Commodore Hotel

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To Star Trek fans, the "Commodore Hotel" was the center seat for many cons.

The hotel opened in 1919. It closed for major renovation in 1976. See more of this long story at Hyatt Grand Central New York.

Hanging out at the Commodore -- George Takei, Joan Winston (in blue shirt), sitting on Jeff Maynard’s lap; "Patia von Sternberg" (professional name), last row, 4th from the left, Toni Lay, last row 5th from the left; Elyse Pines (Rosenstein), front row, 2nd from the left with the red ribbon badge; and many unidentified fans.

Some Cons Held There

• some of the Star Trek Lives!
• some the Schuster Star Trek Conventions

Fan Memories

Any attempt to describe the 1975 ST Con boggles my mind ... I keep getting involved in a vigorous imaginary argument with whomever decided to hold it at the Hotel Commodore! The hotel is really horrendous; the service was poor, prices outrageous (I heard reports of several ripoffs), and the staff just couldn't seem to take a ST con in stride! (Look, I KNOW we're a strain on tho nerves, but ... ) Hope they wise up and move back to the Americana next year, I had a single room of Lilliputian proportions - you walk in and fall over the bed! (maybe it was designed for Harlan Ellison!)

I arrived Thursday at the Commodore Hotel a day early. When I got there, Shirley Maiewski came running up to us, telling us that the hotel's recently installed computer system had erased half the hotel's confirmations. Ours, thankfully, were not among those erased.

Goodbye to the Commodore

And so all things come to an end. Some of the best cons are fannish history. Only a few faded programs, an illegible autograph (Eugene who?), a tear-stained hotel bill remain. And some of the landmarks are disappearing. The Commodore, bane of hu-fanity, has been razed. No more will ash trays and water bombs plummet down its roof. With the destruction of the twelfth floor goes the 30-minute wait to change elevators. Lost are the haunts of the leering pilots and Greek-speaking stewards, the computer reservation system that charged eight days in the bridal suite to your account, the blue plastic lobby furniture. No more will Mr. Gerrold's dulcet voice selling original xeroxed scripts boom over the whining PA system, no more will Devra Langsam trip over curled carpets, no more will Ike Asimov drool over nubile, young trekkies, no more will the committee crud be caught from the drinking water. It is the End of an Era.

a rendition of the farewell cake

I'd like to dedicate this issue [of my zine] to the memory of the Commodore Hotel, where the cons were held. The Hotel has been closed down, but the memories of thousands of people keep it alive. Thanks Commodore, you served us well.

[...]

I am not the only one who loved the old place. At the end of May, (I believe) the Hotel was put to rest, forever. Heather Haven of the ABC-TV news team interviewed people who were there, about the hotel. Aside from Charle Gilbert, and the other Hotel people, there was a small group of local Star Trek fans there to pay their last respects. They held a wake, the theme being," It's dead, Jim".... They sang the song that was written at the Mini-Trek II DDP (this was the last con in the Hotel, Star Trek, at least.) (The song, with a few changes, was sung on the air!) Lani Litt made a cake and everyone sat around reminiscing until they were told to leave at 10:30, as the staff was having a party of their own. Our group of prominent Trekkers went to the ever-famous Howard Johnson's across the street and sat waiting until midnight; you never know what could happen at midnight, look at Cinderella.

Anyway, the Commodore is gone. And the cons are fading with it. There are a few hotels left; the Biltmore, Statler, Hilton, but they don't have the combination of good rates and lots of space and service.

...at any rate, Goodbye Commodore, too bad you didn't, "Live long or prosper."