Waldorf slashing hotel rooms, condos ‘inn’

The Waldorf Astoria said it will slash its number of hotel rooms by more than 1,000 in an overhaul that carves out most of its landmark building for condos.

Confirming an exclusive report in The Post, the Waldorf’s owner, the Chinese insurance giant Anbang, said Friday it has tapped Aecom Tishman to begin a massive renovation of the historic hotel in the coming weeks.

When the three-year revamp is done, Anbang said, the Waldorf will have just 350 hotel rooms, down from the 1,413 it was operating when the building got shuttered this spring.

Meanwhile, the vast majority of the building’s remaining square footage minus ballrooms, restaurants and lobby areas will be used to build 350 residential condos, Anbang said.

The final hotel-room tally is at the low end of recent estimates and much smaller than the number that former Waldorf owner Hilton had expected, sources close to Hilton said.

The hotel-room count has been a major bone of contention between Anbang and Hilton, which has a 100-year management agreement to operate the hotel, sources tell The Post.

Hilton is concerned that downsizing the Waldorf ’s flagship on Park Avenue will weaken the chain of nearly 30 Waldorf-branded properties that Hilton operates worldwide, according to sources.

“We look forward to working closely with Aecom Tishman to carry out one of the most extensive restoration and renovation projects in New York City,” said Brandon Dong, managing director of the Waldorf Astoria New York project of Anbang, in a statement.

The hotel closed six months ago to prepare for the renovation. Anbang has secured permits, worked on its design plans and preserved some of the property’s most famous items, including the Cole Porter piano, the Kennedy rocking chair and the MacArthur desk.