29 of the best hotels in New York

No one forgets their first thrilling glimpse of New York, with its gleaming skyscrapers and the Empire State Building at its heart. This is a city whose USP is sensory overload: a place where art and architecture, culture and cuisine, shopping and nightlife collide in a 24/7 adrenaline rush, setting the pace for the rest of the world. New York is also a place of great beauty: where beaux-arts architectural splendour sits alongside 21st-century towers of glass and steel, where the indulgent shopping pleasures of Madison and Fifth Avenues lie a short stroll away from Central Park.
It’s a city where you can eat pretty much anything — whether that’s in Michelin-starred restaurants in shiny glass towers, with food by some of the world’s best chefs, or in tiny bars — before retreating to an old-world uptown hotel such as the Carlyle or heading for the sexy sophistication of the Dominick in SoHo. Here’s our pick of the best hotels in New York.
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£££ | SPA | Best for Central Park views
Sitting at 50 Central Park South, the Ritz-Carlton occupies one of the most prestigious addresses in New York: it’s in a plum position for shopping, museums, galleries and dining. Rooms offer sleek townhouse-inspired design with fabulous Carrara marble bathrooms. The “grand park view” rooms provide a telescope too, for gazing at the imposing architecture bordering Central Park. Indulge at the superlative La Prairie spa where the caviar massage and facial is a signature treatment. Contour, the Matisse-inspired “gastro lounge”, offers a day-to-night experience across three smart spaces.

£££ | Best for modern design
The Crosby brings a dash of London cool to NY’s SoHo. Splashes of eye-popping colour, bold fabrics and dramatic art installations characterise founder Kit Kemp’s eclectic interiors. Every fashionable detail, from the bar with its candy-striped banquettes to the kooky curios, feels distinctive and designer. No two rooms are alike, but all have high ceilings, garden-scented Rik Rak toiletries and big urban film-set views. A great base for exploring the cooler, dining and shopping-focused end of Manhattan, the Crosby attracts an artsy crowd, usually found hanging out on the breezy restaurant terrace.

£££ | SPA | Best for foodies
This smart, sexy hotel is fashioned from the handsome former Metropolitan Life building, which borders the hippest neighbourhoods — NoMad to the north, Greenwich Village to the south, Gramercy Park to the east and Chelsea to the west. A real foodie destination, Eataly — paean to all things deliciously Italian — is just across Madison Square Park, with Grand Central Station nearby for classic oysters and cocktails. The Clocktower restaurant is an intimate, low-lit space with artistic black-and-white photography adorning the walls and British classics on the menu.

££ | Best for old world charm
The soaring nine-storey Victorian atrium of this Martin Brudnizki-designed hotel is nothing less than astonishing. Combining reimagined historic architecture with a modern residential tower, the Beekman is styled as old-world glamour meets modern luxury in Lower Manhattan. Two penthouse suites are fashioned from twin turrets — huge vaulted spaces with mezzanine bedrooms. Chef Tom Colicchio oversees two of its three restaurants, the convivial Temple Court and stained glass and chandelier-decked Bar Room. Offering culinary and literary adventures for cultural thrill-seekers, the Beekman is clubby, intimate and not a little decadent.

£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for service
Perfectly positioned on Fifth Avenue, just a few minutes’ walk from Central Park, the Peninsula offers instant access to New York’s most prestigious shopping thoroughfare. This imposing beaux-arts hotel is an architectural showstopper, from its sweeping double staircase in the lobby to Salon de Ning, one of the most enchanting rooftop bars in Manhattan. It also has that Midtown rarity: a pool with a sundeck. With impeccable service and a strong adherence to tradition, the Peninsula is for those who like their luxury reassuringly old world — although there’s a private 24-hour e-concierge service to cater to every whim.

£££ | SPA | Best for people-watching
A revered New York landmark, this grand art deco icon steadfastly endures almost a century on, thriving in its sleek 21st-century incarnation as part of the Rosewood collection. It’s known for its privacy, exclusivity and unparalleled luxury, and the marble lobby has welcomed the world’s great and good since 1930. An extensive design update has created smart contemporary rooms and suites, and there’s a lavish white-and-gold Valmont spa. The legendary Café Carlyle first hosted jazz greats in 1955, and the Gallery, an exotic Turkish tea parlour with hand-painted gold and navy wallpaper, is a city institution. Dine at Dowling’s at the Carlyle for timeless American dishes rustled up by chef Sylvian Delpique.

