Last Updated on July 25, 2026 by Daniel Globe
The Plaza Hotel is one of New York City’s best-known luxury landmarks, standing at Fifth Avenue and Central Park South. Its ownership history includes American hotel companies, Donald Trump, international investors, and major redevelopment projects. The current answer is simpler than the history: a Qatari hospitality company owns the hotel, while a separate global hotel brand manages it.
Quick Answer
Katara Hospitality, a Qatar-based state-owned hotel company, owns The Plaza’s hotel asset. It acquired full ownership in July 2018 in a deal reported at about $600 million. Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, part of Accor, manages the property. Privately owned condominium residences inside the building have separate individual owners.
Key Takeaways
- Current owner: Katara Hospitality of Qatar.
- Hotel manager: Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, an Accor brand.
- Acquisition: Katara bought the ownership stakes in July 2018 for a reported price of about $600 million.
- Former owners: Past controlling interests included Conrad Hilton, Donald Trump, Kingdom Holding with CDL Hotels, El-Ad Properties, and Sahara India Pariwar.
- Landmark dates: New York City landmark in 1969, National Register listing in 1978, and National Historic Landmark designation in 1986.
Who owns the Plaza Hotel today?
Katara Hospitality is the current owner of The Plaza’s hotel asset. Katara is a Qatar-based hotel owner, developer, and operator, and it continues to list The Plaza among its owned international properties.
Katara acquired the ownership interests in July 2018. Contemporary reporting placed the transaction at approximately $600 million and said the company bought out Sahara India Pariwar’s majority stake as well as minority interests held by other investors.
Note: “Who owns The Plaza?” normally refers to the hotel asset and related commercial interests. The building also contains privately owned condominium residences, so individual apartment owners hold title to their own units.
Ownership at a glance
| Hotel asset owner | Katara Hospitality |
| Acquired | July 2018 |
| Reported transaction value | About $600 million |
| Hotel manager | Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, part of Accor |
| Private residences | Separately owned condominium units |
Owner versus manager: Katara Hospitality and Fairmont
Hotel ownership and hotel management are not always the same. Katara Hospitality owns the asset, but Fairmont Hotels & Resorts operates The Plaza as a Fairmont-managed hotel. Fairmont is part of Accor.
The owner is responsible for the investment and ownership side of the property. The manager runs hotel operations under its brand and management agreement, including reservations, guest service, staffing, dining, and day-to-day standards. This distinction explains why The Plaza carries the Fairmont name even though Fairmont is not the property owner.
Katara Hospitality owns The Plaza’s hotel asset; Fairmont manages the hotel. Donald Trump, Kingdom Holding, El-Ad Properties, and Sahara India Pariwar are part of its ownership history, not its current ownership.
History of the Plaza Hotel ownership
The current Plaza opened on October 1, 1907. It was not developed by Conrad Hilton. According to The Plaza’s official history, the project was driven by financier Bernhard Beinecke, hotelier Fred Sterry, and builder Harry S. Black, with Henry Janeway Hardenbergh as architect.
Conrad Hilton entered the story decades later. Hilton and Atlas Corporation acquired The Plaza in 1943 for $7.4 million. The hotel then passed through several ownership and financing structures before Westin, Donald Trump, international investment groups, El-Ad, Sahara, and Katara took control.
| Period | Owner or controlling group | Key change |
|---|---|---|
| 1907–1943 | Original development and corporate ownership interests | The new Plaza opened in 1907 under the founding group associated with Bernhard Beinecke, Fred Sterry, and Harry S. Black. |
| 1943–1953 | Conrad Hilton and Atlas Corporation | Acquired the hotel for $7.4 million and carried out major updates. |
| 1953–1975 | A. M. Sonnabend, Hotel Corporation of America, and related ownership structures | Hilton sold the hotel in 1953. Management and ownership arrangements changed during the Sonnabend era before the sale to Westin. |
| 1975–early 1988 | Westin International Hotels | Westin operated the property as The Westin Plaza. |
| Early 1988 | Aoki Corporation and Robert M. Bass interests | A short-lived ownership step before the property was resold to Donald Trump. |
| 1988–1995 | Donald Trump, followed by creditor control during restructuring | Trump paid $390 million. A 1992 restructuring reduced his control, and the property changed hands in 1995. |
| 1995–2004 | CDL Hotels International and Prince Alwaleed bin Talal’s Kingdom Holding | The partnership acquired a controlling interest in a transaction valuing the hotel at about $325 million. |
| 2004–2012 | El-Ad Properties, with minority investors | El-Ad acquired the property for a reported $675 million and led the renovation and partial condominium conversion. |
| 2012–2018 | Sahara India Pariwar as majority owner, with minority partners | Sahara acquired the controlling interest for roughly $570 million. |
| 2018–present | Katara Hospitality | Katara bought the hotel ownership interests for a reported $600 million and retained Fairmont as manager. |
What happened during Donald Trump’s ownership?
Donald Trump bought The Plaza in 1988 for $390 million, not $407 million. The highly leveraged purchase became difficult to support, and a 1992 restructuring transferred substantial control to creditors. In 1995, CDL Hotels International and Prince Alwaleed’s investment group acquired a controlling stake. Trump has no current ownership interest in The Plaza.
What changed under El-Ad Properties?
El-Ad acquired The Plaza in 2004 and closed it in 2005 for an extensive restoration and partial conversion. The hotel reopened in 2008 after a project that The Plaza’s official timeline values at $450 million. The redevelopment created the modern mix of hotel accommodations, condominium residences, and commercial space.
The Plaza Hotel’s iconic status in NYC
The Plaza’s location, architecture, public rooms, and cultural history make it one of Manhattan’s most recognizable hotels. Its French Renaissance-inspired exterior was designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, and its prominent position beside Central Park has made it a visual landmark for more than a century.
