New York City’s 282-room The Plaza hotel is celebrating “The Great Gatsby” with period-inspired affairs that began Wednesday and continue throughout the spring, in honor of its role in Baz Luhrmann’s new film adaptation of the novel, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan. The film opens in theaters on May 10.
The hotel is the setting for the most climactic scene in the novel and the upcoming film. This spring, guests and visitors can embrace the famous novel with a collection of experiences throughout The Plaza.
In tribute to the great American author, The Fitzgerald Suite will be a new addition to the historic New York hotel, which opened in 1907. The 900 sq ft (83 sq m) suite on the 18th floor of The Plaza will be an art deco space with authentic, period-inspired pieces from luxury home furnishings brand, Restoration Hardware.
Photos from the 2013 film, images of Fitzgerald and his wife, the author’s complete works and coffee table books invoking languorous summers on the Gold Coast or the vibrant New York of the Roaring 20s to create an atmosphere where Fitzgerald and his infamous character Jay Gatsby would feel at home.
Reservations will be accepted as of April 22 for stays starting on May 10, 2013, the day “The Great Gatsby” hits theaters nationwide.
The hotel’s Champagne Bar will be transformed into a Moët Pop-Up to invoke Gatsby’s infamous parties. In collaboration with Moët Hennessey, The Moët Champagne Bar will showcase Moët Imperial and serve the first-ever Moët Champagne cocktail, crafted exclusively for The Plaza by mixologist Jim Meehan, called the Moët Imperial Gatsby. To complete the experience, The Plaza will feature the Moët & Chandon Champagne Cart, serving guests Moët Imperial by the glass as they conjure images of Gatsby’s champagne-soaked soirees.
This spring Wednesday and Thursday evenings usher in Gatsby Hour at The Rose Club, with a live jazz band and a Prohibition-inspired Speakeasy Menu featuring Grand Marnier, 10 Cane Rum, Hennessy, Glenmorangie and Belvedere. The signature cocktail for two will be served in an engraved Plaza flask, and partakers can slip the memento into a bag or jacket for future discrete sipping.
The Todd English Food Hall is debuting a modern menu of Gatsby-inspired cocktails curated by Hendrick’s Gin brand ambassador and mixologist Charlotte Voisey, while a limited-time Brunch Like Gatsby weekend menu will feature classic 1920s dishes. Shops at The Plaza Food Hall from Luke’s Lobster to William Greenberg are introducing treats evoking culinary trends of the 1920s, including a s’more macaroon by François Payard.
Celebrating the original publication date of “The Great Gatsby” (Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1925), on April 10, the hotel will unveil a display of props used in the production of the film as well as some of the costumes worn by the cast.
Also starting April 10, The Plaza Boutique will offer a wide selection of items inspired by the film and the Fitzgeralds, including a limited-edition handkerchief featuring a red Plaza-embroidered logo, modeled after one used by the character Tom Buchanan in Baz Luhrmann’s film. The Boutique will also carry a selection of 1920s bar ware, art deco-style ornaments and exclusive framed prints from artist Michael Storrings, as well as copies of the novel and other books about the era, including “Z – A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald” and “Gatsby Cocktails: Classic Cocktails from the Jazz Age.”