Plaza Hotel Debuts the Eloise Suite Designed by Betsey Johnson
On August 16, The Plaza Hotel will debut its one-of-a-kind Eloise Suite, designed by celebrated fashion designer Betsey Johnson.
Johnson has designed an exclusive Eloise Suite that blends luxury and whimsy for a charmingly original result. It is Johnson's first-ever hotel collaboration. The suite channels the ebullient spirit of The Plaza's most famous "resident," Eloise, the precocious six-year-old in Kay Thompson's classic 1955 book, who lived with her Nanny, pet pug Weenie and turtle Skipperdee at The Plaza and had the unfettered run of the place.
"'I absolutely loooove The Plaza!' as Eloise would say," says Betsey Johnson. "Now I hope she says, 'I absolutely loooove my new room decorated by Betsey Johnson! She's so pink, so fun...neon, and stripes, and flowers, and yipes!!! ...petticoats, princess crowns, and even pink chandeliers! Ahhhh...absolutely home-sweet-home. Hey Eloise! Me and my grandkiddos want a sleepover with you real soon! Thanks to my absolutely most favorite hotel, The Plaza, for inviting me to decorate Eloise's room!"
As is only fitting for New York's quintessential "city child," Eloise's suite is located on the 18th floor of the famous New York hotel and is comprised of two rooms – one for erstwhile young Eloises and one for their parents – and Johnson's design captures all the brio of New York's Naughtiest. The Suite is resplendently rendered in an Eloise-approved palette of pink and black, and a signature Plaza chandelier fitted with pink bulbs casts a rosy glow throughout. Wall panels are candy striped with pink and white and outlined with gold leaf molding providing a striking contrast to the black and white zebra-print carpet which muffles the sound when Eloise slomps her skates to "make a really loud and terrible racket."
Guests will sink into a King-size bed made up with custom-designed bedding – a bedspread sprigged with scenes drawn by "Eloise" illustrator, Hilary Knight, depicting the hapless heroine scampering around The Plaza, a charming print that makes an appearance on the bow-tied curtains, too. Accent pillows are sheathed in shams patterned with custom "Betseyville Rose" and "Betsey Rosebud" prints. The padded pink headboard sparkles with "trinkles" (as does a matching nearby ottoman), and is surmounted by the crowning touch: Eloise's name scrawled in neon lights and affixed to the wall above.
Two comfy chairs, similarly upholstered in Johnson's signature rosebud prints, make the perfect perch for bedtime storytelling, and the shades of the bedside lamps are also abloom with this motif. Original Hilary Knight prints adorn the walls, and the Suite is equipped with a disposable Eloise camera so that guests may snap photos of their stay, then tuck them into the "memory board," a glass-topped mirror just right for storing images of guests both past and present. Betsey Johnson kicked this tradition off herself by taking the very first photo.
The Eloise Suite is equipped with a wall-mounted flat screen TV and DVD player, Eloise DVDs and books, a tea set, Eloise and Weenie dolls to share it with as well as Eloise robes and towels complete with appliqués of Weenie and Skipperdee. The suite costs $995 a night.
"Each day, our colleagues share Eloise's adventures with guests from all over the world and she is such a beloved character," says The Plaza's General Manager, Shane Krige. "Collaborating with a visionary of style and design like Betsey Johnson to bring Eloise's world to life has been so rewarding and we feel she is the ideal talent for this project. We are delighted to be able to offer guests the opportunity to stay in the Suite and to experience Eloise's Plaza."
Fans of Eloise should be sure to check out the Eloise Boutique in the Plaza Shops on the Concourse Level of the Plaza. The 2,100 square feet boutique resembles a playhouse and features Eloise-themed merchandise from dolls and costumes to books and bathrobes. The boutique is equipped with a Fashion Room where children can dress up in costumes and model their favorite looks on a stage as well as a Library, where guests can watch their favorite Eloise movies or sit down and read an Eloise book. The boutique also has a space where it will host tea and birthday parties. The boutique can be reached at (212) 546-5460.
