Liquidating the Gramercy Park Hotel

The last few months have seen the liquidation of two hotels that were the epitome of cool during my years here in New York – the Hudson Hotel, which I wrote about here, and now the Gramercy Park Hotel. News of the Gramercy Park Hotel liquidation hit a couple of weeks before I was traveling internationally, as did the 6 hour wait times to go in and scoop up a piece of New York history in many ways. As luck would have it, the liquidation was still on after my return, and I got to visit over the weekend.

I have visited the Gramercy Park Hotel on many occassions for work and pleasure – many a meeting was had in its lobby, many a drink at the Rose Bar where Lady Gaga’s backing band – the Brian Newman Quintet – performed with Lady Gaga joining them every once in a while (which I always seemed to miss at the Rose Bar!), and many a meal at Maialino. So it was particularly sad to walk through the lobby and Rose Bar, both of which now have everything from room service menus to brand new Calvin Klein shirts that I assume were worn by the staff for sale.

The iconic velvet chairs and furnishings are all displayed on the sidewalk outside, hoping to attract the attention of potential buyers –

The person managing the line was explaining how the in room safes all have a generic code that can be reset, and the safes are battery powered so anyone who bought one could just change the battery and be set for a while.

Going inside, the main lobby looked like a thrift house warehouse where everything on display was for sale –

Here is what the iconic Rose Bar looks like at the moment –

There were plenty of GPH monogrammed souveniers available –

And even an in room dining menu, though I am not sure what purpose that would serve anymore –

For what its worth, guests at the Gramercy Park Hotel got access to the exclusive gated Gramercy Park, which New Yorkers have access to for all of one hour a year –

All in all a very sad end to a hotel that created a lot of memories for New Yorkers over the years.