A Qatari state-owned company has taken over New York’s Plaza Hotel, according to the operator of the historic property, Bloomberg News reported. Katara Hospitality, Qatar Investment Authority’s hotel division, completed the purchase on July 2, according to a representative for Accor SA, which was told of the ownership change. Katara acquired 100 percent of the property from its majority owner, Sahara India Pariwar, as well as minority owners Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp., Kingdom Holding Co. and Sant Singh Chatwal. The transaction was valued at $600 million. The Plaza, which opened 111 years ago, is known as the fictional home of children’s book character Eloise and has been featured in films such as “Home Alone 2” and “North by Northwest.” Among its prior owners is President Donald Trump, who was forced to sell it more than two decades ago as part of a bankruptcy.
