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Wondering where to stay in New York? There are thousands of hotels in New York City, one better than the other. Save yourself hours of searching. Here is my favorite collection, on various price levels.
In this article
The Beekman, a Thompson hotel
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Where can you still find such good and stylish hotel yet very reasonably priced according to Manhattan standards? A hidden gem if you ask me, The Beekman, a Thompson hotel. Oak floors, marble bathroom, classy quality leather and hand-made wooden furniture pieces, the 9-story atrium has a pyramidal glass ceiling at the top…
A true pleasure to the eye this hotel! It’s in the Financial District near Wall Street, 500m from the Brooklyn Bridge. Metro stations are on walking distance. Room prices start around 235 euro p/n.
The Beekman sold out? Less stylish yet similar priced and close to Penn Station, so perfect for the NJ Transit to Newark airport, is the Garden Inn by Hilton in the Chelsea area of Manhattan. I have stayed there a few times and it was never a punishment either.
The Langham Fifth Avenue
$$$$$
I have written about The Langham chain before; their hotel in Shanghai is the best hotel I ever stayed at! This hotel chain simply offers top notch quality. Perfectly located at 5th Ave between Bryant Park and het Empire State Building, The Langham Fifth Avenue is a fantastic place to stay. And yes, it will come with a price.
Room rates start around 450 euro per night including breakfast (low season). But then for sure you have something good! Can only imagine the prices of the apartment around this hotel…
citizenM New York Times Square
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Are the earlier mentioned hotels a bit above your budget, yet you want to stay in a nice Manhattan hotel with good reviews? Go for citizenM New York Times Square, I am sure you’ll like it! The rooms are definitely not big (around 14m2) but starting at 150 euro per night for such central location for NYE in NYC, view, quality and fun styling this is an amazing deal!! Rooms may be a bit small though.
citizenM sold out? Check The French Quarters in Hell’s Kitchen. Less modern and much smaller scale, but good reviews and similar pricing.
Reality check
If these hotels, including Pod 39 mentioned below, are still too expensive for your city trip to NYC, then you will have to compromise, either on:
- location (go to Brooklyn), or
- quality (bad reviews), or
- privacy (shared bathroom)
Brooklyn is all hip and happening, there are a bunch of great places, but be careful after sunset. It is not safe everywhere and the long metro ride can become a burden, especially if you are only there for a couple of days. With NYE in NYC? Stay close at where you want to spend your party evening, as you cannot rely on public transport or taxis on New York Eve.
Hotel 31
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Hotel 31 is a budget chique hotel on walking distance of Times Square. The compromise is having to share the bathroom in the hallway and no breakfast facilities, although I believe there are a few rooms with their own bathroom, but they sell out fast. No breakfast should not be an issue; you can get a bagel, sandwich or whatever you prefer pretty much on every street corner in Manhattan.
Room prices in low season start around EUR 65 per night for a single room, in high season around EUR 200 per night for a double room. Hotel 31 has a great location at E 31 St between Park Ave and Lexington Ave, in the area also known as NoMad. The decor could use an update here and there but for NYC Hotel 31 is absolutely good value for money!
Update: Starting January 1, 2022 Hotel 31 can only be booked for a minimum stay of 30 days or longer.
Hotel 17
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The above mentioned Hotel 31 has a sister hotel called Hotel 17, which is located a bit more south on Manhattan, between 3rd and 2nd Ave, E 17th St, next to Stuyvesant Square Park. If you plan to stay in Manhattan for about a month or longer, I would recommend to have a look at Hotel 17.
I stayed several times in this budget chic hotel and I can recommend it! Only EUR 80 per night. Unfortunately for regular tourists, the minimum stay at Hotel 17 was changed to 30 nights a couple for years ago.
Be careful: Airbnb is not allowed in NYC for short term stay, only for 30 days rental or longer! Posters in the metro call for the reporting of neighbors who (seem to) violate this law.
The Plaza
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Yep, the iconic luxurious hotel with ‘timeless elegance’, where Kevin McCallister stayed in Home Alone 2, at the southeast corner of Central Park. Where room prices start at 700 euro per night. Yikes! I could not resist mentioning The Plaza here though. The Beatles stayed here in 1964! Back in the late 80s The Plaza was owned by Donald Trump, but he sold it again a few years later. Once upon a time I celebrated my birthday at The Plaza over an Afternoon Tea, which was great!
Not to be confused by the way with The Waldorf Astoria, another iconic luxurious hotel in New York City, where almost all American presidents and stars like Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor and Frank Sinatra stayed. The Waldorf Astoria is closed for renovation for 3 years (status Feb 2020).
Hotels in Manhattan with rooftop bar
As mentioned in my previous blog post on New York City, the following hotels are connected to great roof top bars. So why not stay there?
Arlo NoMad
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Arlo NoMad is a very nice hotel with pretty reasonable prices, starting at 185 euro per room per night. And then you have the The Heights roof top bar at just an elevator ride away from your bed! NoMad is the abbreviation of ‘North of Madison Square Park’, a relatively small area between Korea Town and Gramercy Park.
MOXY NYC
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Magic Hour is the fabulous roof top bar of MOXY NYC at 7th Ave. Close to Times Square, 200 meters from Macy’s and you can even bring your pet! The rooms at MOXY NYC have a modern, industrial design look and all kinds of technological gadgets, including iPod dock with Bluetooth connection, flat screen HDTV with screen cast technology, etc. Room prices start at 150 euro per night excluding breakfast.
The Peninsula
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This extremely stylish, beautiful classic, immaculate five star hotel has an excellent roof top bar restaurant called Salon De Ning. Room prices at The Peninsula start around 585 euro per night excluding breakfast. But then you have something for sure!
The Knickerbocker
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The Knickerbocker hotel is located directly above the Times Square-42nd Street Metro Station, offering easy access to the whole city. The Knickerbocker has some very tastefully decorated suites. Room prices start at 239 euro per night excluding breakfast during low season. The Knickerbocker has a very nice roof top bar, the St. Cloud.
Pod 39
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The Pod 39 call themselves ‘a chic yet budget friendly hotel’. Pod 39 does not only have a great roof top with a restaurant called Salvation Taco, also the room prices are great! The so-called ‘Queen Pod’ is the largest room they have, starting from 100 US$ p/n in low season, in high season room prices quickly rise in the direction of EUR 200 p/n. Location: East 39th Street, between 3rd Ave & Lexington Ave, in the Murray Hill area of Manhattan.
Seasonal pricing
Room prices of hotels in New York City strongly depend on seasonal demand. The same room can cost up to four times more during high season (for example around holidays) compared to low season (for example the 1st week of February). So in that perspective it definitely pays off to come to New York during low season. The weather will not be very attractive in February though. Another difficult decision to make! But do not wait too long because prices usually only go up, not down due to high demand.
Map NYC hotels
This map includes places and spots mentioned in this article (and more). This one is ‘smartphone friendly’; you can easily use it via the Google Maps app. Click the icon at the top left to open the menu and see the categories. To adapt the map to your own preferences and interests, (de)select a category. Via Google Drive you can copy the map to your own My Google Maps account.
More NYC info
Have you already read my two other blog posts about New York City?
- New York City first-timer? Recommendations from an experienced NYC lover here!
- New York City is fabulous – just don’t go with New Years Eve (plus tips if you do)
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Last Updated on 02/22/2022 by Elisa Flitter Fever
