The 10 Best Boutique Hotels in New York City

This British import, located in the middle of SoHo, may seem sleek and flashy on the outside with its glass-and-brick facade illuminated in electric blue. But on the inside, the Crosby Street Hotel proves to be warm, colorful, roomy and elegant, with floor-to-ceiling windows, unique designer decor and excellent customer service. Other notable features include the Crosby Bar restaurant, which opens onto a private outdoor garden, and the 99-seat screening room, which hosts a hotel film club on Sundays.

Part-owned by Robert De Niro, Tribeca’s Greenwich Hotel has much to offer. The handcrafted design gives off a tropics-meets-Bohemia vibe, with palms and vine-covered terraces, Moroccan tiling and Tibetan rugs. With 88 rooms individually styled with luxurious amenities, plus a pool, library, courtyard, spa and restaurant, the hotel is known to attract A-listers.

Set in a reclaimed red-brick building, The Ludlow embraces the grittiness of the Lower East Side’s past while keeping with the luxurious touches you expect from a boutique hotel. Factory casement windows and exposed brick are brightened with chandeliers, sheepskin throw blankets and beautiful lamps and rugs from Indonesia, India and Morocco. The loft rooms, with wide views overlooking the city, are highly recommended. Don’t forget to stop by the hotel bar and restaurant, Dirty French, for dinner and beignets.

Just down the street from the New York Public Library’s flagship branch, the Library Hotel takes inspiration from this Manhattan icon by theming each of its 10 floors after one of the classifications in the Dewey Decimal System. Small yet inviting with skyline views, the 60-room Library Hotel is a book lover’s paradise, with over 6,000 tomes spread throughout the lobby, rooms and lounges. Make sure to check out the Bookmarks Lounge in the evening for rooftop views and cocktails such as Tequila Mockingbird and F Scotch Fitzgerald.

Designed by French designer Jacques Garcia, this Flatiron District hotel is inspired by the bohemian flats and classic hotels of Paris, with white walls offset by dark, rich colors and whimsical decor. Set in a 12-story early 1900s Beaux-Arts building, The NoMad also features an acclaimed restaurant housed in a glass atrium and a magic show deemed “unforgettable” by Jimmy Fallon.

Located on the edge of the historic private park of the same name, the Gramercy Park Hotel has granted its guests access to one of New York’s most exclusive landmarks since 1925. The bohemian hotel, like the park, gives a sense of comfortable seclusion with mahogany, leather and velvet furnishings, alongside vintage fixtures for added character. Aside from the location, Gramercy Park Hotel also boasts a rotating contemporary art collection, two bars and the acclaimed Maialino Italian restaurant.

Minimalist, chic and sustainably built, 11 Howard in Little Italy is guided by what it calls “conscious hospitality,” approaching all aspects of guest experience with “awareness, purpose and thoughtful consideration.” It features roomy, comfortable social spaces perfect for work or relaxation; a Stephen Starr French restaurant; and an infrared spa. In addition, as a partner with the Global Poverty Project, 11 Howard donates a percentage of every room booked directly through the hotel to combat world poverty.

Located near Bryant Park, the Refinery Hotel channels “more than 100 years of Garment District history” into this former hat factory, with original artwork and furniture resembling early 20th-century sewing machines. The loft rooms’ 12-foot ceilings, huge windows and hardwood floors are a holdover from the building’s industrial past, in the best way. The Refinery Rooftop Bar offers innovative cocktails and Empire State Building views, while the first floor offers the Parker & Quinn Restaurant and Winnie’s Jazz Lounge, which features live music and a Prohibition-style bar that has been “serving cocktails since 1914.”

This landmark hotel opened on the Upper East Side in 1927 and has kept much of its timeless charms. Located just off Madison Avenue near Central Park, The Lowell is a quiet retreat from the bustling city without being far removed from the action. Most accommodations feature fully equipped kitchens and a number feature wood-burning fireplaces or private terraces. If you’re a tea lover, the Pembroke Room on the second floor serves afternoon tea complete with scones and finger sandwiches.

The Bowery prides itself on old-fashioned charm. The lobby feels like stepping back in time, with stone fireplaces, well-worn rugs and red velvet. The rooms in contrast are lighter, with floor-to-ceiling windows, cream walls and white-and-red bedding over 400-thread-count Egyptian cotton linens, among other amenities. The on-site restaurant Gemma, an Italian trattoria, offers a particularly good breakfast. As a bonus for parents, babysitting services are offered.