The Secret Floors of NYC’s Marriott Marquis Hotel: Real or Urban Myth?

The 48-story Marriott Marquis hotel is a notable beacon in Times Square, on a site that was once the home of the Astor Theatre, Helen Hayes Theatre and a few others. While we previously covered its early implementation of smart elevators, the website 6sqft recently shared about the rumor of its secret 55th floor.

Smart elevator panel in the Starrett Lehigh Building in Chelsea

In 2011, Youtube user Transit +PLUS ventured over to the Marriott to see if the 55th floor really existed. The restaurant atop the Marquis is on floor 48, but there is indeed a secret floor on 49 if you utilize the fire operation panels. The YouTube user was able to access this floor using elevator Car G and had a glimpse into the floor, which appears to be an office floor.

The existence of additional non-public floors is not uncommon in the city’s skyscrapers, often concealed floors that hide the building’s mechanical systems. The New York by Gehry skyscraper for example has three such floors at the very top that are modeled on the exterior to look like apartments. Thus, it’s still possible that there are additional floors above 49 – perhaps not accessible by elevator. Officially, the Marriott Marquis tells us, “We do not have a 55th floor. Our top floor (49) is office space.”

For more about how the Marriott’s special Miconic 10 elevators work, read Cities 101: How Do “Smart Elevators” Work? You might also like the historical time lapse experience in the Sky Pod Elevators at the 1 WTC Observatory. Get in touch with the author @sgeier97