£££ | SPA | Best for design lovers
This beautifully appointed Park Avenue hotel on the Upper East Side is all about low-key, power-play glamour and knockout design. The Lobby Lounge showcasing “sculptural illustrator” Nina Helms’s ornate springtime tree along one wall sets the elegant mood. Four of the six signature suites have their own terrace, decked out in themes including a playful pop-art tribute and an imagining of Marilyn Monroe’s dream Manhattan hideaway. Popular with Wall Street execs and design aficionados alike, the exceedingly cool and intimate Regency Bar & Grill has semi-circular banquette tables redolent of the Mad Men era.

£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for a party
Bordered by the High Line just north of Chelsea, the Equinox is smart, sexy and hip, with a stunning roof garden where the Electric Lemon Terrace offers uber-glam partying against a backdrop of twinkling city lights. “Train, plunge and indulge” is the Equinox mantra — it has a 25m saltwater lap pool, an outdoor dipping pool, a state-of-the-art gym with personal training, SoulCycle, yoga on the roof deck and a beautiful spa. If you still can’t get to sleep in the king-sized beds, aided by soundproofing and blackout blinds, there’s a sleep coach too.

£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for Asian dining
Facing east, high above Central Park, the Mandarin Oriental is a seductive fusion of refined Asian influences and sharp modern design. Orchids, silk furnishings and lacquered finishes feature in rooms with expansive floor-to-ceiling windows. There’s an impressive 23m lap pool and a spa with a tea parlour and an amethyst crystal steam room. Mo Lounge offers all-day dining with a menu of Eastern-inspired dishes. Come sunset, it becomes one of the city’s most desirable cocktail bars, attracting a glamorous party crowd drawn to the sophisticated vibe.

£££ | Best for families
Grand, richly decorated public spaces dominate at the St Regis, where the gold-accented lobby sets the tone. Designer suites offer ample living space with views over Central Park and there’s a first-class butler service. The bloody mary was invented here in the King Cole bar which, still resplendent with its 1932 nursery-tale mural, is the place for a cocktail. Breakfast, brunch, afternoon tea and dinner are all served in the convivial Astor Court. It’s a particularly good hotel for families, and the concierge will ensure children’s favourite toys are waiting in their suite.

£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for glamour
A shimmering glass tower on SoHo’s Spring Street, this ultra-hip Lower Manhattan landmark has quickly established a reputation as an exclusive vertical retreat. It has a popular poolside bar, Terrace on 7, where a young cool crowd sun themselves and snack on Hawaiian street food from the concept restaurant El Ta’Koy. Chef Shaun Hergatt’s Michelin-starred Vestry restaurant focuses on seafood and foraged produce. After invigorating body scrubs and massages in the Sisley Spa, with its Moroccan-style hammam, guests can hang out in generous rooms featuring big bathrooms and even bigger views. Beneath are some of the best shopping streets in the city.

££ | Best for something different
Check in to this brick gothic revival favourite for a taste of old New York. The former seminary has 60 rooms, with period fireplaces and mantels, antique furniture and carpets, and reproduction 19th-century wallpaper. Happily, many rooms look out onto one of the city’s best green spaces: the elevated High Line Park that runs through west Chelsea. The private courtyard and seasonal cocktail bar create an urban oasis to retreat to after long days exploring the city.

£££ | Best for special occasions
This elegant five-star hotel just off Madison Avenue provides white-glove service to its guests and has just 74 guest rooms, with sophisticated decor from London architect Mark Pinney and American interior designer Michael S Smith. Many of the Lowell’s intimate, residential-style rooms have wood-burning fireplaces, while some suites have plant-filled terraces; all have small gourmet kitchens. Afternoon tea is served in the Pembroke Room; the hotel’s signature restaurant, Majorelle, presents a well-curated French menu.

£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for theatregoers
This landmark boutique hotel, just steps from the heart of the Theater District and Times Square, was designed by architect Stanford White (of McKim, Mead & White) in 1905 for the Lambs, a theatrical club whose members included the Barrymores, Charlie Chaplin, and Cecil B DeMille. Inside, the lobby is an art deco dream of mirrored glass, curved and bevelled edges, and amber lights, while the Lambs Club bar is a favourite spot for pre-theatre dinner or post-theatre drinks. Decor in the 76 rooms and suites harks back to days of glamorous transatlantic travel, including butler service and closet doors that resemble steamer trunks.
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£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for second or third-timers to the city
Built inside Brooklyn Bridge Park (part of a public-private partnership that funds the park), this hotel takes its green credentials very seriously, from reclaimed timbers on the lobby floors to living green walls and a rainwater collection tank that contributes to the park’s irrigation system. But it’s the views of the Brooklyn Bridge, One World Trade Center and Manhattan’s Financial District, especially at night, which will take your breath away — some of its 194 rooms and suites even have hammocks placed in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. You can dine at the Osprey, where the menu is local and seasonal, relax at the essential-oil-scented Bamford Spa, or head to the rooftop lounge and pool to soak up more of the stellar views.

