The best hotels in New York and the can’t-miss reason you should visit them all.
There are more than 130,000 hotel rooms available across New York City. Whittling down that enormous collection to the crème de la crème, there are at least several dozen supremely excellent choices, the type of classy five stars where you’ll be comfortably ensconced in a luxury cocoon, your every need handled. Finding the best luxury hotel in New York, therefore, is more of a personal question than a matter of determining a clear hierarchy. Intelligent minds may disagree, and that’s because not every traveler is looking for the same exact thing. And in a city such as New York, vast possibilities abound.
Do you lean in the direction of old-school elegance or modern masterpieces? Is attentive, around-the-clock butler service your top priority, or perhaps a more discreet, less visible form of anticipatory hospitality? Should Central Park, Midtown, or the World Trade Center be within view from your floor-to-ceiling windows? You might prioritize having a top-tier cocktail bar on the rooftop, a Michelin-starred restaurant in the lobby, or a world-class spa and wellness center.
At this level of luxury, there are few wrong answers, but plenty of wonderful ideas. Book a stay at one of the best luxury hotels in NYC and see for yourself just how special these properties can be.
Waldorf Astoria New York
When the Waldorf Astoria New York reopened in summer 2025, it was a joyous moment for the entire city. A quick eight years and a cool $2 billion goes a long way to restoring the lost luster of an icon to better-than-ever status. The room count was slashed, legendary design points were retained, and additions include the likes of The Guerlain Wellness Spa.
Why Go: Sipping on a cocktail or a glass of Champagne in the renowned Peacock Alley, while soaking in the splendorous Waldorf clock tower and relishing the people watching, remains a New York rite of passage.
The Lowell
After first debuting in 1927, The Lowell is now approaching its centennial, having maintained its status as a discrete haven of the luxe life amid the Upper East Side. The distinct, privately owned property relishes how it stands apart from the crowd, with its Henry Stern Churchill-designed environs, and its dedication to exacting, personalized service standards. Expect celebrations and commemorations in the year to come for its 100th anniversary.
Why Go: There’s nothing else in the city like signature restaurant, Marjorelle, with a very particular je ne sais quoi drawing inspiration from Yves Saint Laurent’s Jardin Majorelle in Marrakech.
Aman New York
When the Aman New York opened in 2022, it marked a new era for the city’s luxury hotel scene. Butler service, inclusive minibars, and personalized gifts are but a few of the memorable moments you’ll enjoy during a stay. Come nighttime, book an omakase dinner or a table at the speakeasy jazz club before retiring to your enormous, swanky, sanctuary of a room.
Why Go: The three-story, 25,000 square-foot spa is a can’t-miss experience, especially when you reserve one of the incredibly indulgent private spa houses for a multi-hour ritual.
Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown
The Four Seasons New York Downtown’s business-minded locale belies its lavish credentials. Newly updated suites include an assortment of amenities you’ll love: Dyson hairdryers, curated minibars, colorful velvet furniture, and iPad service systems. Grab dinner at Cut by Wolfgang Puck in the lobby, or even better, slip on your robe and make it a night in with a splurge-worthy room service menu.
Why Go: A dedicated wellness floor includes a 75-foot lap pool, boutique, and fantastic fitness center, in addition to a full-service spa with a steam room and infrared sauna.
The Fifth Avenue Hotel
The maximalist wonder that is The Fifth Avenue Hotel, designed by Martin Brudnizki, has to be seen to be believed. Rooms showcase a rich layering of fine detail, furnishings, décor, and art that appears as if it’s been curated by your most worldly cohort of friends. It’s colorful, it’s playful, and it sparks the imagination, delivering a guest experience that has amassed a legion of devotees.
Why Go: Cocktails in The Portrait Bar followed by dinner at Café Carmellini is an in-house power pairing that isn’t outdone anywhere else in the city.
The Surrey, A Corinthia Hotel
The Surrey reopened under the Corinthia banner in fall 2024, and quickly became an Upper East Side mainstay once more. The property has 70 rooms alongside 30 suites, signature restaurant Casa Tua, and The Lounge by Casa Tua, an intimate, buzzy space for drinks. The Surrey Spa is partnered with Sisley Paris and features a salt room as well as a steam room and sauna.
Why Go: Stay in a new signature suite for a spacious retreat where Art Deco glamour is crossed with livable, residential-inspired interiors showcasing art from Paris’s VISTO Gallery.
Wall Street Hotel
Housed in the landmark Beaux-Arts Tontine Building, The Wall Street Hotel opened in 2022, adding some flair to a historic setting. No mere stopover for FiDi work trips, the property is loaded with cozy features from custom slippers and Fretté robes to heated bathroom floors. Residential-inspired rooms and corridors put guests at ease, while bespoke services such as bath turndown take the experience to an even higher level.
