Equity - Shares and Units (Details) - shares	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	May 16, 2019
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
OP Unit, redemption term for cash	1 year
Dividends on common stock received until performance criteria met for LTIP units (as a percent)	10.00%
Dividends on common stock received after performance criteria met for LTIP units (as a percent)	90.00%
Dividends on common stock received in periods after performance criteria met for LTIP units (as a percent)	100.00%
OP units outstanding (in shares)	304,256,572
Empire State Realty Trust
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
OP units owned by the Company (in shares)	180,149,553
Other Partners, Certain Directors, Officers And Other Members Of Executive Management
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
OP units not owned by the Company (in shares)	124,107,019
Empire State Realty OP | Empire State Realty Trust
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
OP units owned by the Company (as a percent)	59.20%
Empire State Realty OP | Other Partners, Certain Directors, Officers And Other Members Of Executive Management
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
OP units not owned by the Company (as a percent)	40.80%
2019 Plan
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of shares authorized under the plan (in shares)	11,000,000.0	11,000,000.0