£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for European tastes
This Parisian creation is in one of Manhattan’s most underrated neighbourhoods, Tribeca. This grid of elegant red-brick buildings towards the tip of Lower Manhattan was once a warehouse quarter, but these days you’ll find its cobbled streets trimmed with chic boutiques, art galleries, celebrity-haunt restaurants and glamorous hotels — including this French fancy. In a whirlwind of Wes Anderson pastels, jewel-box mirrored surfaces and freshly sculpted macarons, Fouquet’s has a marbled, underground spa of fizzing whirlpools and thermal rooms, free to all guests, a hidden cocktail bar behind a sliding panel in the lobby and a sociable scarlet bistro serving escargots, lobster fricassee and French onion soup, created by chef Pierre Gagnaire.
• Read our full review of Hotel Barrière Fouquet’s New York
£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for A-listers
What’s starrier than a celeb-magnet hotel owned by an A-lister? Very little, as evidenced by Robert De Niro’s Greenwich, in cobbled Tribeca — Beyoncé, Sarah Jessica Parker and Jake Gyllenhaal have all checked in, while Harry and Meghan were papped at its Locanda Verde trattoria. Huge, apartment-style suites have home-from-home, masculine decor — think buttery-soft leather sofas, mahogany shelving, coffee table books and deep bathtubs that fill in 60 seconds. Alongside high-end details — Dyson hairdryers, a house car for short trips across town — there are playful touches, such as De Niro’s favourite classic American candies with your minibar. Don’t miss the guests-only lounge and terrace, or the soothing Japanese spa in the basement, complete with full-sized pool, glowing lanterns and traditional yukata robes.

£££ | SPA | Best for modern looks
Ritz-Carlton’s second New York location is in fashionable NoMad, the district just below the Empire State Building with killer Korean restaurants and chic bars. Wow-factor interiors by Martin Brudnizki take inspiration from the natural world, from flowing foliage above the lobby bar to chandeliers mimicking falling petals and mossy green upholstery. Its rooftop-level bar, Nubeluz, is a book-ahead highlight with art deco features and wraparound sunset views, while the lobby bar has smoking cocktails, fun molecular bar bites and unpretentious jamontoasties — all food and drink is designed by Spanish chef José Andrés. A petite spa has a generous steam room and sauna to complement its treatment rooms, but there’s no pool.

£££ | SPA | Best for festive stays
This neo-Italian Renaissance pad in midtown Manhattan was designed by the beaux-arts architects McKim, Mead & White and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Opulent rooms have views of St Patrick’s Cathedral and Rockefeller Center all year round, but a grand courtyard is especially luminous during the holiday season — a frosted fantasy of Christmas trees, shimmering lights and glittering baubles. The hotel also grants special access to the city’s aquarium.

££ | Best for couples
The Evelyn’s lobby is full of nods to the Jazz Age, from art deco brass rails to syncopated designs on the glass lights. The 159 rooms are on the small side but well designed, with curved upholstered headboards and floor-to-ceiling sheers on the windows that make the most of the pre-war details. The hotel’s location on Madison Square Park, near many subway lines, means a stay here is a breeze for getting up, down and across town.

£ | Best for style without the price tag
This modern hotel’s greenery-filled atrium is a nod to the neighbourhood’s wholesale florists and nurseries whose wares often line the streets — expect everything from evergreen shrubs to palms and peonies. The botanical theme is echoed on the 35th-floor Fleur Room lounge, decorated with dark floral fabrics paired with panoramic skyline views. The 350 rooms are designed for travellers on the go, with space-saving pegs instead of a closet, under-bed storage and sliding shoji screen-style doors to the bathroom.

