19 best hotels in New York 2026, according to Glamour editors
Searching for the best hotels in New York to play like Carrie in the city that never sleeps? At first glance, you'd think you might have your work cut out. After all, according to the trusty travel experts at booking.com, there are more than 500 hotels in the bustling American city. Pretty impressive, for a destination that claims to never fancy resting its head.
Add that to the fact that the New York hotel scene is a burgeoning and ever-changing one, and you've got yourself a bit of a task. Sparkly new hotels in New York pop up at an alarming rate – each promising the best views of the Manhattan skyline, wellness centres, afternoon tea, decadent cocktail bars and impeccable design – while old ones are in a constant state of flux to keep up with travel trends. It’s all a tad overwhelming. Luckily, we've got our ear to the ground and a few insiders scoping out the New York five-star hotel scene, so our guide to the best New York hotels is a good place to start your research.
Best hotels in New York City at a glance
- Best hotel in New York for solo travellers: Hotel Freehand New York
- Best hotel in New York Times Square: MOXY NYC Times Square
- Best affordable hotel in New York: Hotel The Hoxton, Williamsburg
- Best boutique hotel in New York: Lowell Hotel
- Best hotel in New York for sustainable luxury: 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge
Which part of New York is best to stay?
From its spilling of art-world icons (think: The Met, the Guggenheim and the MoMA) to its legendary Broadway theatre scene, epic shopping opps (Macy's Herald Square / Saks Fifth Avenue et al.), Central Park, the Statue of Liberty and a whopping 75 (!) Michelin-starred restaurants, there's a lot to see in New York. So, where best to set up camp?
Gone are the days when a tourist's options were limited to Times Square and little else. Of course, virtually every luxury hotel brand on the planet still has a premises located in New York's Midtown or Financial District – and we would recommend it for a first-timer or a whistle-stop tour – but there's also an increasing number of boutique hotels and chic apartments to rent in suburbs like Williamsburg and Dumbo – or Soho and Chelsea. All of which offer an entirely different view of the city. We love the Lower East Side, Upper East Side, Brooklyn and Long Island City.
Is it a good idea to stay in Times Square?
Playing into our advice above: New York City locals will advise you to avoid it like the Plague, but truthfully, if you don't mind a bit of hustle and bustle and want everything on your doorstep, then first-time tourists should absolutely recommend it.
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Below, our edit of the best hotels in New York to check into in 2026, from Brooklyn to Manhattan.
1. Best hotel in New York Times Square
Address: 485 7th Avenue, New York, NY 10018, United States.
Why we love it: Part of the global MOXY chain, MOXY NYC is a great choice for those wishing to stay in the heart of Times Square. It sits smack-bang in the centre, with Macy's 200 yards from the property, Madison Square Garden just 450 yards away, and the Empire State Building 650 yards away. Talk about a killer location. Inside, accommodation is pet-friendly, and there's an on-site restaurant and rooftop bar. The rooftop bar is the perfect spot, the star of the show: the perfect spot from which to enjoy an evening drink, overlooking 18th-floor views of the Empire State.
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2. Best hotel in New York for sustainability credentials
Address: 60 Furman Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201, United States.
Why we love it: In the trendy district of Dumbo sits 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge: an earthy, eco-conscious property decorated with reclaimed wood, indoor plants and marble sinks. The bed sheets are organic, the glass bottles in all of the rooms are recycled, the taps are filtered, and even the rooftop bar has sustainability in mind when you're sipping a cocktail with incredible views of Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge.
If that's not enough, the hotel also boasts the culinary offerings of renowned chef Jonathan Waxman, who has brought his iconic West Village restaurant Barbuto across the river. Do yourself a favour and get the lobster linguine after a long day of exploring the city.
3. New NYC hotels with a view
Address: 246 Spring Street, SoHo, New York, NY 10013, United States.
Why we love it: Located in New York's SoHo district, The Dominick hotel features a full-service spa and three restaurants across 46 floors. There's an outdoor pool on the seventh floor, boasting incredible Manhattan views, and Washington Square Park is less than 0.6 miles from The Dominick Hotel. As for the guest rooms? They all have floor-to-ceiling windows for incredible views of Central Park, the skyscrapers aplenty, in-room personalised mini-bars and custom-made sofas to have you feeling right at home. Other features include flat-screen smart TVs, iPhone docking stations, Italian marble baths and bathroom vanity mirrors.
4. Best luxury hotel in New York
Baccarat Hotel and Residences New York
Address: 28 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019, United States.
Why we love it: The epitome of luxury (there are Baccarat crystals in every room, which says it all), the Baccarat Hotel and Residences in New York glistens from head to toe. Attached to the legendary French brand and with interiors by Gilles & Boissier, it's a sight in its own right with surprises at every turn. It's located just across from the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) and leaves guests wanting for nothing. A blingy (in a good way) reception with 24-hour front desk service, which connects to the opulent Grand Salon? Check. An on-site French restaurant? Check. A LaMer spa with a pool? You bet. And don't even get us started on the rooms. Baccarat glassware accompanies the minibar, while a one-touch device controls your bedroom lighting, temperature and entertainment.
