When in New York City, there are a number of vibrant scenes to be experienced—food, art, fashion, theater—but for those who take where they stay as seriously as what they do when they travel, the city’s flourishing boutique hotel scene is as unmissable as any. If you're seeking an intimate, upscale property that's an experience in its own right, booking a few nights in a boutique hotel on this list might be for you.
For context, boutique hotels were practically invented here. Typically built with 120 rooms or fewer, and characterized by strong, focused design identities, boutique hotels sprung up in the 1980s. The phenom is widely credited to Studio 64's Ian Schrager, whose vibe-y, since-closed Morgans Hotel in Midtown is unofficially considered the world’s first boutique hotel. New on the scene this year are The Fifth Avenue Hotel and Warren Street Hotel, both featured on Condé Nast Traveler’s 2024 Hot List.
Read on for our edit of the best boutique hotels in New York City for out-of-towners and staycationers alike. If you know what general area you want to stay in, jump straight there below.
- Upper Manhattan: The Lowell
- Midtown Manhattan: The Chatwal | High Line Hotel | Hotel Chelsea | The Whitby Hotel | The Fifth Avenue Hotel
- Queens: Boro Hotel | The Rockaway Hotel
- Lower Manhattan: The Bowery Hotel | Warren Street Hotel | The Beekman | Crosby Street Hotel | Fouquet’s New York | Greenwich Hotel | Hotel Hugo | The Mercer | ModernHaus Soho | 33 Hotel NYC Seaport | Nine Orchard | Soho House | Walker Hotel, Greenwich Village
- Brooklyn: The Wythe Hotel | One Hotel Brooklyn Bridge | Penny Williamsburg | The William Vale
FAQ:
What is the best area to stay in New York City?
Midtown and downtown are the most popular and convenient areas for travelers bopping around Manhattan. Midtown is best for first-time visitors because of its central location and proximity to tourist attractions like Times Square, Broadway, the Empire State Building, The Met, Grand Central, and Central Park, while downtown is great for nightlife, top restaurants, and a more local experience. Brooklyn is a good choice for visitors who have seen the Manhattan highlights and are looking to explore neighborhoods with cool restaurants, bars, and shopping.
What makes boutique hotels special?
Boutique hotels are beloved for their strong character, intimate scale, and general cool factor. Their food and beverage programs are often a special focus, too, and can be destinations in and of themselves.
What are some pet-friendly boutique hotels in New York City?
Among the hotels on this list, almost all are pet-friendly, with varying weight limits allowed. Some do require a pet fee; The High Line Hotel, The Whitby, The Bowery, Warren Street Hotel, The Beekman, Crosby Street Hotel, Greenwich Hotel, One Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, Penny Williamsburg, and The William Vale, however, are fee-free. The Rockaway Hotel and Soho House do not allow pets, with the exception of service animals at the latter.
This article has been updated with new information since its original publish date.
Upper Manhattan
The Lowell
The Lowell
Location: Upper East Side
Top amenities: 300-thread-count Frette sheets, fresh flowers by your bed, in-room fireplaces
Best for: A trip to the city with an upscale, residential feel
At the Lowell, where the bathrooms are marble, the service is discreet, and the flower centerpieces probably cost more than your outfit, five-star hospitality is tasteful and low-key. The timeless restaurant Majorelle explodes with flower arrangements and serves French and Moroccan Cuisine. A block away from Central Park, the hotel's location on East 63rd Street is like a snapshot from a New York City postcard. The 74-room hotel is focused, forgoing extras like a spa.
Midtown
The Chatwal
The Chatwal, New York City
Location:Times Square
Top amenities:Infinity saltwater lap pool, personal butler services on request, wellness center, pets allowed
Best for: Being in the middle of the action—while getting to escape it at a moment's notice
In the heart of Midtown’s Theater District, the Chatwal is a sleek, luxury boutique hotel with an Art Deco aesthetic. The 76 rooms, inspired by early 20th century travel, feature custom furniture designed by Despont, suede upholstered walls, tinted floor-to-ceiling mirrors, rain showers, and in-room wardrobes and vanities that evoke vintage luggage. Historically, the building was the Lamb's Club—a social club for New York City's theater crowd that originated in 1874. Now, the hotel has an 80-seat restaurant of the same name.
