New York’s Park Lane Hotel has undergone quite the transformation, not just in aesthetics but also in persona. Grounded in a desire to breathe new life into the worn-out bones of a once iconic building, The Park Lane reinvention brings forth an exciting shift in luxury hospitality and welcomes new audiences to ‘Billionaire’s Row’.

Prince A. Sanders
Prince A. Sanders Prince A. Sanders

Originally built in 1971 by billionaire developer, Harry Helmsley , 2019 saw the inception of its reimagining. At the helm of the project was Prince A. Sanders, the Managing Director of The Park Lane Hotel. Once you start getting to know Sanders, the new face of The Park Lane New York makes a lot of sense!

Prince A. Sanders, once a former dancer with the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, transitioned into the hospitality world back in 2002 when he began working under the W Hotels brand. The last 20 or so years have seen him work with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and assume the role of General Manager at the five-star Trump International Hotel & Tower New York .

Clearly a man of many talents and an impressive hospitality track record, Sanders was approached by Park Lane’s ownership group to join the leadership team looking after The Park Lane Hotel renovations. Collaborating alongside international design firm, Yabu Pushelberg, Sanders had a strong desire to lead a shift in the luxury hotel space. For him, The Park Lane Hotel represented the opportunity to create a freshness within the realms of luxury hospitality and define a new way forward - inclusive luxury.

Sanders’ passion for the project has real context. The coming together of people was instilled in Prince A. Sanders from a very young age. Sanders fondly remembers his grandmother’s joy for hosting loved ones in her home. There’s no doubt these memories laid the foundation for his incredibly intentional and people-focused vision for The Park Lane Hotel. Luxury hospitality may have been synonymous with exclusivity for as long as we can remember, but Sanders was steadfast in wanting to shift that perspective.

What’s even more inspiring is the way Sanders has used his creative pursuits and experiences to light a fire under the next generation. Having written two children’s books, his most recent entitled, ‘The Extraordinarily Ordinary Life of Prince: Everybody’s Good at Something’, Sanders has goals that reach beyond hospitality. He wants children to know and feel the power of chasing their dreams. For Sanders, he could see the overflowing potential that existed in building a luxury hospitality experience centered around inclusivity. His writing is designed to inspire young people to see their own potential and follow their passions. Sanders understands that inspiring a young person to bring to life their own positive visions for the future will only mean great things for us all.

We all love the feeling of nostalgia but it’s so refreshing to see something in a new light. The refurbishment of Park Lane New York is an important step in the right direction - Sanders’ mission to create a hotel space that welcomes everyone will go a long way in inspiring positive change within the luxury hospitality space.

In recent months, Sanders has celebrated the opening of The Park Lane Hotel’s recent unveiling – Darling. Envisioned to be a ‘secret garden oasis’, the rooftop lounge towers 47 floors above Central Park. In tune with Sander’s ethos of creating welcoming meeting places to bring people together, the venue invites us to ‘Meet me at the top, Darling’!

Sanders set out to ‘ be a little different, a little off center’ through his involvement with The Park Lane Hotel reimagining. Years on from the project kick-off, the hotel has settled into its new life and is living up to Sanders’ intentions. The Park Lane Hotel is the perfect place for a rendezvous with amazing people in your life - soak up the incredible atmosphere and enjoy the panoramic beauty of Central Park.