5. Best boutique hotel in New York
Address: 28 East 63rd Street, Upper East Side, New York, NY 10065, United States.
Why we love it: Lots of the hotels in New York are big, flashy and the antidote to understated. The Lowell Hotel, however, is subtle. It's hidden away and discreet (perhaps why it's adored by celebs aplenty), focusing on personal service and individually designed bedrooms. You'll find it tucked down a quiet street on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. For context: just a ten-minute walk to department store Bloomingdale's and four blocks south of the Lexington Avenue subway station, which well connects you with the rest of the city. When you step inside, you're greeted by a marble-floored reception space with fresh flowers aplenty and friendly staff on hand to make your arrival in the Big Apple a smooth one. Once checked in, each of the 74 rooms awaiting are decorated differently (regular guests book by the specific room number rather than room type), but common themes include armchairs, deep bathtubs, and an abundance of fresh flowers.
6. Best hotel in New York for rooftop drinks
Address: 525 Greenwich Street, SoHo, New York, NY 10013, United States.
Why we love it: Located in Greenwich, the star of the show in the New York hotel is the duo of rooftop bars: Bar Hugo and Azul. Both have incredible 360-degree views, and Azul is open-air in the summer. Inside, Beverly Hills-based designer Marcello Pozzi has given the hotel the magic touch, with swish bedrooms, marbled bathrooms and rooms with incredible Hudson River views.
7. Best hotel in New York for rooftop swimming
Address: 18 9th Avenue, Greenwich Village, New York, NY 10014, United States.
Why we love it: Boasting a rooftop complete with an all-season heated pool, bar and lounge, the Gansevoort Meatpacking hotel is a wonderful place to stay whether you're travelling to New York for business or pleasure. It's located just 400 yards from the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the High Line is just 250 yards away. Chelsea Market is 500 yards away. The on-site restaurant, The Chester, is worth a mention, serving delicious food and cocktails, while the bedrooms are well-equipped with full-stocked minibars, Curious Provisions speakers and L'Occitane toiletries.
8. Best hotel in New York for pure extravagance
Address: 444 Park Avenue South, NoMad, New York, NY 10016, United States.
Why we love it: Totally luxurious and sure to feel like home from the moment you step inside, the five-star Mondrian Park Avenue hotel is located just 600 yards from the Empire State Building in the NoMad district of New York. With an on-site Mediterranean restaurant – CLEO - plus a rooftop lounge with year-round views of the city and private marbled bathrooms, complete with walk-in showers, complimentary bathrobes, and slippers, this place is a real treat.
9. Best hotel in New York Williamsburg
Hotel The Hoxton, Williamsburg
Address: 97 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11249, United States.
Why we love it: No edit of the best New York hotels would be complete without a mention of the aforementioned The Hoxton Williamsburg. Situated in the Brooklyn region of the city, it's as much for New Yorkers as it is for overseas visitors, boasting a dreamy rooftop bar, event space and a sizeable lobby that can be lazed in all weekend long. A bit like those at The Hoxton Southwark and Shoreditch. There are three on-site restaurants: Summerly, Backyard and the year-round favourite Klein’s, and the interiors are to die for. Think: low-hanging chandeliers, contemporary art and vintage furniture.
10. Best hotel in New York for creatives
Address: 23 Lexington Avenue, Gramercy, New York, NY 10010, United States.
Why we love it: One of the best hotels in New York if you're travelling for creative business, Hotel Freehand is a hotel/hostel hybrid - with both shared bunk rooms and private bedrooms. Including an enormous penthouse suite. Yep: there's a room to suit everyone in this place, and it's a great spot for meeting like-minded people. It's located in the sleepy area of Gramercy Park, boasts an on-site bar by Restaurateur Gabriel Stulman and an all-day café serving Middle Eastern delights, light spring-pea hummus and lamb kebabs with tahini yoghurt.
11. Best boutique hotel in New York
Address: 7 East 27th Street, NoMad, New York, NY 10016, United States.
Why we love it: Situated in Midtown Manhattan, this boutique hotel is just north of Madison Square Park in the NoMad neighbourhood. The bedrooms are inspired by Art Nouveau influences, and the amenities are second-to-none. Think: walking tours every weekend, concierge services, free luggage storage and more. Basically, everything you need to make your stay a total breeze.
12. Best hotel in New York for serial shoppers
Address: 231 Hudson Street, SoHo, New York, NY 10013, United States.
Why we love it: If your trip to New York is centred around shopping and not much else, Arlo SoHo could be just the ticket, located close to SoHo, Tribeca and West Village. You'll find a plethora of dining and shopping destinations all within easy reach, plus the One World Trade Centre just one mile away, and ferries for Liberty Island and Ellis Island from Battery Park just 2.2 miles away.
Inside the hotel, there's an on-site restaurant called Lindens, serving no-fuss, modern cuisine with a focus on what’s in season (it's open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, happy hour and Sunday brunch, and the interiors are gorgeous), as well as Arlo SoHo’s stylish speak-easy, Foxtail. The home of modern mixology magic, it serves cocktails by the glass or in party-sized punch bowls, as well as fine wine, beer and lager.
