Hotel was rebranded as the Benjamin Royal Sonesta New York. To fund the purchase of the hotels, Sonesta borrowed $239 million from Ramsfield Hospitality Finance. Critical reception and impact Steven Ruttenbaum said in 1986 that "the Beverly is one of Roth's most successful creations ... the Hotel Beverly is one of New York's most romantically styled towers, a rich ornament in the cityscape." The newly completed hotel was depicted in the 1929 painting New York Night, which Georgia O'Keeffe painted from her residence at the nearby Shelton Hotel. Terry Trucco wrote for The New York Times in 1990: "The 60-year-old Beverly is simple and straightforward. The big leather sofas in the large, wood-paneled lobby are more comfortable than chic." The same year, Newsday wrote that the guestrooms "are pleasant; the lobby with its mahogany-paneled walls and leather sofas is relaxing; the staff is friendly; and the concierge volunteers to map out tours of Manhattan, obtain hard-to-get theater tickets and otherwise make one's stay pleasurable." After the 1999 renovation, The New York Times wrote that the rooms were "stylish and inviting", while Hospitality Design magazine said the Benjamin "pays tribute to an elegant era, a resilient architect, and a much-loved patriarch, while incorporating high-tech amenities that carry it squarely into the new millennium". A critic for The Independent on Sunday wrote in 2003: "The decor is low key but looks expensive: all calming taupes and creams and mahogany furnishings [...] The overall effect is incredibly relaxing." The Globe and Mail wrote the same year that the hotel "retains its art-deco allure with the lobby's sweeping staircase, towering Venetian mirrors and a raised, metal-leaf reception desk." Oyster.com wrote that "the stately architecture and elegant decor of the Benjamin sets it apart from neighboring skyscrapers and bland office buildings in Midtown East". A reviewer for The Telegraph wrote that the hotel "features sophisticated spaces that feel more like upscale apartments" and that the kitchenettes, the bar, and the staff added to the impression that each guestroom was a pied-à-terre. When An American Place moved to the Benjamin in 1999, Trucco wrote that "standard dishes, like cedar-planked Atlantic salmon, pot-roasted short ribs and a sinful chocolate pudding topped with whipped cream remain as comforting as ever." When the National Bar and Dining Rooms opened, a writer for New York magazine said that "given its decidedly unhip midtown location inside the 1927 landmarked Benjamin Hotel,