The hotels of Disneyland Resort Paris bring a bit of Americana to the Parisian countryside in the form of sophisticated architectural statements. We've previously explored the Disneyland Hotel, at the entrance to the park, with a design somewhat reminiscent of Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa at Walt Disney World. At the opposite end of Disney Village, though, is a property completely unique to the Paris resort - Hotel New York.
Designed by noted architect Michael Graves, Hotel New York is a loving tribute to the "city that doesn't sleep," complete with abstract skyscrapers and a Rockefeller Plaza-like ice skating rink (and yes, those are Big Apples incorporated into the barrier surrounding the ice in the photo above).
Step inside Hotel New York, and you'll find yourself in a space that is at once classic Art Deco as well as ultra-modern, done in a distinctive Michael Graves style.
The hotel includes quite a few nods to aspects, landmarks and neighborhoods of New York, NY.
For all the reverence shown the Big Apple, Graves also had a bit of fun with his design, like with these nods to New York teams playfully positioned in a face-off at either end of a main corridor on the ground floor of the hotel. Of course, with great restaurants and shops on each side, everyone's a winner in this Subway Series!
There are also some nods to Disney history. This children's area off the main lobby is inspired by the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit? The skyscrapers and yellow cab seem a natural fit. I guess the designers forgot that movie took place in Los Angeles.
Probably my favorite discovery from wandering the halls of Hotel New York was a set of reproductions of art from the 1939 New York World's Fair. The art complements the Art Deco styling of parts of the hotel, but it also represents a subtle connection to Disney. Walt visited the 1939 fair, where the Trylon and Perisphere and theme of the World of Tomorrow would heavily influence some of his later efforts in theme park and civic design. The 1939 fair was also held at Flushing Meadows, the same location where Walt would return in 1964 with influential exhibits and attractions of his own.
