Whether you’re planning a long weekend or a full week in New York City, here’s a roundup of hotels to consider if your trip includes seeing a Broadway show.
Best History Lesson: The Knickerbocker Hotel
Address: 6 Times Square
Nearby Theatres: Nederlander Theatre, Lyric Theatre, New Amsterdam Theatre
The Knickerbocker, with 330 rooms and suites, is a legendary landmark of New York City’s rich history—and it’s celebrating its 120th anniversary this year. The former Beaux Arts building was brought to life by John Jacob Astor IV and completed in 1906. The hotel became a gathering point for the elite, including John D. Rockefeller. Its artwork tells the stories of legendary events, inventions, and characters that define The Knickerbocker’s history through 1921, including the rumored invention of the dirty martini and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s time upstairs, where he penned Mr. Icky. The hotel offers elegant yet contemporary guest rooms with 12-foot ceilings, richly textured fabrics, and lavish marble bathrooms, along with dazzling city views. Dining options include Charlie Palmer Steak IV, St. Cloud Rooftop Bar, and intimate sushi bar Akoya.
Best Splurge: Baccarat Hotel & Residences
Address: 28 West 53rd Street
Nearby Theatres: Neil Simon Theatre, August Wilson Theatre, Gershwin Theatre, Radio City Music Hall
The 50-story Baccarat Hotel & Residences New York features 114 superbly appointed guest rooms and suites, each meticulously adorned with Baccarat stemware. Two-Michelin-starred chef Gabriel Kreuther is the culinary director of the property’s restaurants. Grand Salon offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Bar at Baccarat, just off the opulent Grand Salon, is an epic space featuring barrel-vaulted ceilings, a 60-foot bar, and an outdoor terrace overlooking MoMA. The hotel also features a 55-foot indoor pool with a lifeguard, an elite fitness facility, and the only Spa de La Mer in the United States. A luxury house car service is available to guests for rides within 15 blocks of the hotel.
Best for Families: Marriot Marquis
Address: 1535 Broadway
Nearby Theatres: Marquis Theatre, Richard Rodgers Theatre, Minskoff Theatre
The Marriott Marquis, with an impressive 1,971 guest rooms, including 56 suites, has been a Times Square centerpiece for 40 years. This iconic architectural landmark lifts guests high above street level using see-through glass elevators to experience the property in all its glory. There are reservation options for connecting rooms, in-room mini refrigerators for snacks, as well as complimentary cribs and sofa beds. Countless ballrooms for conventions make exploring the hotel exciting, along with the escalators to ride up and down. You don’t even have to leave the hotel to see a Broadway show: Playing right now at the Marquis Theatre is Stranger Things: The First Shadow. Watch the New Year’s Eve ball drop from The View, Manhattan’s only revolving restaurant. There’s also dining at the Broadway Lounge, Revel & Rye, and the Perch Outdoor Terraces.
Best for a Large Group: Hyatt Regency Times Square
Address: 1605 Broadway
Nearby Theatre: Ambassador Theatre
The newly renovated hotel with 795 rooms has stunning views of Times Square to make New York feel like home. It makes a memorable first impression, with a dramatic, soaring porte cochère leading to an expansive two-story lobby with the restaurant Cue 48 and a glass atrium overlooking the iconic lights of Broadway. The lobby is designed for fluidity, allowing guests to dine, work, socialize, or rest alongside residential-inspired furnishings and Broadway-influenced artwork. Multiple elevators bring you up to the 48th floor and back within minutes. The spacious rooms, with upgraded bathroom amenities, a mini-fridge, and floor-to-ceiling windows will make your stay feel luxurious.
Best for Couples: The Times Square EDITION
Address: 701 7th Avenue
Nearby Theatres: Palace Theatre, Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, Barrymore Theatre
The 452-room sleek hotel feels like urban energy meets an enchanting escape. Additionally, the hotel has 26 suites with private balconies. The lobby’s lounge area, high above Times Square on the 10th floor, has a calming feel to relax from the busy streets. Three dining experiences are on the property along with the Paradise Club, an intimate cabaret performance space. Michelin-starred chef John Fraser is at the helm of The Terrace & Outdoor Gardens restaurant, inspired by French brasseries and American chophouses. Work off dinner at its state-of-the-art fitness center, which has floor-to-ceiling windows.
Best Rooftop Bar: Hard Rock Hotel New York
Address: 159 West 48th Street
Nearby Theatres: James Earl Jones Theatre, Walter Kerr Theatre, Longacre Theatre
Celebrate New York’s iconic music scene at the Hard Rock Hotel New York with a customized room full of your favorite records, including Hamilton. The hotel’s 446 guest rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows include ones with balconies or family suites with sleeping amenities for kids. The second floor boasts a lobby with Sessions Restaurant & Bar, a great brunch spot before a matinee. There’s also RT60 Rooftop Bar & Lounge, with breathtaking views of Midtown and Broadway marquees. It’s the perfect spot for a pre- or post-show cocktail and light bite.
Most Affordable: Motto by Hilton Times Square
Address: 150A West 48th Street
Nearby Theatres: James Earl Jones Theatre, Music Box Theatre, Imperial Theatre
The 400-room hotel, inspired by 1920s New York, is designed for guests to connect up to six rooms. The made-to-flex guestrooms at 155 square feet are small yet flexible: The wall beds fold up, revealing seating underneath. Another option includes a queen-size bed with a twin bunk above to fit three. Motto also offers a cozy, socialcentric common space in its ground-floor lobby as a gathering place to grab a coffee or rest your feet in between sightseeing. The hotel’s restaurant, The Alderman, is an impeccable choice for pre-theater dining, including happy hour offerings.
New Kid on the Block: voco Times Square — Broadway
Address: 170 West 48th Street
Nearby Theatres: Walter Kerr Theatre, Eugene O’Neill Theatre, Ambassador Theatre
Brand-new to Times Square is the 32-story, 419-guest-room hotel designed with inspiration from New York City’s Prohibition-era speakeasies. The hallways are navy blue with art deco decor and images of the Jazz Age on each guest room door. The Roaring Twenties theme continues into the hotel’s compact rooms designed to conveniently fit luggage with room for a mini fridge and a safe under the bed. Rooms facing Times Square offer breathtaking views of the TKTS booth at Duffy Square. On the second floor is the Carnegie Diner & Cafe. The rooftop bar, equipped with heaters and set to open soon, has retractable walls and windows.