High Line Hotel
The High Line Hotel
Location:Chelsea
Top amenities:Intelligentsia coffee bar, gem of a private garden, oversized beds, locally sourced furniture
Best for: A birthday weekend, a city staycation
The sixty-room High Line Hotel is a slice of the past within Chelsea's of-the-moment gallery district—the gothic red brick building it occupies was a cloistered Collegiate Gothic Seminary built in 1895, and where Clement C Moore penned The Night Before Christmas. Rooms look out onto the city's decade-old elevated park, the High Line, and are outfitted estate-style, with gothic moldings, hardwood floors, and antiques. Guests are encouraged to borrow the hotel's bicycles to get around.
The Fifth Avenue Hotel
The Fifth Avenue Hotel: First In
Location: Midtown Manhattan
Top amenities: Award-winning chef, house car, individual butler service?
Best for: Over-the-top opulence and white glove service
Opened in late 2023, Arati Menon—Condé Nast Traveler’s global digital director—went on the ground earlier this year to scope out the Fifth Avenue Hotel. It landed a spot on the 2024 Hot List, our select cut of the best hotel openings in the world. Menon reported favorably on the hotel’s white glove service—which includes made-to-order martini room service from 5-7 p.m.—as well as on the spacious bathtubs, state-of-the-art in-room tech, and sumptuous interiors. The building itself has an interesting story, too. Located on the former estate of Gilded Age socialite Charlotte Goodridge, the property is housed between her then-mansion and a 24-story glass tower next door. At 28th Street and Fifth Avenue, the address is at a crossroad of Midtown neighborhoods, including vibrant Koreatown, NoMad, and more.
The Hotel Chelsea
Hotel Chelsea
Location:Chelsea
Top amenities:Legendary El Quijote restaurant, lobby bar, marble bathroom, rainfall shower, select rooms with soaking tubs and balconies
Best for: Wishing you were there, then
The Hotel Chelsea, of Andy Warhol and Bob Dylan fame, reopened in 2022 after an 11-year closure. New digs include the lobby bar, renovated rooms, and a new food and beverage program. A rooftop spa, fitness center, and French-American restaurant, Café Chelsea, have since opened, too. Although the legendary creatives of its past are gone, an edginess remains, as do a handful of permanent residents who were grandfathered into their apartments, some of whom may actually have been, you know, there. In her memoir, Just Kids, Patti Smith poetically wrote, “The Chelsea was like a dollhouse in the Twilight Zone, with a hundred rooms, each a small universe.” Even today, you might feel the presence of ghosts in the halls.
The Whitby Hotel
The Whitby Hotel
Location:Midtown
Top amenities:Mini bars stocked with Casamigos, BeautyRest Beds, stand-alone tubs
Best for: Art lovers looking to stay in the middle of things
For an art-centric trip to the city that includes hours upon hours spent at the MoMA (a short walk away) and the Met, you can't do much better than the Whitby. A vivid, artsy, design-forward aesthetic characterizes the interiors—and whip out your smartphone because they photograph really, really well. The hotel even brings the art inside its doors. The Firmdale Art Tour and Workshop takes place this year on December 12, 2022, and includes a tour of the hotel's own art collection, a complimentary glass of wine, and an exclusive drawing class. Another delight of the Whitby is its Champagne afternoon tea—where scones, macarons, finger sandwiches, and house-made jams emerge from the drawing room on triple-tiered tea stands. They also have a small theater that screens films, and hold negroni and jazz nights on Fridays at the Whitby Bar.
