Where to Stay in New York? – The Ultimate Guide to Hotels in Manhattan
It's important to know which area to book a hotel or apartment in Manhattan, New York City, to enjoy what the best city in the world has to offer.
The 5 most popular areas for tourists visiting the city are:
- Times Square – Lively nightlife and theaters
- The Garment District – The best location
- South Midtown between Herald Square and Madison Park Square – A vibrant area under the shadow of the most famous skyscrapers
- Soho and Chinatown – A pleasant evening atmosphere, full of bars and entertainment spots
- Greenwich Village – The neighborhood charm of New York
Click here to check availability and prices for hotels in Manhattan…
It is recommended to avoid North Manhattan and certain parts of Midtown and Downtown due to relatively high crime rates and limited tourist infrastructure. More details will follow.
Map of Accommodation Areas in Manhattan
Here's everything you need to know about the neighborhoods and lodging areas in Manhattan and New York City – to choose the perfect base for your stay.
New York City is one of the most popular cities for tourists to visit. Every day of the year, tens of thousands of tourists arrive in the city and stay in hotels across Manhattan. The experience of New York is like no other place in the world, with its towering skyscrapers and vibrant, dynamic streets where you can find just about anything.
- The city is a paradise for shopping, dining, entertainment, nightlife, theaters, sports, and everything else that makes vacations and trips dreamy.
- New York has an enormous number of hotels of all types and levels, with the only thing in common being their not-so-cheap prices.
The cost of accommodation in Manhattan is a significant factor that affects how you'll budget your trip to the big city. On this page, we'll help you get the lay of the land in Manhattan and New York, where it's worth staying and where it really isn't, and how you can find great deals on quality hotels in Manhattan.
Click here for a list of 12 excellent hotels in Manhattan…
5 Top Areas to Stay in Manhattan and New York City
Hotels in Times Square
Times Square is the heart of New York City and undoubtedly the most central location in Manhattan. The square boasts an almost unimaginable array of entertainment and nightlife options, including Broadway theaters, bars, restaurants, shopping, and everything you need to experience New York at its best. In the square itself and the surrounding blocks, you'll find a massive number of hotels, from flagship hotels of large international chains to slightly more modest ones at a lower level.
Click here to check availability and prices for hotels in the Times Square area…
Advantages – Location, location, location
Disadvantages – Price, most hotels in the square are very expensive. If there isn't good insulation, it's very noisy and bright
Transportation – The Times Square subway station is a major transfer hub, and most subway lines pass near the square
Overall hotel standard – High level, especially with international chains, rooms are relatively small
Click here for a list of 6 unique boutique hotels around Times Square in the heart of Manhattan…
Hotels in the Garment District
The Garment District is ideally located in Manhattan, between Times Square and the Empire State Building. The southern and western blocks leading to Times Square are brimming with hotels of all shapes and sizes. The streets in the area are full of evening and night entertainment options, including access to basketball games, hockey, or grand performances at Madison Square Garden. During the day, the streets are filled with restaurants and street food, great shopping, and of course, fun at Macy's department store.
Click here to check availability and prices for hotels in the Garment District…
Advantages – Excellent location, not far from Times Square (with hotels even bearing the square's name) but quieter and more peaceful (and a bit easier on the wallet, but just a bit!)
Disadvantages – Hotel prices are often expensive, hotel quality is usually very good but as you move further west, the quality decreases and the streets become less crowded.
Transportation – Loads of subway and bus lines connecting the area with the entire city (most of Manhattan's attractions are within a short walking distance)
General hotel quality – Mostly good hotels, though there are some misses, especially as you move away from the heart of the area towards Eighth Avenue and beyond
Click here for a list of 10 luxury hotels at a five-star level in Manhattan…
Hotels in South Midtown between Herald Square and Madison Square Park
The southern part of Midtown is a less lively area compared to the Times Square vicinity and is considered more of a daytime zone. At night, under the shadow of the towering buildings, the quiet streets can feel a bit intimidating. Still, the location is simply fantastic between some of Manhattan's most beautiful and vibrant areas (during daylight hours), with excellent restaurants, shops, and great shopping areas.
Click here to check availability and prices at hotels in Midtown Manhattan…
Advantages – The area with the most budget-friendly prices in Midtown
Disadvantages – Less crowded and lively in the evening and night compared to the blocks to the north
Transportation – Plenty of subway and bus stations connecting Midtown with Downtown, making the area easily accessible and convenient
General hotel standard – Generally good hotels, but there are also many old or lower quality hotels, so it's important to carefully check the quality of the hotel in the area
Click here for a list of 10 good and comfortable 3-star hotels in Manhattan…
Hotels in Soho and Chinatown
Soho and Chinatown are the central parts of the Lower East Side, nestled between the southern part of Midtown and the beginning of the downtown skyscrapers to the south. Soho is an upscale residential neighborhood that has undergone full gentrification and is now a safe and delightful place to stroll around with a pleasant neighborhood vibe.
Chinatown, a bit to the east, is a much more dynamic and vibrant neighborhood with excellent Chinese restaurants but feels less secure. The best location for hotels in the area is right between the two neighborhoods, in the hotels of Little Italy or near the Bowery.
Click here to check availability and prices for hotels in Soho and Chinatown…
Pros – Relatively affordable compared to Manhattan, plenty of entertainment options
Cons – In Chinatown, where it's relatively cheap, some hotels are on streets that aren't pleasant. Soho is expensive
Transportation – Canal Street is the transportation hub of the area, with several lines connecting Midtown to Downtown along its length.
General Hotel Quality – Soho boasts excellent hotels. Chinatown also has some really bad hotels, but it offers the most affordable prices. In Little Italy, NoHo, and on Houston Street, the hotels are quite decent with relatively comfortable prices.
