If I could snap my fingers and wish something unusual, it would be the chance to stay at the Roger Smith during the World's Fair. I know the hotel and the neighborhood.

For many years the Roger Smith was the Roger Smith Winthrop. Wikipedia:

The current Roger Smith Hotel, located on 47th and Lexington Avenue in Manhattan, was taken over by the Roger Smith Corporation in 1938. Prior to that it was called the Hotel Winthrop, whose building had been constructed by Hearn & Erich in 1926. The hotels in the chain were either destroyed due to dilapidation or changed ownership, as was the case of the White Plains branch.

James Knowles took over the management of the Manhattan hotel in 1988 and it is perhaps the only of the eight hotels still bearing the name Roger Smith.

Last stayed there in 2017. It's not a new hotel but it has a charm I can't quite explain.