New York's iconic Plaza hotel could be opening in the UAE by 2020
What do The Beatles, Donald Trump and Home Alone 2 have in common?
If you guessed New York’s Plaza hotel, then good job, give yourself a cookie.
Once owned by the current US President, the 111-year-old building has been the centrepiece of many a cultural touchstone, including an infamous six-day stint by the Fab Four in 1964, and being used as the backdrop for the 1992 sequel to Home Alone. And now, it looks like it might be coming to the UAE.
Well, not physically (that would be a logistical nightmare), but in a report from The National it appears that the building’s about-to-be-new owner has plans to expand the luxury brand beyond its current home on 5th Avenue and 58th Street in Midtown Manhattan.
Shahal Khan, founder of White City Ventures in Dubai, told the daily newspaper that he hopes to turn the Plaza into a chain of “uber luxury” hotels, with an eye set on opening an Abu Dhabi branch as soon as 2020.
And it could happen, too. The reportedly US$600 million (Dhs2.2 billion) deal, of which Mr Khan is a majority stake investor, is scheduled to close by June 25, giving plenty of time to get things in order and break ground on a UAE-based Plaza.
We’re looking forward to seeing a little slice of classic New York come to the UAE in the near future.
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