158 Best Hotels in New York City, New York

Built by William Randolph Hearst in 1926 for his mistress, Hollywood actress Marion Davies, this grande dame has since hosted many others from Tinseltown, including Cary Grant in the Presidential Suite for 12 years. Some of the higher-floor suites have terraces overlooking 6th Avenue. The premier rooms are a luxurious choice, with fresh designs including tufted headboards, marble bathrooms, and a generous work space. The Murals on 54 restaurant, which takes up a big portion of the ground floor, serves Italian-influenced American fare under the gaze of 1930s-era murals—try to spot the "obscene" additions that the artist inserted after a disagreement with Hearst. Randolph's Bar stays busy late into the evening.

Since 1902, this low-key hotel has hosted famous people (Ernest Hemingway, the Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan all stayed here), and today it is popular with visiting New York University parents thanks to its location near Washington Square Park. It's easy to get anywhere in the city from here, since it's just one block from the West 4th Street subway station. Deluxe rooms have a snazzy Hollywood art deco style and much more natural light than the rather plain, pastel-color standard rooms. The intimate Deco Room off the lobby has mosaic floors, elegant mirrors, and a wrought-iron-and-glass brass gate from Paris—guests can sip tea here during the day, and at night, pull a stool up to the bar. The North Square restaurant downstairs has a jazz brunch and surprisingly sophisticated fare.

A few blocks south of Central Park and Columbus Circle, the Wellington is a good base for visitors who want to see the sights in Midtown and the Upper West Side. The vibe in the rooms is more classic than edgy or modern, with floral patterns and dark-wood headboards and chests. Bathrooms are dark and on the small side. Suites, however, are spacious and have a microwave, a refrigerator, and extra beds—a great fit for large families. Molyvos, a busy Greek restaurant in the hotel, serves excellent Mediterranean food, while the Park Cafe serves three meals a day along with theater snacks. The hotel runs clever seasonal packages that draw return guests every year.

The Art Deco–style hotel is designed to feel like a glamorous private residence: included in the built-in nightly "resident fee" are morning breakfast, afternoon tea, and hour-long evening canapés with alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages (all served on the 23rd-floor terrace), as well as in-room snacks and Wi-Fi. Comfortable rooms are done in soothing dove-gray tones, with tufted-leather headboards, tasteful art, and luxurious bathrooms with walk-in showers. Extras like sleep masks, aromatherapy oil, and turndown chocolates created specifically for relaxation all encourage a good night's sleep for hotel "residents."

The two connected brownstones that were once home to a social club for Williams College are now a modern, extended-stay hotel with an outpost of the speakeasy-style cocktail bar Raines Law Room. The six-story property has rooms with bold colors and contemporary style, plus free Wi-Fi, Roku devices, and fully equipped kitchens. Service is a focus here, with a 24-hour concierge. The common spaces take their inspiration from the building's roots: the Shakespeare is a polished restaurant serving British classics in a space designed to resemble a gentleman's club, and The Shakespeare Pub is a classic British pub with wood-beam ceilings. The property incorporates a pre-arrival check-in process, and an app for use during your stay, but the front desk staff can assist you. It also has a partnership with Blink Fitness Grand Central, just two blocks away.

The sleek, 23-story tower of glass and steel dazzles newcomers (and even a few old school residents) with stylish rooms—each of which has its own balcony. While the hotel has big spaces for weddings and events, the city's longest outdoor pool, Little Fino (an all-day bar and café), and it's flagship Italian restaurant Leuca under the helm of a James Beard award-winning chef Andrew Carmellini, its biggest selling point is its outstanding view of the Manhattan skyline—practically in perfect alignment with the Empire State Building—especially from its 22nd-floor restaurant, Westlight. 

Look beyond the gimmicks (a luggage-storing robot, the futuristic white design scheme) and discover one of New York's best-run, most functional lodgings—and at a great price, too. The self-check-in lobby works like a dream, and though rooms might seem too small at first glance, they are surprisingly comfortable, accommodating giant flat-screen TVs, loungers that morph into beds with the touch of a button, nooks and crannies for storage, and smartly designed bathrooms. Larger "cabins" and suites have outdoor terraces and hot tubs. There's no room service, but a galley kitchen on each floor has free coffee, tea, water, and ice. The large outdoor space, perfect for reading and drinking coffee, becomes a hopping club on summer nights, with guest-celeb DJs.