The Best Hotels in Manhattan

Watch the city buzz around you from inside this bubble of old-time NYC glamor. From the old-world paneled lobby, head up to the bedrooms kitted out with art deco furnishings and marble bathrooms featuring antique-brass accents. Order spa services to your room, or choose a stay with a private city-view terrace for added luxury. Sample Italian dishes (including breakfast) in the snug trattoria-style restaurant, washed down with seasonal cocktails. With a Persian rug on the floor, even the gym has character.

For style and good eating, MADE – just a few blocks from the Empire State Building – has it all. Rooms are peppered with cool urban accessories, from brass lamps to bohemian throws. Relish the views through oversized windows as you relax on your Leesa Hybrid mattress, and book a suite with deep soaking tub for extra pampering. You’ll doubtless enjoy the tapas restaurant and outdoor hacienda, coffee shop and – best of all – the panoramic 18th-floor lounge. If you time your trip right, you’ll also be able to enjoy live music.

Hotel Beacon has stood proudly in the Upper West Side since 1928, with the American Museum of Natural History and the Lincoln Center just a 10-minute walk away. Cheerful rooms and suites – some with views of the Hudson River, Central Park or Midtown – come with fully equipped kitchenettes. It’s one of the best places to stay in Manhattan if you want to live like a local. There’s even a self-operated laundry room for longer stays.

Expect luxury at every turn at this hotel in the Deutsche Bank Center on Columbus Circle, starting with the rooms and suites that overlook the city or Central Park. Skyline views are yours at the high-up MO Lounge, serving sophisticated comfort food and delectable drinks. Work off any excess at the fitness center or in the 75ft (23m) pool, before settling into the spa: highlights include the Thai Yoga Suite with deep soaking tub, the Oriental Tea Lounge and signature detox treatments such as the Digital Wellness Escape.

Arguably the most famous hotel in New York, the Plaza represents everything you’d expect from Manhattan: elegance, sophistication and a great view of Central Park. Recently renovated, the underground food court offers a range of dining options at different price points, while just down the block, high-end shopping on Fifth Avenue can do some serious damage to your credit card. Hire a horse-drawn carriage across the street to transport you through the park to complete the classic New York City itinerary.

Situated on the prestigious Billionaires’ Row, the Four Seasons Hotel New York offers a rarely found sense of space in the sardine-tin streets of Manhattan. Each of the luxuriously large rooms feels made for movie-style makeovers, with walk-in closet and a specially designed make-up area with custom mirrors. Wake up fresh from an evening at Ty Bar – which specializes in barrel-aged bourbon – to far-reaching views through the massive windows, before taking advantage of the complimentary Rolls-Royce to cruise around Midtown. Return for lunch at the Garden – an indoor restaurant that feels like dining under the canopy of an enchanted forest.

Green and lush, the modern 1 Hotel Central Park grounds you in the elements after a day spent pounding the New York streets. Reclaimed-wood fixtures and fittings adorn the sleek guest rooms, some of which feature a glass shower in the middle of the room (so make sure you’re sharing with close friends). Close to Central Park, Carnegie Hall and MoMA, it’s the ideal base for exploring Midtown proper.

It’s all sparkle and glamor at the Baccarat Hotel, inspired by the French crystal that gives it its name. Elaborate chandeliers hang in the lobby, bar and salon, while bright-white walls and chrome furnishings bring elegant clean lines to each luxe guest room. Home to the first dedicated spa of skincare brand La Mer, the hotel also boasts a checkered-floor swimming pool surrounded by Riviera-style daybeds and cabanas.

Guests looking to relive 1930s New York will feel right at home at the Chatwal, where bellhops wear pillbox hats and the lobby bar serves retro cocktails. The former hangout of Hollywood heavyweights of yesteryear – John Barrymore, Fred Astaire – the Chatwal is appropriately located in the Theater District of Manhattan, near most of the hottest Broadway shows. The hotel is also socially conscious: it encourages guests to participate in the Pack for a Purpose initiative, collecting art materials and school supplies for the children of incarcerated parents. Travelers with a little extra cash can book a luxury guest suite, complete with an elegant stone terrace.

The doors of the Gramercy Park Hotel opened in 1925, and have welcomed many notable guests since then, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the late President John F Kennedy. Rooms are draped in bold and dramatic colors – think plenty of deep reds and royal blues – and you can enjoy a drink at the Rose Bar, the famed celebrity hangout.

Budget travelers looking for an affordable hotel room in the West Village with lots of history should look no further than the Jane Hotel. Originally designed as a cheap place for sailors to stay, the rooms – that are tiny, even by New York standards – are reminiscent of ship cabins, and even housed survivors of the Titanic in 1912. Stepping into the tile-walled lobby – complete with dark-wood reception desk – feels like traveling back in time to an era of skeleton keys and white-gloved bellhops.

Housed in the former home of the National Maritime Union, the Maritime Hotel leans heavily on the nautical theme with porthole windows, dark-wood decor and sea-inspired artwork. The hotel sits slap-bang in the middle of the Meatpacking District, surrounded by trendy bars and restaurants. Whether you choose a superior room or a penthouse, you’re guaranteed a first-class stay.

All the glossy tidbits you’ve read about SoHo can be found at the Soho Grand Hotel, a boutique hotel in Downtown Manhattan. Art galleries, classy cocktail bars (check out the intimate Club Room) and world-class designer shops are all within walking distance. The hotel also provides an amenity you may have never realized you needed: a pet goldfish.

The High Line Hotel is named after the elevated train tracks that were re-envisioned as a linear park in 2009, but the history of the red-brick collegiate gothic building goes back much further. Built in 1895, the hotel was originally a seminary (and part of it still is today). Before that, an apple orchard sat on the family estate, which was where Clement Clarke Moore wrote ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. Each of the 60 rooms in the High Line Hotel honor this history, with Western Electric rotary phones, antique furniture and vintage typewriters.

The Beekman is housed inside one of the original Manhattan skyscrapers that was built in 1883. The centerpiece of the landmark hotel is the nine-story atrium bordered by Victorian wrought-iron railings, more evocative of 1930s murder mysteries than present-day Manhattan. It’s hard to find craftsmanship like this in New York nowadays. The eclectic style, unique art collection and historic resonance of the Beekman elevates the Financial District into a destination beyond weary business travelers.