Last Updated on July 25, 2026 by Daniel Globe
The Plaza Hotel at Fifth Avenue and Central Park South is one of New York City’s best-known luxury hotels, but its ownership is often confused with the company that runs it. The current structure is straightforward once you separate the hotel owner, the hotel manager, and the privately owned residences inside the building.
Quick Answer
Katara Hospitality, Qatar’s flagship hospitality asset owner, owns the hotel portion of The Plaza in New York City. Katara acquired the property in 2018. Fairmont Hotels & Resorts manages the hotel’s day-to-day operations, so Fairmont/Accor is the operator, not a co-owner. The building also contains privately owned condominium residences.
Key Takeaways
- Katara Hospitality is the current owner of The Plaza’s hotel asset and still lists the property in its owned portfolio.
- Fairmont Hotels & Resorts manages the hotel; Fairmont and its parent company Accor are not listed as co-owners of The Plaza.
- Donald Trump owned The Plaza from 1988 until 1995, but he has no current ownership role.
- The present 1907 building was developed by Bernhard Beinecke, Fred Sterry, and Harry S. Black; Conrad Hilton did not acquire it until 1943.
- The Plaza is a mixed-use landmark building that includes hotel rooms and privately owned condominium residences.
History of the Plaza Hotel ownership
The current Plaza Hotel opened on October 1, 1907. It was not originally developed by Conrad Hilton. According to The Plaza’s official history, financier Bernhard Beinecke, hotelier Fred Sterry, and Harry S. Black of the Fuller Construction Company backed the replacement of an earlier hotel on the same site. Architect Henry Janeway Hardenbergh designed the new building in a French château-inspired style.
Ownership changed repeatedly over the next century. The broad timeline below focuses on the major owners most relevant to the modern hotel.
| Period | Major owner or ownership group | What changed |
| 1907–1943 | Original Plaza interests led by Beinecke, Sterry, and Black | The present hotel opened in 1907 and became a major New York social and hospitality landmark. |
| 1943–1950s | Conrad Hilton and Atlas Corporation | Hilton acquired The Plaza in 1943, decades after the hotel opened. |
| 1975–1988 | Western International Hotels/Westin | The property became part of the Westin hotel portfolio before its sale to Donald Trump. |
| 1988–1995 | Donald Trump | Trump bought The Plaza in 1988. Financial restructuring in the early 1990s eventually led to a change of control. |
| 1995–2004 | CDL/Millennium & Copthorne and Prince Alwaleed bin Talal interests | An international investor group took control after Trump’s ownership ended. |
| 2004–2012 | Elad Properties and partners | The hotel closed for a major restoration and partial conversion to residential condominiums, then reopened in 2008. |
| 2012–2018 | Sahara India Pariwar and minority partners | Sahara acquired the controlling interest before Katara Hospitality’s 2018 acquisition. |
| 2018–present | Katara Hospitality | Katara acquired The Plaza and continues to list it among its owned hotels, while Fairmont manages hotel operations. |
Donald Trump’s ownership of The Plaza
Donald Trump acquired The Plaza in 1988 and owned it during the period when Home Alone 2: Lost in New York was filmed. The hotel’s own timeline records the 1988 acquisition. Trump’s broader financial difficulties later affected the property, and his ownership ended in 1995 when an investor group including CDL/Millennium & Copthorne and Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal took control. Historic Hotels of America’s property history traces the later ownership path through Elad Properties, Sahara India Pariwar, and Katara Hospitality.
Note: The owner and the operator are different roles. The owner holds the hotel asset and makes long-term investment decisions; the operator manages rooms, service, reservations, staffing, and the guest experience under a hotel brand.
Current ownership of the Plaza Hotel
As of July 2026, Katara Hospitality lists The Plaza as one of its owned hotels. Katara is a Qatar-based hospitality asset owner and manager. Its corporate history also identifies The Plaza as its first acquisition in the United States in 2018.
Who manages The Plaza?
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts manages The Plaza. That is why the property is marketed as “The Plaza, A Fairmont Managed Hotel.” Fairmont is part of Accor, but this management relationship does not make Fairmont or Accor a co-owner of the hotel.
Does one company own the entire Plaza building?
The ownership question is more nuanced because The Plaza is now a mixed-use property. A portion of the building was converted to private residences during the 2000s redevelopment. The Plaza’s current FAQ says the hotel has 282 guest rooms and suites, while other parts of the building are residential condominiums owned by individual unit owners. In everyday use, saying “Katara Hospitality owns The Plaza Hotel” refers to the hotel asset, not every privately owned residence in the building.
The simplest way to understand The Plaza today is: Katara Hospitality owns the hotel, Fairmont manages it, and private owners hold individual condominium residences within the same landmark building.
Controversies surrounding the ownership of the Plaza Hotel
| Issue | What the record supports |
| Trump-era financial restructuring | The Plaza became entangled in Donald Trump’s debt problems in the early 1990s. It is more accurate to describe this as financial restructuring and loss of control than as “multiple bankruptcies caused by ownership disputes.” |
| 2000s hotel-to-condominium conversion | Elad’s redevelopment reduced the size of the hotel and created private residences. Because The Plaza is landmarked, the project also involved preservation and regulatory review of protected spaces. |
| Foreign ownership | The Plaza has had international ownership groups since 1995. Foreign ownership does not remove New York City or federal historic designations, and protected features remain subject to preservation rules. |
| Owner-versus-manager confusion | Fairmont manages the hotel, but Katara Hospitality owns the hotel asset. Treating Accor/Fairmont as a co-owner creates an inaccurate picture of the current structure. |
The ownership story has generated attention because The Plaza is both a commercial property and a cultural landmark. That makes changes in ownership, financing, use, and renovation more visible than they would be at an ordinary hotel. The most important distinction is between documented events—such as ownership transfers, financial restructuring, and the condominium conversion—and broader claims about motives or public sentiment that cannot be verified.
