The InterContinental New York Barclay can host a board meeting for a dozen people, a conference for several hundred or a wedding of up to 450 guests for the ceremony and 350 for a seated dinner with dancing. It stands at 111 East 48th Street in Midtown Manhattan, a short walk from Park Avenue, and has received guests since 1926.
Seminars and company events
The hotel offers about 20,000 square feet of meeting and event space. It is organized around two large ballrooms and five breakout rooms, so a group can hold a general session in a ballroom and then split into smaller workshops without leaving the hotel. The Gallery, a 4,500-square-foot foyer on the Mezzanine Level, works as a registration area, a coffee-break space or a reception room for up to 300 people. The hotel follows the IHG Meeting for Good approach, with a food waste reduction plan, banquet menus that include local and plant-based options, and reusable serviceware, menus and signage. Requests for proposals go to the meetings team, which also handles production needs and groups linked to diplomatic missions.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings are a regular part of the program. Ceremonies can take place in the Grand Ballroom, the Empire Ballroom or the Barclay Salon, and the dinner follows in the same rooms. The Gallery hosts the cocktail hour. The hotel is not a kosher facility, but it can work with an outside kosher caterer for an additional fee. Anniversaries, galas and other social events use the same rooms.
Rooms and capacities
The Grand Ballroom covers 4,954 square feet and holds 450 guests for a ceremony or 350 for a dinner with a dance floor. The Empire Ballroom, at 3,546 square feet, holds 300 for a ceremony or 200 for dinner and dancing. The Barclay Salon is a 2,043-square-foot junior ballroom on the Lobby Level, with room for 150 at a ceremony or 80 at a dinner with dancing. The Gallery takes up to 300 for a cocktail hour. The five breakout rooms are not detailed by name on the site, so ask the sales team for their layouts and sizes.
Accommodation
Guests stay on site in classic rooms and suites decorated in a Federal and Park Avenue style, which lets speakers, executives and wedding guests sleep a few floors above the event. The Harold S. Vanderbilt Penthouse has a private terrace that looks toward the Chrysler Building, a good option for a VIP or for a couple on the wedding night.
Catering
Food and drinks for events are handled by the hotel's banquet team, with the sustainable options described above. The Parlour, on the ground floor, serves breakfast, light dishes through the day and drinks at the bar, which is useful for attendees between sessions.
History and setting
The Barclay opened in 1926 and marks its 100th anniversary on November 4, 2026. It has kept its place in the business district east of Fifth Avenue for a century, surrounded by office towers, embassies and restaurants that are easy to use for side meetings and group dinners.
Getting there
The hotel is in Midtown East, a few blocks north of Grand Central Terminal, which serves Metro-North trains and several subway lines. LaGuardia, JFK and Newark airports are all reachable by car or public transport in under an hour outside peak traffic.