Landmark designations and the correct dates
- 1969: The exterior became a New York City Landmark.
- 1978: The Plaza was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1986: The property was designated a National Historic Landmark.
- 2005: Important public interiors, including the Palm Court, ballroom, lobbies, and other rooms, received New York City interior-landmark protection.
These are separate designations. The original article incorrectly described the 1969 city-landmark action as a National Historic Landmark designation.
The Plaza Hotel’s impact on the hospitality industry
The Plaza has influenced how luxury hotels present service, social events, dining, and ceremonial spaces. Its reputation rests on high-touch guest service, formal public rooms, major celebrations, and traditions such as afternoon tea at the Palm Court.
It is more accurate to call The Plaza an influential example than to claim it invented personalized service or afternoon tea. Those traditions predate the hotel. The Plaza’s importance comes from the visibility and longevity with which it has maintained them in New York.
The Plaza Hotel’s role in popular culture
The Plaza appears repeatedly in books, film, and New York social history. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby includes scenes set at the hotel. The official Plaza timeline also records filming for Home Alone 2: Lost in New York in the 59th Street lobby in 1991.
Other well-known connections include Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest, the fictional Plaza resident Eloise, the Beatles’ 1964 stay, and high-profile events in the Grand Ballroom. These references have helped turn the property into a cultural symbol rather than simply a place to stay.
The Plaza Hotel’s financial value
The latest widely reported whole-hotel ownership transaction was Katara Hospitality’s 2018 purchase for approximately $600 million. That sale price is a historical transaction figure, not a reliable statement of the hotel’s current market value.
No authoritative public source provides a continuously updated valuation for The Plaza. Any present-day estimate would need to consider hotel performance, commercial interests, landmark restrictions, financing, and the building’s separately owned residential condominiums. For that reason, a precise current value should not be presented without a recent appraisal or confirmed sale process.
The Plaza Hotel’s future ownership prospects
As of July 2026, Katara Hospitality continues to list The Plaza in its owned hotel portfolio, and no confirmed ownership sale has been announced. Future ownership is therefore speculative.
Any later transaction would be shaped by The Plaza’s trophy-asset status, landmark protections, Fairmont management agreement, mixed hotel-and-residential structure, and the cost of maintaining a century-old luxury property. Those factors may attract long-term institutional buyers while making a sale more complex than a standard hotel transfer.
The Plaza Hotel’s significance in NYC’s real estate market
The Plaza occupies a rare position in New York real estate because it combines a globally recognized hotel address, landmark protection, commercial space, and private condominium ownership. Its 2000s redevelopment is a major example of how an older luxury hotel can be repositioned as a mixed-use property while retaining protected public spaces.
Landmark status does not prevent ownership changes, but it limits alterations to protected exterior and interior features. A buyer must therefore evaluate preservation obligations alongside hotel operations, capital improvements, residential interests, and commercial uses.
The enduring legacy of the Plaza Hotel
The Plaza’s ownership has changed many times, but its place in New York history has remained unusually durable. The hotel opened in 1907, became a city and national landmark, survived multiple financial restructurings, and was partly converted into residences without losing its identity as a luxury hotel.
Today, the ownership picture is clear: Katara Hospitality owns the hotel asset, Fairmont manages the hotel, and individual owners hold private condominium residences. That structure connects The Plaza’s modern operation with more than a century of architectural, hospitality, and cultural history.
Older reports may still name Sahara India Pariwar, Kingdom Holding, El-Ad Properties, or Donald Trump as the owner. Those reports describe earlier periods. The current owner is Katara Hospitality, a Qatar-based company, not a Saudi investment group.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who currently owns the Plaza Hotel in NYC?
Katara Hospitality owns The Plaza’s hotel asset. Katara is a Qatar-based, state-owned hospitality company.
When did Katara Hospitality acquire the Plaza Hotel?
Katara Hospitality acquired the ownership interests in July 2018. Contemporary reporting valued the transaction at approximately $600 million.
Does Fairmont own the Plaza Hotel?
No. Fairmont Hotels & Resorts manages and brands the hotel. Katara Hospitality owns the hotel asset.
Does Donald Trump still own the Plaza Hotel?
No. Donald Trump bought The Plaza in 1988, lost substantial control during a 1992 restructuring, and the hotel changed controlling ownership in 1995.
Who owned the Plaza before Katara Hospitality?
Sahara India Pariwar was the majority owner before the 2018 sale. Minority investors included Kingdom Holding and other parties whose interests were bought in the Katara transaction.
Are the Plaza’s private residences owned by Katara?
Individual condominium residences have separate private owners. Katara’s ownership answer refers to the hotel asset and related ownership interests, not every privately owned apartment.
Is the Plaza Hotel a historic landmark?
Yes. It became a New York City Landmark in 1969, entered the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, and became a National Historic Landmark in 1986. Important interiors received city landmark protection in 2005.
How much did Katara pay for the Plaza Hotel?
The 2018 acquisition was widely reported at approximately $600 million. That figure is the reported sale price, not a current appraisal.
Sources
- Katara Hospitality: The Plaza property page — confirms The Plaza remains in Katara’s portfolio.
- Katara Hospitality acquisition announcement — confirms the acquisition and Fairmont management relationship.
- The Plaza official history — supports the founding group, architect, opening, and restoration history.
- The Plaza official timeline — supports key ownership, landmark, and cultural dates.
- National Park Service: National Historic Landmarks by state — confirms the June 24, 1986 National Historic Landmark designation.
- Reuters report on the 2018 acquisition — supports the reported $600 million price and full-ownership transaction.