NYC’s “fanciest cat” gets new digs in Algonquin Hotel facelift.
The legendary Algonquin Hotel just got a fancy new architectural refurbishment, courtesy the firm Stonehill Taylor. In paying homage to the hotel’s legendary literary heritage, the upgrade features “a 3D art installation made from pages of books that once belonged to hotel guests” and “artwork featuring the Round Table’s founding members hangs above the banquette seating” in the Blue Bar.
Most importantly, though, the Algonquin’s iconic hotel cat, Hamlet the VIII, gets a fancy new cat shelter above the reception desk. The first hotel cat, a stray, was named ”Hamlet“ by actor (and hotel regular) John Barrymore back in 1932—and the tradition has continued for 90 years. The current feline resident, of course, has his very own Instagram. Hamlet the VIII also has a fondness for Dorothy Parker and was recently heard to remark that “the first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue.”
