Saudi prince will be first to stay in Plaza’s biggest suite

One of the world’s richest people, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud of Saudi Arabia, will be the first guest in the hotel’s largest and most expensive suite, according to Gal Nauer, The Plaza‘s interior architect and designer.

When The Plaza Hotel officially re-opens on May 10, the prince will stay in the 4,000-square-foot Royal Plaza Suite. The fourth-floor space has three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a living room with a Grand piano, a dining room which seats up to 12 people, a study and a large butler’s pantry and powder room. Two of the bedrooms have separate entrances.

The suite has views of Fifth Avenue, 58th Street and a landscaped interior courtyard, but not Central Park. 

The room rate is expected to be $20,000 per night, said Nauer, founder of Gal Nauer Architects. The next largest suite, the 2,100-square-foot Duplex Royal Terrace Suite on the 21st and 22nd floors, has a room rate of $8,000 per night. Hotel rooms start at $780 per night, Nauer said. 

The prince has a stake in The Plaza under the name Kingdom Holdings — which co-owns The Plaza with Elad Properties — and in the company operating the hotel, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. 

Forbes magazine ranked him No. 13 on its 2007 list of the world’s richest people with a net worth of about $20.3 billion.

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The landmark building has 130 hotel rooms and 152 hotel condos with butler service on every floor. The hotel had a soft opening last Saturday with 25 guests staying over the first night.

Ten thousand people meandered into the 100-year-old Plaza that day to take a glimpse of the $400-million, two-year renovation and restoration, Nauer said.

The residential part of the building has 178 condos, some of which have been combined, Nauer said. All but one unit has been purchased and 100 sales have closed.

About 50 percent of the buyers are New Yorkers and the rest hail from around the country and the world, she said.

The Palm Court restaurant re-opened on Saturday, while the Oak Room and Oak Bar are expected to open in a few weeks. The high-end retail component — including an underground food court — is expected to be 75 to 80 percent occupied by the May 10th official opening.