Hotels with History | Waldorf Astoria, New York

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**Connor Boyle** (1:03)
Hello, I'm head of programming, Connor Boyle. Today, we're whisking you away with a hand-picked episode of Armchair Escapism. After a standout first season, Hotels with History is back. Produced by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Perowne International, this new season sees hosts Jules Perowne and Richard E. Grant travel further than ever to some of the world's most storied hotels. This season, you can stroll along white sand to the Copacabana Palace, watch the 1918 German Revolution unfold from the windows of Berlin's Hotel Adlon, and of course, enjoy Richard's inimitable impersonations of Marlene Dietrich. In each episode, Richard and Jules check in to a different hotel, uncovering the unforgettable moments that took place within its walls and beyond its grounds, exploring how the tides of history transformed entire regions into the luxury destinations we know today. Now, over to Jules and Richard for Hotels with History.

**Richard E. Grant** (2:10)
Meet me at the Clark. This was, at one time, the ultimate New York phrase, one that would have you weaving your way through the avenues to the Waldorf Astoria on Park Avenue, past Rockefeller Center, past Times Square, past Grand Central Station. You spin through the revolving doors and enter this marbled art deco fantasy.
You hear that ticking? That's coming from the clock itself, an eight foot bronze and silver beast dominating the smooth marble floors. Take a look around. There's even Cole Porter's infamous Steinway Piano from when he lived here. We are standing in the heart of hospitality in the Big Apple. But if you had said, meet me at the Clark to a New Yorker in 1895, you wouldn't be standing here. You'd be 15 blocks south. The original building, the one that started it all, is gone. So, how did we get from a pile of rubble on 34th Street to this on Park Avenue? A hotel born out of a petty family squabble into the unofficial Palace of New York.
From its iconic architecture towering over midtown Manhattan to the innovative hospitality that made it a New York City benchmark and a clock mimicking the heartbeat of this ever-changing city.
Welcome back to Hotels with History.

**Jules Perowne** (3:41)
I'm Jules Perowne, lifelong traveler. I've spent my career visiting some of the world's finest places to stay.

**Richard E. Grant** (3:47)
And I'm Richard E. Grant. As an actor forever on the move, hotels have become my second home, in every size, shape and flavor.

**Jules Perowne** (3:55)
Hopefully, you're joining us after having enjoyed our first season, where I sent Richard around the world to explore the histories of magnificent hotels, from Gleneagles in the Scottish Highlands, all the way over to Raffles in Singapore. And now we're back with even more tales of intrigue, icons and influence.

**Richard E. Grant** (4:14)
Unpacking the history that transformed these buildings into modern legends.

**Jules Perowne** (4:19)
In today's episode, the first in our new series of Hotels with History, how a hotel born out of a petty family squabble became the unofficial Palace of New York. Richard, it is wonderful to be sitting opposite you again.

**Richard E. Grant** (4:37)
Yeah, it's yours. And welcome back to you too, dear listeners.

**Jules Perowne** (4:40)
It's been a few months since we were last here to share the most exciting, unbelievable and intriguing hotel history that we can find. And of course, travel for us never stops, does it?

**Richard E. Grant** (4:50)
I've been busy travelling to some of the most amazing locations we're going to be covering in this series. Our journey will take us around the world once again, from midtown Manhattan to the middle of Cape Town, over to Berlin and back again to Brazil, before settling into a warm and comfortable beach lounger in the heart of the Caribbean.