KLM Miniature 97

KLM-miniatuur #97

Koninginnehoofd 1, Rotterdam

Hotel New York

Hotel New York is situated in the former head office of the Holland America Line, also known as 'The Grand Old Lady'. From here thousands of emigrants left for North America, hoping for a better life. Nowadays, people come here to sleep, celebrate, eat, drink and do business in a special atmosphere. In earlier times, many Europeans escaped poverty and/or religious persecution by leaving from Rotterdam. These emigrants usually left for North America, hoping for a better life. In 1873 the NASM company was founded, officially renamed 'HollandAmerica Line' in 1896. In 1971, after more than 100 years of transporting passengers, the Nieuw Amsterdam left the city on the Maas for its last crossing. An important episode in Rotterdam's nautical history had come to an end. The building in which hotel New Yorkis situated was built in the Jugendstil style during the period 1901-1917 by the architects J. Muller, Droogleever Fortuin and C.B. van der Tak. In 1977 the Holland America Line's head office moved to Seattle and in 1984 the building on Wilhelmina Pier was put on sale. One fine day in the early nineties, a few people regarded the building from across the water. With its tall towers and spinning weathercock, the building seemed to say: "Yes, I’m still here!" That is when the idea of a hotel and large café-restaurant first took shape, leading to Hotel New York opening its doors on May 5, 1993. Hotel New York has 72 rooms (some of them are old boardrooms from the directors of the HAL), 7 conference rooms, a big caf&eactu;-restaurant for 400 people and an exclusive restaurant for 100 guests named NY Basement in its souterrain. The 97th miniature was revealed at a festive event aboard the Steamship in Rotterdam. KLM President & CEO Pieter Elbers presented the first miniatures to Ahmed Aboutaleb, the Mayor of Rotterdam, and Mr and Mrs Westers, who run Hotel New York. After the official presentation, the guests were brought by boat to Hotel New York for drinks and snacks.