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Queens
Boro Hotel
The Boro Hotel
Location:Long Island City
Top amenities:Library with books from famed bookstore the Strand and a newsstand, fitness center, dry cleaning
Best for: Sleek business travelers
Our pick for a boutique hotel in Queens, the Boro Hotel stands out from the rest thanks to its rooftop bar with spectacular views of the city and negronis on tap, lobby cafe that's made for co-working and socializing, and convenient location, just a hop over the river to Midtown via the 7 train. Guests of the Boro Hotel can easily enjoy Queens attractions like MoMA PS1 (the James Turrell Light and Space room, where visitors can lay back staring at a cut-out of the sky, is a secret NYC must-see) and Socrates Sculpture Park. Back when the hotel opened in 2015, Traveler contributor Lilit Marcus wrote, “The neighborhood's proximity to LaGuardia Airport has meant plenty of hotel development in the past few years, but most of them are impersonal mega-chains. The Boro, however, is a boutique hotel that would be just as well placed in Manhattan or Brooklyn.”
The Rockaway Hotel
The Rockaway Hotel
Location: Rockaway Beach, Queens
Top amenities: Balconies, ocean views, complimentary bikes
Best for: Beach-vacay, but make it in the five boroughs
Turns out, you don’t have to leave the state, or even New York City, to book yourself a true beach vacation, thanks to the Rockaway Hotel. Centrally located on one of the main drags of Queens’ bustling Rockaway Beach—where you’ll find hot dogs, surfers, skaters, and good sand and waves—the hotel is situated smack-between the ocean on one side and a ferry stop on the other. Inside, we love the fresh and colorful design, the balconies, the swimming pool, the rooftop dining, and so much more. This is how you leave the city without leaving the city.
Lower Manhattan
The Bowery Hotel
The Bowery Hotel
Location:East Village
Top amenities:24-hour room service, concierge, and fitness center; complimentary New York Times and New York Post; in-room spa services upon request
Best for: Staying in an energy-packed, creative neighborhood—and in a hotel that's integral to it
The 17-story, old world-inspired hotel at 335 Bowery, full of dark wood and velvet and Oriental rugs, has serious pull, and not just for booking one of the 135 rooms—just try to get a seat in the lobby or outdoor terrace for a drink and see. The many A-listers who've stayed overnight include Jennifer Lopez (she threw Marc Anthony's 40th birthday party here in 2008), Liv Tyler, Kate Hudson, Blake Lively, Jonah Hill, David Beckham, and Kristen Stewart. Fun fact: The founder of the Bowery Hotel, Eric Goode, is the director and producer of Tiger King.
Warren Street Hotel
Warren Street Hotel
Location: Financial District
Top amenities: Afternoon tea, in-room terraces with gardens, iconic skyscraper views
Best for: An authentic neighborhood feel with a special factor
The only other New York City hotel that made this year’s Hot List is the Warren Street Hotel, this time scouted by Condé Nast Traveler articles director and Women Who Travel podcast host Lale Arikoglu. She lauded the boutique hotel’s visual appeal, with artistic and original interiors, its stylish in-room kitchenettes and tech, and its vibey restaurant. “Kit Kemp loyalists and design obsessives will have already bookmarked this hotel for its eclectic interiors and extensive art collection,” she writes, “but anyone who wants to find a quiet moment amid the mayhem of Manhattan—without losing any of its color—will find their needs met here.” Located between Tribeca and the Financial District, the hotel is at a peaceful cross-section of downtown, but also highly accessible to the main arteries of the city.
The Beekman
The Beekman, A Thompson Hotel
Location:Financial District
Top amenities:Luxury house car, two-level fitness center, morning lobby coffee service, valet parking
Best for: Eavesdropping in the the Bar Room
Opened in 2016, The Beekman has had eyes on it from the beginning, and continues to be one of the Financial District's most popular and special hotels. The 1880 landmark building it occupies was one of New York City's original skyscrapers, and it is cut through the center with a sparkling nine-story kaleidoscopic atrium. The light-reflecting showstopper is a source of awe. The classic vibes continue into the dim, luxurious bar room, where deals are made and rare bourbon is drank. Rooms have vintage furniture, beds with distressed leather headboards, gourmet mini bars with co*cktail tables, in-room dining, and turndown service.