££ | SPA | Best for bibliophiles
It’s hard to beat this modern hotel’s location on Fifth Avenue directly across from the grand New York Public Library and its two marble lions, Patience and Fortitude. The lobby library even has a rotating book collection curated by the librarians across the street. Extra-high ceilings and full-length windows flood the 184 spacious rooms and suites with light, and minimalist decor sets off the views of the Empire State Building and Bryant Park. Wellness Suites add to the mindfulness with a Lululemon smart mirror, meditation and sleep science programs, and healthy snacks in the minibar.

£ | Best for wannabe locals
The Ace Hotel draws a neighbourhood crowd to the mix-and-match tables and couches in its large central lobby and bar for Stumptown coffee and cocktails, which lends the space a genuine buzz that you can’t find elsewhere. The buzz continues with events, DJ nights and rotating exhibits in the art gallery that keep the cool factor turned up to 11, while the 258 no-frills rooms give a shout-out to the hotel brand’s grunge heritage with turntables, Gibson guitars and plaid Pendleton blankets.

£££ | Best for business with a twist
The Langham brings distinction to a fairly anonymous stretch of Fifth Avenue, with its sleek, modern lobby, curving swathes of roses that seem to rise from the street, and serious modern art collection. The 234 generously sized, light-filled rooms and suites are larger than most found in the city, and many have views of the Empire State Building. The subtle neutral fabrics and rich walnut furniture give the rooms an apartment-like feel, while some one-bed suites include washing machines and dryers, which makes them popular with guests in town for a longer stay.

££ | Best for a romantic weekend
The red tasselled room keys are the first hint that this isn’t just a hotel, it’s an experience — the baronial splendour of the lobby and its layered rugs, plush velvet couches, antique lamps and grand fireplace provide plenty more. This is true romance, carried through to the intimate bar and the indoor/outdoor terrace which looks out over the New York Marble Cemetery, one of downtown’s most secret green spaces. Oversized casement windows light up the 135 guest rooms with views of Manhattan’s skyscrapers; some lucky guests get the same view from their deep marble bathtub.

££ | SPA | POOL | Best for views of Manhattan
You’re in the heart of Williamsburg — aka New York’s trendiest district — here, with the perfect vantage point to peer over at Manhattan, popping up just beyond the East River, while taking in the beauty of Brooklyn itself. The 183 ultra-modern rooms have private balconies and floor-to-ceiling windows to lap up those city views — and you can head up to the 22nd floor for a cocktail at the Westlight rooftop bar and a 360 panorama of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Fill up later at the restaurant, Leuca — the tuna crudo and lumache are standouts — and make sure to ask one of the friendly servers to steer you in the best direction.
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££ | Best for style seekers
This slick hotel was the first of its kind to open in SoHo and its enduring glamour is a testament to its devotion to design and service. The second-floor Salon is one of the city’s best places to meet for a drink and conversation, with a lofty chandeliered ceiling, dramatic drapes, and mix of velvet and leather club chairs paired with low couches; the ground outdoor lounge, Gilligan, is filled with tropical palms and elephant ears in summer. Many of the 353 rooms have views of SoHo and the Manhattan skyline with bathrooms dressed up with classic subway tiles and chrome taps.

£££ | Best for stylish stays
This is a hotel tailor-made for those who expect style when they stay in the city. Gothic and brooding, the former millinery is in Manhattan’s Garment District, which once provided 70 per cent of all women’s clothing in the US. You’ll be charmed by the working Edison telephones in the hallways, dark green leather upholstery in the bars and live jazz in the lobby. There are two tempting spots for cocktails: the rooftop bar and Winnie’s Jazz Lounge, where you can sip one of four speciality old fashioneds.
refineryhotelnewyork.com
£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for super-luxe pampering
Aman’s second urban property is designed to feel as much of an escape as the brand’s exotic, far-flung resorts — but on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street, close to Central Park, the Museum of Modern Art, high-end department stores and Broadway theatres. Walking in, you’re instantly soothed by cool, moodily dark spaces with sculptural light fixtures, trickling water features and low, Asian-inspired seating. A show-stopping Japanese restaurant, Nama, serves creative and beautiful sushi and fine-dining bento boxes, or dinner omakase-style; while a shaded terrace trimmed by bonsai and minimalist fire pits is the setting for Arva’s Amalfi-esque Italian fare. Book the one-off, underground spa for a full-sized pool, plush sofas, decadent treatments and Aman’s own products, infused with silk, amethyst or Peruvian maca root.
aman.com
Additional reporting by Joshua Lowe
• Read our full review of Aman New York• Best boutique hotels in New York• Best affordable hotels in New York
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