An Extraordinary Life

Caroline Astor’s son, Colonel John Jacob Astor IV, introduced The St. Regis New York in 1904 to immediate acclaim, with The New York Times declaring it “the finest hotel in America.” A true visionary, inventor and entrepreneur John Jacob Astor ensured the original St. Regis was as technologically advanced as it was luxurious, insisting that each room have its own telephone. Astor perished during the sinking of the Titanic on April 15, 1912. More than a century later, the legacy of one of the Titanic’s wealthiest and most famous passengers lives on through the continued growth and evolution of St. Regis.