The most important hour at Peacock Alley is 5 p.m. Famously, the clock facing the bar is always set to that hour, a reminder to guests that it’s time to put away the concerns of the day and sit down for a drink. But perhaps a new hour is about to rise to prominence: 11 a.m., when the hotel introduces its “Elevenses” ritual.
Inspired by the English tradition of a midmorning snack break, Elevenses gives guests an opportunity to pause for tea and pastries in the silvery Art Deco gallery from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be piles of scones, macarons, chamomile-and-honey tarts, tea from Tealeaves, and, as a special treat, bone china designed by an Astor.
It all began over an afternoon meal between new friends. Lohralee Astor, a designer who married into the English branch of the Astor family, was making her first visit to the Waldorf Astoria New York following its renovations. More than a century ago, the grand dame of Big Apple hospitality was originally developed out of the home of a distant American family relative. Luigi Romaniello, the hotel’s managing director, heard Lohralee was staying there and “had to meet her.” They sat down at Peacock Alley, where there was tea for her and a...