The Thompson Central Park New York is a 587-room[3] hotel located at 56th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Located near Central Park, the 42-story hotel building houses restaurants, a gym, and other retailers.[2]
History
The hotel opened on March 13, 1981, as the Hotel Parker Meridien New York.[1] The hotel opened on Friday the thirteenth, a date considered lucky in France. Because the date is considered unlucky in the US, however, the actual grand opening celebration was held a week later, on Friday March 20, 1981. The hotel was developed by the New York-based Jack Parker Corporation and managed by Air France's Meridien Hotels division. In 1979, the New York City Department of City Planning gave Parker permission to construct a 40-story building, eight floors past the 32-story maximum for a building with that lot area, provided that the corporation add a public atrium. The hotel was later slightly renamed, becoming Le Parker Méridien New York. The atrium seating was removed in 1990, and subsequently restored after a "high-profile" campaign by the New York City Department of Buildings.[4] Under the Parker Corporation's management, Le Parker Meridien was one of the few luxury hotels in the city that accommodated wild animals as guests.[5] In 2012, the hotel's coffee bar was flooded with concrete following a construction accident at a neighboring building.[6]
The hotel, along with its sister Le Parker Méridien property in Palm Springs, left Le Méridien (by that point, a division of Starwood) in January 2018, and the hotel was renamed Parker New York Hotel. GFI Capital Resources Group and Elliott Management Corporation purchased the hotel for approximately $420 million in 2019. The companies planned a $100 million renovation, along with the conversion of a portion to private residences,[7] and the potential addition of 67 luxury condos atop the existing structure.[8][9] The hotel joined the Thompson Hotels division of Hyatt as Thompson Central Park New York on November 1, 2021.[10]
Reception
Douglas Rogers of The Daily Telegraph rated the hotel 8 out of 10 and summarized, "At first glance this Midtown hotel seems like a nondescript commercial tower block, but once inside a myriad of resort-like treats await. Aside from sprawling guest rooms there's a barbershop, makeup salon, spa, rooftop pool and – the ultimate gem – world famous Burger Joint."[11] Parker New York ranked number 118 on U.S. News & World Report's list of "Best New York City Hotels".[12] Jessica Colley Clarke of Fodor's rated Le Parker Meridien as 4.5 out of 5 stars,[13] and Frommer's rated Parker New York 2 out of 3 stars.[14]
The Evening Standard's Lauren Keary included the Parker in her list of "best pools in NYC".[15] Lorna Parkes of The Independent described the hotel as "a Hyatt with subtle style" and a "secret burger joint".[16]The Daily Telegraph's Tracy Kaler included the Parker in her 2020 list of "8 fabulous family-friendly hotels in New York".[17]
Secondary entrance, 57th Street
Facilities
One of the hotel's restaurants is Burger Joint, a "speakeasy-style burger hut" behind the hotel's lobby curtain.[18] The restaurant opened in 2002 and has since expanded to other locations. Burger Joint was ranked number two in Eater New York's list of the "27 Top Burgers in NYC".[19] People often queue in the restaurant's entrance corridor, which is marked by a simple neon sign of a hamburger.[20]
