Nobu, the Hotel, is coming to New York.
The hotel and restaurant combo for the upscale wealthy and chic is taking over the famed but now closed Hotel Plaza Athenee on East 64th St.
Nobu, of course, is already a big hit restaurant in New York’s Tribeca and West 57th St. It’s also a mainstay of Hollywood and Malibu where there’s already a hotel. The new one will be called Plaza Athénée Nobu Hotel and Spa New York.
Now they will plant their flag on the Upper East Side in 2026. The remodel will take the once cozy hotel and turn it into something sleek and uncomfortable. There will be a rooftop terrace, a Japanese spa, and sushi for everyone starting at four hundred dollars!
I have such great memories of the Plaza Athenee. The manager, Bernard Lackner, was a superstar. We had my parents’ 50th anniversary dinner there. The hotel dining room also was home to many movie and theater premieres, press events for film after film. I took Nicole Kidman to lunch there years and years ago where she ate off my plate. (I was surprised by her appetite.) I also had lunch at the Plaza Athenee with Robert Wagner, where we talked about Natalie Wood. He was terrific. They had the best waiters and the nicest staff.
Life goes on!