Crosby Street Hotel
Crosby Street Hotel
Location:SoHo
Top amenities:Crosby Bar, private garden, 99-seat screening room, fully-equipped gym
Best for: A dedicated weekend of shopping in the city
On cobbled Crosby Street, a quiet side street tucked into the heart of bustling, walkable SoHo, where leggy models, local indie rockstars, and tourists mingle on the same sidewalks, lies the visually delightful Crosby Street Hotel. The whimsical decor, with splashes of color, pops of fresh flowers, and inventive light fixtures, is total eye-candy, and more photographable than the sheep's milk agnolotti you ordered and Instagrammed at Lilia. The rooms look like works of art. Natural light pours in through generous windows, and the colorful, contemporary, floral design scheme continues. Inside, you'll also find heated towel racks, fluffy Frette bathrobes, vintage side tables, and Tivoli radios.
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Fouquet's New York
Fouquet’s New York
Location:Tribeca
Top amenities:Restaurant led by Michelin-starred chef Pierre Gagnaire, Biologique Recherche spa, white marble indoor pool, gym
Best for: Francophiles
Timeless Paris meets ritzy, celebrity-populated Tribeca in this new property from French hospitality group Lucien Barrière. After much anticipation, it opened its doors in September 2022. Walk inside, and the powdery palette of sage and mint greens and barely-there pinks look like they were pulled straight from a case of macarons, while the wallpaper patterned with pigeons flying off with baguettes playfully winks at both NYC and Paris. The hotel's French restaurant is helmed by Michelin-starred chef Pierre Gagnaire nd has already received attention. Condé Nast Traveler's destinations editor, Shannon McMahon, got a first look at Fouquet's and reviewed the hotel upon its debut. For the Boston–based editor, Fouquet was a fit for an elevated trip to the city. “Fouquet’s makes the perfect place to post up for a weekend getaway (or longer) in a cozy and iconic corner of New York’s downtown,” she writes.
Greenwich Hotel
The Greenwich Hotel
Location:Tribeca
Top amenities:Exemplary spa, Swedish Duxiana mattresses, mini fridges stocked with complimentary Mexican Coca-Cola
Best for:5-star treatment
Owned by Robert De Niro, the 88-room, eight-storyGreenwich Hotel occupies the cobblestone Tribeca corner where Greenwich Street and North Monroe Street meet, next to the Tribeca Film Center.During the famed film festival, as well as New York Fashion Week, you can expect rooms here to be occupied by A-listers. The five-star hotel has a reputation for being top-of-the-line—a former Traveler editor, John Wogan, reviewed the hotel and asserts that the swimming pool might be the very best in New York City, and says the same of the spa.
Hotel Hugo
Hotel Hugo
Location:West SoHo
Top amenities:Glass-enclosed popular rooftop bar, cute coffee shop, spacious desks
Best for: West Side shenanigans
Luxe Hotel Hugo, right by the Hudson River, is conveniently bound by the West Village to the north, SoHo to the east, and Tribeca to the south, positioning it well for bopping around a fun chunk of Manhattan in multiple capacities: nightlife, dining, shopping, people-watching, quiet strolls, and just about anything else you can think of. Guests can kick their night off, before potentially venturing out, at Azul Rooftop or Bar Hugo Rooftops, fraternizing with young New Yorkers. There are tacos, frozen drinks, and unobstructed river views. And when the night is through, you'll come back to a room full of midcentury modern furnishings, walnut lacquered wood, and black-and-white photographs.
The Mercer
The Mercer
Location:SoHo
Top amenities:On-site gym by appointment, Mercer Kitchen restaurant
Best for: People-watching, outfit inspiration
Recognizable to anyone who has roamed the neighborhood, on the corner of Mercer and Prince Street in an 1890 Romanesque Revival building with on-street café seating, you'll find SoHo's fashion crowd hotel circa 1997: the Mercer. The intimate, luxury boutique hotel is being serviced by its iconic neighboring restaurant Lure Fish Bar until its new on-site restaurant Sartiano’s opens in the spring.