Impact of ownership changes on the Plaza Hotel
Ownership changes have had a clear physical and operational impact on The Plaza. The largest modern change came after Elad Properties acquired the building in 2004. The hotel closed in 2005 for an extensive restoration and partial conversion to residences. The Plaza’s official timeline says the restoration cost about $450 million and the hotel reopened in 2008.
That redevelopment permanently changed how the building functions. The Plaza is no longer simply one large traditional hotel. It combines a smaller luxury hotel with private residences, while protected public rooms and architectural features remain part of the landmark’s identity.
Under Katara Hospitality’s ownership, the hotel has continued to operate under Fairmont management. The owner therefore focuses on the asset and long-term capital stewardship, while Fairmont handles the day-to-day guest-facing business.
Future of the Plaza Hotel ownership
There is no verified current announcement of a change in ownership. Katara Hospitality still lists The Plaza in its owned portfolio in 2026, so any claim that a new investor has already taken control would need fresh documentation from Katara, Fairmont, or a reliable transaction source.
The more predictable long-term issue is preservation. New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission designated important Plaza interiors as landmarks in 2005, adding to the building’s earlier exterior landmark protection. Those designations mean that a future owner cannot treat protected portions of the property like an unrestricted redevelopment site.
Pro Tip: When checking future ownership news, look first for a current Katara Hospitality portfolio update, a Fairmont property announcement, or a documented real-estate transaction. Older articles can remain highly ranked long after the ownership facts have changed.
Public perception of the Plaza Hotel ownership
Public opinion about The Plaza often mixes several separate issues: luxury pricing, international investment, access to famous public spaces, and preservation of a New York landmark. Those concerns are real topics of debate, but they should not be presented as if there were a single documented public consensus.
The verifiable facts are clearer. The hotel has had international ownership interests for decades, Fairmont currently manages the hotel for Katara Hospitality, and landmark protections continue regardless of the owner’s nationality. The Plaza also remains a luxury property, so its pricing and access policies are primarily operational decisions rather than proof of any particular ownership motive.
The significance of understanding the ownership of the Plaza Hotel
Knowing who owns The Plaza matters because ownership determines who controls long-term investment, major renovations, financing, and asset strategy. Management is a different layer: Fairmont controls the day-to-day hotel experience under its brand and operating systems.
The distinction also helps explain why the building can have more than one kind of owner at the same address. Katara Hospitality owns the hotel asset, while private condominium owners own individual residences created during the 2000s conversion. At the same time, New York City landmark rules and federal historic recognition place limits on what any owner can change.
The Plaza’s cultural status is another reason ownership attracts attention. The hotel appears in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, is closely associated with Kay Thompson’s Eloise, and has been used in many films. Those connections make The Plaza more than a hospitality business; it is also part of New York’s architectural and cultural history.
Because ownership information can become outdated quickly, claims about The Plaza should be checked against current owner and operator records rather than recycled from older articles. As of July 2026, the current structure remains Katara Hospitality as hotel owner and Fairmont as hotel manager.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who currently owns the New York Plaza Hotel?
Katara Hospitality, a Qatar-based hospitality asset owner, owns The Plaza’s hotel asset. Katara still lists The Plaza among its owned hotels in 2026.
When did Katara Hospitality acquire the New York Plaza Hotel?
Katara Hospitality acquired The Plaza in 2018, making the hotel its first acquisition in the United States.
Does Fairmont or Accor own The Plaza Hotel?
No. Fairmont Hotels & Resorts manages The Plaza, and Fairmont is part of Accor. Katara Hospitality is the hotel owner.
Has the ownership of the New York Plaza Hotel changed hands in the past?
Yes. Major past owners or ownership groups have included the original Plaza interests, Conrad Hilton, Westin, Donald Trump, investors associated with CDL and Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, Elad Properties, and Sahara India Pariwar before Katara Hospitality acquired the hotel in 2018.
Does Donald Trump still own The Plaza Hotel?
No. Donald Trump bought The Plaza in 1988, but his ownership ended in 1995. He has no current ownership role in the hotel.
Is the New York Plaza Hotel a historic landmark?
Yes. The Plaza’s exterior is a New York City Landmark, important interior spaces received city landmark protection in 2005, and the property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The National Park Service also lists The Plaza as a National Historic Landmark.
Does Katara Hospitality own the private residences inside The Plaza?
No. The Plaza is a mixed-use property. Katara Hospitality owns the hotel asset, while individual condominium residences are privately owned by their respective unit owners.
Sources
- Katara Hospitality — The Plaza, A Fairmont Managed Hotel — current owner portfolio listing.
- Fairmont — New York City — confirms The Plaza is a Fairmont-managed hotel.
- The Plaza — Official History — 1907 opening, founders, architect, and historic background.
- Historic Hotels of America — The Plaza History — later ownership, restoration, and management history.
- New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission — Plaza Hotel Interior Landmark — city landmark documentation.
- National Park Service — Plaza Hotel National Register record — federal historic listing and architectural significance.