Hotel Elysée

Hotel Elysée is a historic hotel at 60 East 54th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, between Madison and Park Avenues. Established in 1926 by Swiss-born hotelier Max Haering, it was conceived as a European-style hotel serving what was described at the time as the “carriage trade,” meaning an affluent and socially prominent clientele. Its location placed it near the commercial, cultural, and residential institutions of central Manhattan, while its European character differentiated it from more standardized lodging properties. The hotel experienced a major change in ownership in 1937, when Mayer Quain, a leading New York hatcheck concessionaire, acquired it after it went through bankruptcy. Following the Second World War, Quain’s children took an unusually personal approach to the property’s interiors. Rather than giving every room a uniform design and conventional numerical identity, they decorated rooms individually and assigned names intended to suggest each room’s character. This eclectic approach became part of the hotel’s identity and helped establish its reputation as an intimate, characterful alternative to larger, more impersonal Manhattan hotels. One named accommodation, the “Sayonara” suite, was assigned to actor Marlon Brando after his starring role in The Teahouse of the August Moon. The Elysée also developed a strong connection with writers, actors, musicians, and other figures associated with New York’s cultural life. Playwright Tennessee Williams lived at the hotel for approximately fifteen years and died there in February 1983, in the suite known as “Sunset.” Newspaper columnist Jimmy Breslin later served as an unofficial chronicler of the hotel and its residents, helping preserve stories about its eccentric guests and informal social world. The hotel’s cultural reputation was reinforced by episodes such as Tallulah Bankhead’s five-day celebration there in November 1948 after President Harry S. Truman defeated Thomas E. Dewey in the United States presidential election. A central part of the property is the Monkey Bar, a small piano bar located just off the lobby. Opened in the 1940s, it became known among regulars and New York insiders for its intimate atmosphere, off-color humor, double-entendre songs, and performers who entertained guests over several decades. Johnny Andrews played piano during cocktail hours for more than fifty years, from 1936 to 1990, while other performers associated with the venue included Johnny Payne, Marion Page, and Mel Martin. The bar’s visual identity evolved from a dimly lit room with mirrored paneling into a space dominated by a hand-painted monkey mural created by caricaturist Charlie Vella. The room was expanded in the early 1950s, and additional monkeys were added in 1984 by artist Diana Voyentzie. A 1995 redesign by architect David Rockwell led to further unification and expansion of the monkey imagery, together with palm trees and foliage. Hotel Elysée is now part of Henry Kallan’s Library Hotel Collection. Its appeal rests less on scale or standardized resort amenities than on its central Manhattan location, historic interiors, individually themed rooms, cultural associations, and the long-running Monkey Bar. The property’s history reflects several layers of New York hospitality: an interwar European hotel concept, postwar family-led eclecticism, a literary and theatrical social scene, and contemporary operation within a small hotel collection.

