Manhattan hotel recs

January 28, 2023 10:13 AM

Looking for a place to stay that will feel indulgent/ splurge-y but also, somehow, like a good value (?)

We're treating ourselves to a schmancy long weekend in Feb for a belated milestone anniversary celebration. Turns out I am bad at "money is no object" travel planning.

I've heard good things about The Bowery and have a [refundable] reservation there, but am having second thoughts about the price ($755/night before taxes). That's more than I've ever spent on a hotel room and more than double what I usually spend when I come to New York; however, those "affordable" stays have been in unmemorable chain hotels.

After some thought, I've decided the number that doesn't make me want to throw up is $500/night before taxes. I'd prefer to book directly, rather than going through hotels.com or other third party sites (but could be convinced otherwise). Our itinerary includes the Whitney, MoMA, the Grollier Club, and the Met. Mr. Darling has a bad back and we will have to take cabs everywhere, so we're flexible on location. A great bed and a good bar would be nice; room service and a view would be a bonus. Times Square need not apply. Conversely, if you feel strongly that the Bowery or some other $750/night hotel is absolutely worth it, I'm open to considering.

Thanks for your suggestions!

posted by Sweetie Darling to Travel & Transportation around New York, NY (14 answers total)

A few years ago, a friend invited me to stay with her at the Library Hotel for a few days. While I wouldn't have chosen it myself as I'm really cheap when it comes to accommodations, I had a wonderful time and would certainly recommend it to those interested! It seems to go for about $250/night in February so it's much less than The Bowery.

However, I think it's worth sticking to your original reservation if you're even a bit curious! I think it's nice to treat yourself to different experiences if you can afford it. For me, fancy lodging is not a priority but I certainly respect it as an option: I'd rather stay at a cheap motel or hotel but splurge on a special meal or two. Likewise, I'm happy to drive my old clunker around town (or the continent -- we've gone so far together!) but then spend big bucks on plane tickets all over the world. I will never have enough to really go all out in all areas but I'm fine with that because I still can afford many "luxuries." If your big budget has room for a stay at a fancy hotel, many special meals out, taxi rides whenever needed, AND admission to all these museums and events? I say go and ENJOY!!
posted by smorgasbord at 10:45 AM on January 28, 2023 [2 favorites]

The Michelangelo at 51st and 7th is much less expensive a gives you a very luxe feeling. Concierge service is great, and the rooms/ suites are very nice. Highly recommend -- we stay there any time we go into the city overnight.
posted by mmf at 10:52 AM on January 28, 2023 [4 favorites]

This may be more useful for your "normal" NY travel vs. splurge, but The Marlton Hotel in the West Village is very cute in a boutique-y European way and runs around $300 for their largest rooms. All the rooms are small and none have king beds so I would suggest booking the most expensive/largest room. I don't think you'll get much of a view, but in addition to having a cute bar/restaurant, there are two more pretty good bars on within a block (Analogue and Mace).

The Gansevoort (~$400 / night) is quite comfortable with reasonably sized rooms and super close to The Whitney, but both the hotel and that part of town can be a bit scene-y.

I would expect the difference between a $300-400 and $700-800/night room to be excellent service, exceedingly tasteful/unique interior design, and wonderful on-site dining. Nothing wrong with giving it a go if you can afford it.
posted by A Blue Moon at 10:55 AM on January 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

We stayed at the Walker Hotel in Greenwich Village last summer. It’s lovely, has a very good restaurant downstairs and good coffee shops nearby. It’s a boutique hotel, so not a big place but it was quite posh and comfortable.
posted by waving at 11:12 AM on January 28, 2023 [4 favorites]

If you can afford it, I think it's worth trying out a higher-end hotel once, just to see what it's like. If you want to bring it down just a notch, in February you can get a pretty decent room at the Soho Grand for ~$500. Location-wise, I prefer it to the Bowery, to be honest.
posted by praemunire at 12:03 PM on January 28, 2023

I've splurged on The Maritime before, and it's in that range-ish. Our room had a porthole window, which I adored.
posted by unknowncommand at 12:15 PM on January 28, 2023

Just concurring that the Library Hotel is wonderful. I’ve stayed there once and I would definitely stay there again. Each of the rooms is assigned a different category in the Dewey Decimal system and has shelves of books in that category.
posted by mekily at 2:06 PM on January 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

Weekends in Feb are pricey- I guess because Valentines day? If you could do Sunday Mon Tuesday you could save 200-400 bucks a night.
posted by ReluctantViking at 2:10 PM on January 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

I loved my stay at The Pearl most of all the nice hotels I’ve stayed at. They just randomly upgraded me to a suite because the person at the desk recognized how fried I was from travel difficulties. (I’ve always wanted to stay at The Library Hotel too but they were so snooty to me when I called once I’ve never tried again.)
posted by kitten kaboodle at 5:42 PM on January 28, 2023

What I would do if I were you is book an Alcove Suite at the Royalton Hotel. the room is Huge (so many hotel rooms in NYC are tiny) There's a working fireplace that the staff will light for you in the cold weather months, and the alcove suites have these crazy round disco bath tubs. The lobby has a bar/restaurant, and it's in walking distance to all your itinerary destinations (bowery hotel is much further downtown, so you'll have to take train or subway to midtown every day)

In NYC, getting the A great room at a nice hotel is better than getting a regular room in a super fancy hotel.
posted by wowenthusiast at 8:13 AM on January 29, 2023

Living in NYC I’ve been to The Bowery and in the rooms, I wouldn’t say it’s worth it. There’s a premium for the name recognition and common space though NYC is best done not being in the hotel. Echo The Walker suggestion which has a more distinct feel, and location that feels properly embedded in one of the most desirable areas to walk around in the city.
posted by artificialard at 9:37 AM on January 29, 2023

I’m definitely not a NYer but we enjoyed staying at The Bowery in September. Good service, nice rooms, incredible location since we wanted to try all the restaurants and bars nearby. We didn’t use the communal areas that much though, and having said all of that we would probably try a different place next time out of curiosity!
posted by adrianhon at 12:20 PM on January 29, 2023

The Roxy is my favorite hotel in New York, I think it's a perfect balance of luxe and price. And it's so cute!

And as someone who sometimes needs to rely on cabs/Lyft instead of walking around, I appreciate that the corner location makes pickups and drop-offs easier than other places I've stayed.
posted by rhiannonstone at 9:11 PM on January 29, 2023

Response by poster: Thank you for all the wonderful recommendations! I explored every one and ended up booking a junior suite at the Michelangelo (thanks mmf). We just checked in and it feels wonderfully splurgey. It’s nice to be back in the city. Yay!
posted by Sweetie Darling at 10:39 AM on February 17, 2023