ModernHaus SoHo
ModernHaus SoHo
Location:SoHo
Top amenities:Rooftop pool, spa, soundproof rooms, Frette linens
Best for: Staying in Manhattan without sacrificing comfort
Outdoor space is a rarity in this city, but even more so in bustling SoHo, where the streets are narrow and the vast majority of apartments are dollhouse sized—but at ModernHaus (formerly the James), there are 11,000 square feet of it. It comes in the form of abundant greenery and a well-appointed, comfortable rooftop pool and pool bar, Jimmy. That's not the 114-room hotel's only distinction among the Lower Manhattan boutique hotel landscape, though: Its coveted art collection is gallery-worthy, featuring the futuristic, towering mouse sculptures by Kaws, paintings by kinetic artist Alexander Calder, and an impressive painting by George Condo. Before guests are greeted by that art when they head out of the hotel in the morning, they wake up in rooms that are quiet and spacious, with floor-to-ceiling windows, vast views of SoHo, and rainfall showers.
33 Hotel, NYC, Seaport
33 Hotel, New York City, Seaport
Location:Financial district
Top amenities:Complimentary house car, fitness center with Technogym equipment, kids' program
Best for: Families seeking out a child-friendly stay that's still sophisticated
For those looking for a laid-back yet high-end residential hotel experience in NYC, the quieter neighborhood and vibe of 33 Hotel fits the bill. The service is white-glove, the river and skyline views are spectacular, and the Italian food and wine is refined. For kids, the Little C program is stand-out, and comes with treats like coloring books and homemade cookies topped with Nutella. Rooms are secluded, outfitted with Italian-made furniture and linens, and have views of the East River, Brooklyn Bridge, or Manhattan skyline, with select ones having wraparound terraces, verandas, and outdoor spaces.
Nine Orchard
Nine Orchard
Location:Lower East Side
Top amenities: 40-seat bar servingbistro fare; co*cktail lounge in the lobby; mini bar with Tony’s chocolate and Kings County Distillery Brooklyn–made bourbon; custom speaker system
Best for: Cool grown-ups
Formerly the century-old Jarmulowsky bank building, Nine Orchard is a piece of living history on New York City's Lower East Side, where the crowd is young and the roots are deep. Walk inside, where the restored vaulted ceilings will impress even the least basic of guests, then make your way past reception to the main event: the Lobby Lounge. This is downtown glamour. An original clock hangs above it all at the center of the stately, symmetrically-designed bar space, where a list of 20 co*cktails and martini service are on offer. The waitlist for the reservation-less is long. And the rooms? Warm, like home, and inspired by New York City apartments. There are 116 of them.
Soho House
Soho House New York
Location:Meatpacking District
Top amenities:Rooftop pool with al fresco dining, Marshall vintage speakers, full co*cktail kit (cutting board, knife, shaker, limes, lemons, Grey Goose, Patron, Bombay Sapphire)
Best for: Feeling elite and exclusive
Good news: Even if you're not a member of Soho House, you can live like one in one of the private members club's 24 NYC hotel rooms. (For full-price rates, compared to what members pay.) Guests will be in the mix with international Soho House members—the original location is in London, and there are 28 others in cities around the world. Rooms have full-sized Cowshed products, a hair dryer, and a flat iron to get all done up up before hitting the town.
