AMERICAN BEST FURNITURE

Millennium UN Plaza Hotel New York
One United Nations Plaza
44th Street between First and Second Avenue
New York, NY, 10017

The hotels splashy entrance
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In the 1960s the U.N. had grown from 51 missions to over 120 missions without any parallel office and hotel room capacity being built in its neighborhood. According to the NY Times the city of New York was receiving complaints from the United Nations about the shortage of office space and hotel accommodations on the mideast side and it was having thoughts about leaving the city.

The city took action. In 1968 a joint agency was formed by the city, state and U.N. to develop a large scale extension of facilities across First Avenue from the U.N. The agency, the United Nations Development Corporation, acquired the land on the north side of 44th Street at 1st Avenue, essentially across the street from the U.N. headquarters.

The United Nations Development Corporation contracted with the architecture firm Roche-Dinkeloo. Kevin Roche acted as the principal designer for the firm while John Dinkeloo provided expertise in construction and technology. In the 60s and 70s they created stimulating examples of civic and corporate architecture. Later in the early 1990's they designed the 56-story Morgan Bank in the financial district.

The plan emerged for a four building complex of 40-story towers. The first building -- a combined office, apartment and hotel tower was completed in 1976.

The height of the tower was curtailed to 39-stories as it could not exceed height of the Secretariat Building of the U.N. Contradictorily - in 2000 Donald Trump built The Trump World Tower at United Nations Plaza three blocks to the north and was allowed to go 72 floors.

Known as One UN Plaza, it was completed with office space to the 26th floor and 247 hotel rooms on floors 27-39. On the 27th floor a health club with its glass-walled swimming pool was built. On the 39th floor is the only hotel tennis court available in Manhattan.

The 2nd phase known as Two UN Plaza was a mixed use office and hotel building. It was completed in 1983. It contained another 180 hotel rooms.

The exterior of the two buildings is uncompromisingly uniform in composition, being made of rectangular green-tinted glass plates tied together with narrow aluminum bands. The facade grid consists of floor-high elements of mirror windows -- the first used in NYC -- with four windows forming one element.

When the hotel opened in 1977 it was known as the United Nations Plaza Hotel - and in small print - (a United Nations Development Corporation project, managed by Hyatt International Corporation)

In the 1980s Hyatt added the hotel to its new Park Hyatt brand and altered the hotel's name to U.N. Plaza Hotel-Park Hyatt – New York, NY. Rakesh Sarna, the Chief Operating Officer for Hyatt International Operations, served as the hotel's general manager in the early 80's.

In 1997 the NY Times reported that Mayor Rudy Giuliani determined it was time for the city to sell off assets -particulary those that put the city in the role of landlord. He felt the city should not be in the hotel business and thought there was a growing demand by investors for New York City hotels. J.P. Morgan, the city's financial advisor, circulated the prospectus spelling out the terms of the hotel sale to large international hotel concerns, including Hyatt International which held the management contract to operate the hotel. The hotel portions of the two buildings had a complex ownership structure involving the city and the United Nations Development Corporation which complicated the sale.

The hotel quickly sold in 1997 ending the city's 21 year tenure in the hotel business. It was thought the city made out like a bandit receiving $102 million from Hong Kong-based Regal Hotels International. The $238,000 price per key for each of the 428 rooms was much more then earlier city estimates of a price range of $40 million to $85 million. The hotel was rebranded to the Regal UN Plaza.

During the preceding 10 years New York City's share of the hotel's profits, rent payments and property taxes averaged $2.48 million. By shifting the United Nations Plaza Hotel's ownership from public to private hands the city expected to receive annual city taxes of $6 million, which could increase to $9 million by the year 2010.

On July 28, 1997 Mayor Rudolph Giuliani "handed-over" the city-owned 427-room U.N. Plaza Hotel to Hong Kong-based Regal Hotels International - the final step of the $102 million purchase. The mayor was joined at the ceremony by Daniel Bong, Deputy Chairman of Regal Hotels International Holdings LTD, Douglas Pasquale, President and CEO of Regal Hotels and the hotel's General Manager Richard Wilhelm. Wilhelm later worked for Donald Trump as President and Managing Director of the Plaza Hotel in New York City.

