Stop by the hotel lobby to say “hello” to The Algonquin’s resident feline. A pet cat has called The Algonquin Hotel’s lobby home ever since 1923. The stray orange tabby's name, Hamlet, was actually the suggestion of actor John Barrymore, who lived at The Algonquin Hotel while performing the titular role on Broadway. The lobby’s bookshelves have holes cut out for the feline to prowl through, offering the perfect place to perch when he is not busy welcoming guests.

Be inspired by the hotel’s role in literary history. Ever since the Vicious Circle—a group of writers like Dorothy Parker and George S. Kaufman, known for their sharp tongues and cutting wit—had their first Round Table lunch in 1919, The Algonquin Hotel has been a favorite of novelists, journalists, playwrights, poets, and critics. The New Yorker even got its start at the hotel after its creator, Harold Ross, won a handsome sum of money from a poker game during one of the daily Round Table luncheons. Today, The Algonquin Hotel, Times Square, Autograph Collection is a National Literary Landmark and a must-visit destination for aspiring writers and book lovers alike.

Walk in the footsteps of some of The Algonquin Hotel’s most famous guests. Along with American literati, this Times Square hotel has seen many a musician, composer, actor, and actress stop by for a drink or a stay. Among its most influential residents were brilliant intellectual minds like Maya Angelou, Dorothy Parker, and Edna Ferber. Tallulah Bankhead in particular Tallulah made the Algonquin Hotel her home at the age of 16. She paid $21 a week for a room with a bath. Bankhead would also spend ample time in the lobby watching the coming and goings of the likes of Ethel Barrymore and Anita Loose. The Round Table was quite fond of her and she sometimes dined with them.