Walker Hotel, Greenwich Village
Walker Hotel, Greenwich Village
Location:Greenwich Village
Top amenities:Room service, 24-hour front desk, dry cleaning
Best for: A sweet, comfy place to post up in the vibrant village
With its narrow, discreet brick facade on 13th Street and Sixth Avenue, tucked in a quiet tree-lined stretch, you could walk right by the Walker Hotel en route to Washington Square Park without noticing. In the evening, though, when it warmly glows through stained glass windows and luxurious drapes, it will attract your attention and you'll feel its inviting draw. Should you walk in, a fireplace will be crackling in the lobby. Staying here feels like your own bedroom in a cozy Greenwich Village townhouse—they have custom-designed desks and armoires, C.O. Bigelow bath products, plush towels, same-day laundry and valet services, and complimentary newspapers on request.
Brooklyn
The Wythe
Wythe Hotel
Location:Williamsburg
Top amenities:Le Crocodile restaurant, Davines bath products, screening room with soft red seats
Best for: In-the-know business travelers
As you stroll through North Williamsburg, you can't miss industrial-chic boutique hotel the Wythe—it stands out on the corner of North 11th Street and Wythe Avenue on the waterfront, with its retro, cherry red glowing letters, vertically spelling out “hotel” on the former factory's brick facade. Its French restaurant, Le Crocodile, is a local mainstay, serving escargots and Burgundy duck with pear and pancetta. The light-filled rooms are luxurious, unobstructed by tower views (most Manhattan spaces can't say the same), and have heated concrete floors. Some have two levels.
1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge
1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge
Location: Brooklyn Heights
Top amenities: Harriet’s Rooftop & Lounge, rooftop pool, five-time Readers’ Choice Award winner
Best for: The most iconic Manhattan skyline views in the five boroughs
If you’re considering staying in Brooklyn, One Hotel Brooklyn Bridge is an excellent option. The biggest draw here is the show-stealing skyline view, the best you’ll find anywhere. Visible from many of the rooms, as well as at the swanky rooftop bar, Harriet’s, the shimmering mosaic of skyscrapers and the Brooklyn Bridge arching over the river are, in a word, iconic. It’s the hotel’s standout feature that sets it apart from Brooklyn's litany of trendy lodging options. The location, on the border of Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO, is so full of charm it doesn’t feel real, and is secluded from the bustle of Manhattan, which is conveniently one subway stop away. When it comes to amenities, you pretty much have it all: rooftop pool, wellness spa, luxury and design-forward furniture, sustainability programming, a farm-to-table restaurant, and more included. With fewer than 200 rooms, it’s one of the larger hotels on this list, but the vibe is always personal.
Penny Williamsburg
Penny Williamsburg
Location: Williamsburg
Top amenities: Free coffee, bike rentals, Parachute cloud bathrobes
Best for: A stylish stay for the young-at-heart
Located in the heart of Williamsburg, right off the Metropolitan/Lorimer subway stop and two blocks from vibrant Bedford Avenue, Penny Williamsburg is steps away from the neighborhood’s centers of action. The crowd here, as in many Williamsburg hotels, is heavy on the corporate creative set—think graphic designers and tech innovators—and the hotel gets its share of business travelers. Walk inside and you’ll find art that is fresh and of-the-moment, sourced by nonprofit organizations LAND Gallery and Pure Vision Arts, which work with New York artists who have developmental disabilities. The rooms are a major draw as well, with in-unit kitchenettes, and often skyline views. Upstairs, you’ll find elNico rooftop restaurant and bar, worth a visit even if you stay elsewhere.
The William Vale
The William Vale
Location: Williamsburg
Top amenities: Outdoor pool, floor-to-ceiling windows, rainfall showers, soaking tubs
Best for: Luxury accommodations in Brooklyn
The William Vale hotel is arguably Brooklyn’s ritziest and highest end boutique hotel. Located a block away from Williamsburg’s waterfront, the high-rise offers prime skyline views, plus rooms and suites with upscale amenities such as furnished balconies, rainfall showers, a robust room service menu, and twice-a-day housekeeping. The hotel’s destination rooftop bar, Westlight, slings elegant co*cktails and small plates amidst 360-degree views of New York City, while the on-site restaurant, Leuca, serves elevated Southern Italian fare. The William Vale is also a top-rated wedding venue.