Elsewhere, there's a 24-hour onsite market which has a food selection curated by Mouth NYC.
13. Best hotels in New York Lower East Side
Hotel 50 Bowery, part of JdV by Hyatt
Address: 50 Bowery, New York, New York, United States, 10013-4801.
Why we love it: Hotel 50 Bowery – part of the JdV by Hyatt group – is a boutique hotel in a great location for exploring the Lower East Side, Tribeca, Soho, Little Italy, and Brooklyn. All rooms inside this New York hotel come with desks, dressing gowns, Lefroy Brooks rain showers and toiletries.
14. Best hotels in New York NoMad district
Address: 44 West 29th Street, NoMad, New York, NY 10001, United States.
Why we love it: Located in the heart of the trendy NoMad district is the MADE hotel, oozing Japanese-inspired design and complete with cosy coffee shops, communal work spaces and fixtures influenced by the outside world. There's a lobby bar serving cocktails, run by husband-and-wife team Natasha David and Jeremy Oertel, who have worked in some of the city's best bars, like Death & Co., and a restaurant called Ferris, which serves some of the best small plates in the city. There's also a rooftop bar, which boasts impressive views of the Empire State.
15. Best hotels in New York Times Square
Address: 6 Times Square, New York, NY 10036, United States.
Why we love it: Located right on Times Square, The Knickerbocker hotel boasts an impressive rooftop terrace with over 370 square metres of indoor and outdoor space. Every room comes with a flat-screen TV, laptop safe, mini-bar, en-suite bathrooms, robes, toiletries and a hair dryer, and many rooms come with impressive city views. There's on-site dining at Charlie Palmer at The Knick, while cocktails are served on the rooftop at the St.Cloud bar, and coffee is served at Jake's.
16. Best 5-star hotel in New York
Address: 96 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11249, United States.
Why we love it: Located in North Brooklyn's Williamsburg - right across the river from Manhattan and just one Subway stop away from the East Village - is Arlo Williamsburg, designed by London-based design firm Michaelis Boyd Studio. Every room in this place - each individually designed by Michaelis Boyd – comes with 10-foot window views of either Manhattan or Brooklyn, while many rooms boast a private balcony. For foodies, there's an Eastern Mediterranean restaurant called Seven Seeds, tucked within the bar and lounge area of the 3,000 square-foot floor. Each dish, designed by Michelin-starred Chef Melissa O' Donnell, draws on the Mediterranean Basin, drawing on Greece, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Morocco, Spain, France, and Italy.
17. Best Four Seasons hotel New York
Address: 57 East 57th Street, Midtown East, New York, NY 10022, United States.
Why we love it: Four Seasons hotels are renowned for luxury the world over, and the Four Seasons Hampshire is one of the best hotels in the UK, hands down. The Four Seasons New York, designed by I.M. Pei, serves up a five-star NYC living experience from the moment you step inside the Art Deco lobby. It's located on “Billionaire's Row”, between Park Avenue and Madison Avenue, making it the perfect base from which to explore those classic tourist hotspots. Views from each of the studios are breathtaking and panoramic – and the rooms are drenched in natural light to boot – while the onsite spa offers everything you could need to feel your very best, from a full-service hair salon to a retail boutique.
18. Best hotel in New York for foodies
Address: 1414 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019, United States.
Why we love it: One of the best hotels in New York for foodies, 1 Hotel Central Park recently opened a 100-seat restaurant called Jams. Run by renowned chef Jonathan Waxman, the menu features some of his all-time favourite signature dishes like red-pepper latkes with smoked salmon, corn and California caviar, all with a focus on locally-sourced and sustainable produce. Elsewhere in the hotel designed by AvroKO group and Kemper Hyers, you'll find a fitness central, bikes-to-rent for exploring nearby Central Park and 229 insane bedrooms. Each boasting a Google Nexus tablet, which controls the TV, lights, thermostat, room service, curtains and which tracks the carbon footprint of your stay, no less.
19. Best hotels in New York Central Park
Address: Madison Ave at 77th Street, New York, NY, 10075.
Why we love it: Sat close to Central Park, The Mark is just as elegant as you'd expect from its fancy Upper East Side address. You'll be nestled among a plethora of luxury stores – from Vera Wang to Christian Louboutin – which feels in-keeping with the glamorous lobby, marbled floors, grand staircases and spacious bedrooms found within the property.
Said bedrooms – of which there are 153 – are the perfect antidote to the bustling streets below: calm and complete with furnishings draped in Italian linens. They range from Queen-size rooms to five-bedroom (!) suites that boast kitchens and private terraces, so there's something for every budget. And once you get bored with the (more than) four walls of your bedroom, Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s French-American Restaurant downstairs, The Mark Restaurant, is one of the most upscale hotel restaurants in Manhattan. Devour dishes including tuna tartare, rigatoni, and meatballs. Or how about a visit to the first Caviar Kaspia restaurant in the city?
