, New York, Vintage news