An overnight water main break temporarily knocked out power to a luxury Manhattan hotel overnight, forcing some guests into the street and leaving others huddled in their darkened rooms, afraid that if they left, their electronic key cards wouldn't be able to swipe them back in.
The break cut power to the Palace Hotel on Madison Avenue shortly before 1 a.m. and the hotel's generator kicked in, but then that system malfunctioned, leaving most of the hotel's 1,000 guests without electricity, according to FDNY Battalion Chief Nicholas Corrado.
The FDNY assisted in a partial evacuation of the iconic hotel, and some guests were relocated.
Power was mostly restored about two hours later, but lingering outages persisted throughout the morning. A construction worker with the restoration crew told NBC 4 New York the generators are wet and some elevators remained out of service as of 7 a.m.
One hotel guest said he went back to sleep after someone knocked on his 24th-floor door at 2 a.m. to tell him the power was out. He said the lights were on when he awoke a short time later, but the TV and alarm clock would not turn on and he had no running water in his room.
Ray DeAngelo, another hotel guest, lauded authorities for getting the lights back on, but said the lack of running water was a problem. DeAngelo said hotel authorities were ushering guests to a nearby hotel where they could shower -- an inconvenience, but a necessary one for him.
"I have a meeting this morning. I have to shower and shave," DeAngelo said.
Eduardo Pons, who is also staying at the Palace, called the situation "a disaster."
Authorities were investigating why the backup generator failed.
No injuries were reported.