In November 1999 the London real estate company Millennium & Copthorne, acquired the 28 Regal hotels in the United

Millennium UN Plaza Hotel New York
One United Nations Plaza
44th Street between First and Second Avenue
New York, NY, 10017

The hotel's elevator foyer
----------
In the 1960s the U.N. had grown from 51 missions to over 120 missions without any parallel office and hotel room capacity being built in its neighborhood. According to the NY Times the city of New York was receiving complaints from the United Nations about the shortage of office space and hotel accommodations on the mideast side and it was having thoughts about leaving the city.

The city took action. In 1968 a joint agency was formed by the city, state and U.N. to develop a large scale extension of facilities across First Avenue from the U.N. The agency, the United Nations Development Corporation, acquired the land on the north side of 44th Street at 1st Avenue, essentially across the street from the U.N. headquarters.

The United Nations Development Corporation contracted with the architecture firm Roche-Dinkeloo. Kevin Roche acted as the principal designer for the firm while John Dinkeloo provided expertise in construction and technology. In the 60s and 70s they created stimulating examples of civic and corporate architecture. Later in the early 1990's they designed the 56-story Morgan Bank in the financial district.

The plan emerged for a four building complex of 40-story towers. The first building -- a combined office, apartment and hotel tower was completed in 1976.

The height of the tower was curtailed to 39-stories as it could not exceed height of the Secretariat Building of the U.N. Contradictorily - in 2000 Donald Trump built The Trump World Tower at United Nations Plaza three blocks to the north and was allowed to go 72 floors.

Known as One UN Plaza, it was completed with office space to the 26th floor and 247 hotel rooms on floors 27-39. On the 27th floor a health club with its glass-walled swimming pool was built. On the 39th floor is the only hotel tennis court available in Manhattan.

The 2nd phase known as Two UN Plaza was a mixed use office and hotel building. It was completed in 1983. It contained another 180 hotel rooms.

The exterior of the two buildings is uncompromisingly uniform in composition, being made of rectangular green-tinted glass plates tied together with narrow aluminum bands. The facade grid consists of floor-high elements of mirror windows -- the first used in NYC -- with four windows forming one element.

When the hotel opened in 1977 it was known as the United Nations Plaza Hotel - and in small print - (a United Nations Development Corporation project, managed by Hyatt International Corporation)

In the 1980s Hyatt added the hotel to its new Park Hyatt brand and altered the hotel's name to U.N. Plaza Hotel-Park Hyatt – New York, NY. Rakesh Sarna, the Chief Operating Officer for Hyatt International Operations, served as the hotel's general manager in the early 80's.

In 1997 the NY Times reported that Mayor Rudy Giuliani determined it was time for the city to sell off assets -particulary those that put the city in the role of landlord. He felt the city should not be in the hotel business and thought there was a growing demand by investors for New York City hotels. J.P. Morgan, the city's financial advisor, circulated the prospectus spelling out the terms of the hotel sale to large international hotel concerns, including Hyatt International which held the management contract to operate the hotel. The hotel portions of the two buildings had a complex ownership structure involving the city and the United Nations Development Corporation which complicated the sale.

The hotel quickly sold in 1997 ending the city's 21 year tenure in the hotel business. It was thought the city made out like a bandit receiving $102 million from Hong Kong-based Regal Hotels International. The $238,000 price per key for each of the 428 rooms was much more then earlier city estimates of a price range of $40 million to $85 million. The hotel was rebranded to the Regal UN Plaza.

During the preceding 10 years New York City's share of the hotel's profits, rent payments and property taxes averaged $2.48 million. By shifting the United Nations Plaza Hotel's ownership from public to private hands the city expected to receive annual city taxes of $6 million, which could increase to $9 million by the year 2010.

On July 28, 1997 Mayor Rudolph Giuliani "handed-over" the city-owned 427-room U.N. Plaza Hotel to Hong Kong-based Regal Hotels International - the final step of the $102 million purchase. The mayor was joined at the ceremony by Daniel Bong, Deputy Chairman of Regal Hotels International Holdings LTD, Douglas Pasquale, President and CEO of Regal Hotels and the hotel's General Manager Richard Wilhelm. Wilhelm later worked for Donald Trump as President and Managing Director of the Plaza Hotel in New York City.

In November 1999 the London real estate company Millennium & Copthorne, acquired the 28 Regal hotels in the United