Hotel Elysée opened in 1926 at 60 East 54th Street in Midtown Manhattan. Swiss-born Max Haering established the property as a European-style hotel intended to serve affluent New York visitors and residents. The hotel’s setting between Madison and Park Avenues placed it in a prominent central-Manhattan location, close to major business, cultural, and social destinations. The property entered a new phase in 1937, when Mayer Quain acquired it following bankruptcy. Quain was known in New York as a leading hatcheck concessionaire. After the Second World War, his children gave the hotel a distinctive identity by designing its rooms individually. No two rooms were intended to look alike, and rooms were given descriptive names rather than relying solely on traditional numerical labels. This approach made the property feel more like an eclectic private residence or artists’ hotel than a standardized lodging establishment. The “Sayonara” suite was associated with Marlon Brando after his role in The Teahouse of the August Moon. The hotel became particularly associated with writers, performers, and other cultural figures. Tennessee Williams lived at Hotel Elysée for about fifteen years and died there in February 1983 in the “Sunset” suite. Columnist Jimmy Breslin regarded the property as an important New York landmark and became one of its informal chroniclers. Stories connected with the hotel often emphasized the tolerance given to creative guests and the unusual social atmosphere of the property. One notable postwar episode occurred in November 1948, when Tallulah Bankhead held a celebration at the hotel after Harry S. Truman defeated Thomas E. Dewey in the presidential election. The party reportedly continued without interruption for five days and nights, contributing to the hotel’s reputation as a gathering place for theatrical and socially prominent figures. The Monkey Bar, located just off the lobby, became another defining part of the hotel’s history. The piano bar opened in the 1940s and developed a following among New York regulars. Its entertainment was known for jokes, double entendres, and songs delivered by performers including Johnny Payne, Marion Page, and Mel Martin. Johnny Andrews played piano at cocktail hour for more than five decades, from 1936 through 1990. The Monkey Bar’s design also changed over time. It began as a small, dimly lit room with mirrored paneling. During an expansion in the early 1950s, the mirrors were replaced by a wraparound hand-painted mural by caricaturist Charlie Vella. Diana Voyentzie added eight more monkeys in 1984, and a 1995 redesign by architect David Rockwell brought further additions and a more unified mural treatment, including palm trees and foliage. The monkeys became a visual symbol of the bar and a reminder of its irreverent social character. In its current phase, Hotel Elysée operates as part of Henry Kallan’s Library Hotel Collection. The property remains differentiated by its historic setting, personalized rooms, literary associations, and Monkey Bar rather than by the scale or uniformity typical of large international hotel chains. Its history combines early twentieth-century European-style hospitality, family-led postwar design, New York literary and theatrical life, and contemporary boutique-hotel management.

• 1995

  The Monkey Bar is redesigned

  [1]Hotel Elyséeen.wikipedia.org

  David Rockwell redesigns the bar, with Diana Voyentzie further developing the monkey mural and surrounding decorative imagery.

• 1984

  Monkey Bar mural is expanded

  [1]Hotel Elyséeen.wikipedia.org

  Diana Voyentzie adds eight monkeys to the Monkey Bar mural.

• 1983

  Tennessee Williams dies at the hotel

  [1]Hotel Elyséeen.wikipedia.org

  Tennessee Williams, who had lived at Hotel Elysée for approximately fifteen years, dies in the hotel’s Sunset suite.

• 1948

  Tallulah Bankhead stages a five-day election celebration

  [1]Hotel Elyséeen.wikipedia.org

  Tallulah Bankhead celebrates Truman’s presidential victory with a party at the hotel that continues for five days and nights.

• 1940

  The Monkey Bar opens

  [1]Hotel Elyséeen.wikipedia.org

  The hotel’s piano bar opens just off the lobby and later becomes a recognized gathering place for New York regulars and cultural figures.

• 1937

  Mayer Quain acquires the hotel

  [1]Hotel Elyséeen.wikipedia.org

  Mayer Quain purchases Hotel Elysée after the property goes through bankruptcy.

• 1926

  Hotel Elysée is established

  [1]Hotel Elyséeen.wikipedia.org

  Swiss-born Max Haering establishes Hotel Elysée as a European-style hotel for an affluent clientele in Midtown Manhattan.

A character-rich historic Manhattan hotel positioned around European-style hospitality, individually designed rooms, literary and theatrical heritage, and an intimate piano-bar experience.

• Hotel accommodation · 1926

  Guest rooms and suites

  Hotel Elysée’s accommodation is distinguished by individually designed rooms and suites associated with descriptive names rather than a wholly uniform room scheme. The postwar interiors created under the Quain family’s ownership were intentionally eclectic, with the aim that no two rooms would be alike. The named-room tradition, including the Sayonara and Sunset suites, is central to the property’s historic identity and supports its positioning as a characterful boutique-style Manhattan hotel.

• Bar and entertainment venue · 1940

  The Monkey Bar

  The Monkey Bar is a piano bar located just off the hotel lobby. Opened in the 1940s, it became known for intimate cocktail-hour performances, irreverent humor, double-entendre songs, and its distinctive monkey mural. The venue’s visual environment developed through successive additions by Charlie Vella and Diana Voyentzie, including later palm and foliage motifs. It functions as both a hospitality amenity and one of the hotel’s best-known cultural features.

1. 1Hotel Elyséeen.wikipedia.org