Why Go: The culinary program is well worth exploring, from creative cocktails amid the show-stopping environs of Lounge on Pearl, to the French chophouse fare of La Marchande.
Warren Street Hotel
Warren Street Hotel is the newest of a triumvirate of Firmdale Hotels (alongside Crosby Street Hotel and The Whitby Hotel) in Manhattan. Each features Kit Kemp’s eclectic, art-filled style with similar room and property amenities. At the TriBeca Warren Street specifically, its 69 rooms include some with private garden terraces, while the property provides access to the Nexus members club and fitness center down the street.
Why Go: Stop into the funky Warren Street Bar & Restaurant for afternoon tea service or Sunday roast, as well as live jazz on select nights throughout the week.
The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel
The Carlyle has been a New York institution since 1930, when the Art Deco tower first debuted. It’s a linchpin of the entire Upper East Side, and has been in the Rosewood portfolio since 2001. The most recent renovation was completed in 2021, with tonychi studio bringing guestrooms up to modern speed, while incorporating additions such as a Valmont Spa.
Why Go: Bemelmans Bar is a beloved haunt for locals and out-of-towners alike. The drinks are strong, the scene is bustling, and the nightly live music is boisterous.
Park Hyatt New York
How do you get to Carnegie Hall? By staying across the street at the Park Hyatt New York. While you’re there, enjoy a swim in the 25th-floor saltwater pool, book a treatment at the Spa Nalai or Rossano Ferretti HairSpa, and take advantage of unique bookable experiences for yourself, your kids, or even your dog.
Why Go: Maximize your rest by booking a signature Sleep Suite by Bryte, offering a range of thoughtful, sleep-enhancing amenities.
The Ritz-Carlton Central Park
With its glitzy location on Central Park South, The Ritz-Carlton Central Park boasts a setting that’s hard to match. The icing on the cake are small touches such as a minibar bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label when you’re ready to celebrate, because of course you are. La Prairie Spa offers a dose of R&R, and a loaded basement fitness center ensures you won’t miss a workout beat — if you don’t step out the front door and go running in the park, that is.
Why Go: The cocktails may not come cheap at the lobby lounge and restaurant Contour, but when you see the size of one of those signature Manhattans, and take a sip, you’ll get why they’re so coveted.
The St. Regis New York
The St. Regis New York unveiled recent renovations as part of its 120th anniversary celebration in 2024. Its style remains classic and ornate: purple and gold colors, crystal chandeliers, glossy dark wood furniture, marble bathrooms with gold fixtures. In a city that’s always striving, this type of historic elegance speaks for itself.
Why Go: The King Cole Bar remains one of the city’s preeminent destinations for an adult beverage. Gaze up at the resorted Old King Cole mural, and grab a glass of freshly sabered Champagne during the hotel’s evening ritual.
The Langham, New York, Fifth Avenue
The Langham New York brings Midtown Manhattan style to the brand’s London sensibilities and Hong Kong hospitality. Rooms are understated and refined, and loaded with savvy features, while the floral décor of Ai Fiori restaurant and Bar Fiori will encourage you to pop in for a meal. Book an in-room Estheraphy facial as a little treat-yourself reward.
Why Go: The Langham Club is a best-in-class offering: Made-to-order breakfast fare, free-flowing Champagne, Friday night caviar service, and so much more all throughout the day.
The Beekman
The Beekman, a Thompson Hotel, is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2026, now firmly entrenched as one of the city’s finest and most stylish luxury properties. Its roots stretch back much further, of course, in an 1881 New York landmark building with a stunning nine-story Victorian atrium. That history is combined with the artistic design of Martin Brudnizki to create a property that is rich in personality, and wholly itself.
Why Go: The Beekman has not one, but two, A-list culinary powerhouses on its marquee, with Daniel Boulud’s Le Gratin and Tom Colicchio’s Temple Court among its starry offerings.
The Ned NoMad
The Ned NoMad does so many of the little things right you’ll wonder why other properties can’t seem to bother. Half a dozen different shower soaps to choose between, female-centric bathroom amenities, and high-end glassware and cocktail tools to take advantage of loaded minibars are among them. Not to mention a nut-free policy across its dining venues to ensure allergy-safe dining.
Why Go: Be sure to sample all of the in-house bars and restaurants: the seasonal, garden rooftop Ned’s Club or its indoors cousin, the excellent cocktails of Little Ned, and the smash-hit Italian fare of Cecconi’s, among another half-a-dozen, members-club spaces.
Featured image courtesy of Waldorf Astoria New York. Travel Curator may earn a commission from the booking links on this page.