Hotels in Greenwich Village
Today's Greenwich Village is one of the best neighborhoods to live in all of Manhattan. The liberal neighborhood is the home port of New York City's LGBTQ+ community and a vital part of its history. The Village is predominantly residential but offers plenty of nightlife options, and during the day, numerous fine dining restaurants operate here. This trendy area also includes several great boutique hotels offering a unique New York experience from a different angle.
Click here to check availability and prices for hotels in Greenwich Village…
Pros – Boutique hotel experience in a trendy area
Cons – Price and availability
Transport – Only the red subway line runs through the neighborhood, connecting it with downtown and Times Square
Overall hotel quality – Excellent quality of small and high-quality hotels
How to find accommodation in New York for the whole family or a romantic getaway?
How to find accommodation in New York for the whole family?
- New York, especially in Manhattan, is a city with problematic and extremely expensive real estate, which deeply affects the nature of the city's hotels
- Most city hotels offer rooms that are not large (to say the least), especially compared to any hotel or motel across the USA where almost all have huge rooms (with two queen or king beds)
- A large portion of the city's hotels offer only double rooms, and if you want to stay with children, you need to book two rooms
- If you want to come with the kids, it's worth booking a place in the more expensive hotels. These hotels are rated four stars and up, and have rooms that can accommodate children too (since the rooms are usually bigger than those in three-star hotels). The cost of the room in the expensive hotel is obviously offset by the price of renting two rooms or the mental cost of staying with the kids in a room about 20 square meters in size.
Click here to book a room in Manhattan hotels…
Staying in the Outer Boroughs
- A comfortable lodging option in New York is actually finding a place to stay outside of Manhattan, but with a clear orientation towards it.
- Manhattan is well-connected with the boroughs across the East River, both Queens and Brooklyn. The subway ride from Western Queens to Midtown takes just a few minutes, the same time it takes to travel from Downtown Brooklyn to Downtown Manhattan.
- As a result, several good hotel areas have developed across the East River, close to subway stations. These hotels offer easy access to Manhattan (in just a few minutes) at the price of the outer boroughs.
Click here to check availability and prices at Brooklyn hotels…
Hotels in Brooklyn and Queens
In downtown Brooklyn and south towards Park Slope, there are good hotels (though some aren’t, so check the quality in advance) that allow you to stay in Brooklyn but explore Manhattan all day. These hotels, near key subway stations like the major station at Atlantic Avenue, offer very convenient access into Manhattan every morning and a return in the evening for a budget-friendly stay.
Queens is the largest of New York's boroughs. Its western part touches Manhattan and connects via the important Queensboro Bridge. Along with the Williamsburg Bridge to the south, which goes from the Lower East Side to the northern part of Brooklyn, these bridges host the subway trains that link Queens and northern Brooklyn with Manhattan. Around the stations, residential and hotel areas have developed, offering easy access to Manhattan at relatively affordable prices (still quite high, but not Manhattan prices) in Queens and Brooklyn. Both the Williamsburg neighborhood in northern Brooklyn and the Long Island City neighborhood in northern Queens have become popular places to stay, and numerous hotels have opened up there.
Click here to check availability and prices in Queens hotels…
Where should you avoid booking a hotel in New York?
Basically, if you're exploring New York, you're exploring Manhattan, so there really isn't any reason to stay anywhere other than Manhattan (except for spots in Brooklyn and Queens connected to Manhattan by subway). Generally, unless you're visiting family in the outer boroughs, there's no point in staying around Queens or Brooklyn, and certainly not the Bronx.
It's also wise not to book accommodation in the northern parts of Manhattan. Harlem generally isn't safe, and further north, in Washington Heights, is just too far..
Important information and tips on finding the perfect accommodation in hotels and apartments in Manhattan
First, search for information about the hotel online
There are dozens of booking sites online, and all of them offer the option to leave hotel reviews. Whether you're booking on Booking.com, Kayak, or even through a local agency, take some time to learn about the quality of the hotel you are heading to. It’s essential to read hotel reviews on Booking.com (reliable because only those who stayed at the hotel can write a review) or TripAdvisor (less reliable – open to anyone who wants to write).
- Look for reviews in your language – Most accommodations abroad won’t bother to fake reviews in a non-English language. If you find a review written in correct language (not Google Translate), assume it's a genuine review.
- How many reviews have been written about the hotel? – If there aren't many reviews, that's suspicious. Focus on hotels with hundreds of reviews.
- Filter out suspicious reviews – The review falsifying industry is extensive. When reviewing a hotel, be suspicious of overly positive reviews (no hotel would write negative reviews about itself).
- Identify reliable reviews – The most credible reviews are the balanced ones. If you see good and bad points combined in the same review, you can consider it trustworthy.
- Recognize recurring patterns – If many reviews mention that the hotel is noisy outside, then unfortunately, it likely is noisy outside. On the flip side, if many reviews say the bed is super comfy, then great, it's probably really comfortable… good night.
Hot tip from us – Take a virtual stroll down the hotel's street using Google Street View
Google Earth software has opened up for us travelers the opportunity to preview where we are heading. Embark on a tour with this cool software that allows you to check the quality of the hotel and its surroundings. Check if there are opening windows or if the hotel's windows are dirty? Check the condition of the building from the outside, is it renovated? Are there broken doors or windows, etc.
Also inspect the hotel's immediate surroundings. Is the street where the hotel is located too busy? Or conversely, is the street deserted or neglected? Are there homeless people on the street? Abandoned businesses? Piles of junk? etc. In New York, in terms of personal safety, it's always better to choose a noisy hotel on a busy street rather than a quiet hotel in a side alley, and it's always good to know the exact location of the hotel.
