If you're heading to New York for the first time, you'll certainly be looking for tips on places to stay in New York.

However, our NYC accommodation guide also has tips for those of you who have visited New York in the past. Take a look at the best hotels in New York City by neighborhood, which we can also personally recommend.

We describe our personal experiences where we've stayed in New York in our reviews:

• 🏨 Reviews from my stay at the Plaza New York
• 🏨 Review of my stay at The Standard, High Line

Practical tips for choosing a hotel

Room rates, like most other items, are often quoted without local taxes. In New York City, the tax is approximately 14.75%.

At Booking.com prices may be final, but this is not the rule. If you pay in advance, you may be charged a smaller amount and pay the tax on the spot.

Many hotels offer quadruple rooms in addition to double rooms. Their price is either the same or similar. If you're travelling with family or a group of friends, you'll paradoxically have cheaper accommodation in New York.

The subway is your friend in New York. Always choose a hotel that is as close to a subway station as possible, ideally multiple lines at once. A comfortable distance is 1-3 blocks.

• Ⓜ️ We describe our experience travelling around the city in the New York Subway chapter.

Hotel prices in New York are very sensitive to the time of year. The cheapest accommodation is purchased in winter. Then prices triple as summer approaches!

Choose a hotel near a subway station

Where to stay in New York - the best locations

When deciding where to stay in NYC, it's important to know how much time you want to spend on the NYC subway commuting to sights and attractions.

New York is not a city where you can get by on foot and commutes can take 15 or even 50 minutes.

We divide New York by neighborhood into 5 core areas:

• Manhattan
• Brooklyn
• Queens
• Bronx
• Staten Island

Most of the places to see in New York are in Manhattan. The adjacent boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn are also great places to stay, with perfect accessibility via the subway.

Manhattan

As you can guess, the situation gets a little more complicated. In Manhattan alone, you can stay in dozens of smaller or larger boroughs. We're going to make your job easier by outlining the top 3 locations in Manhattan:

• Central Park - North Side and includes the Upper West and East Side, Yorkville, East Harlem, Harlem and Morningside Heights.
• Times Square - the middle section including Midtown, the Theater District, the Garment District, Murray Hill, Flatiron, Chelsea, Union Square and Stuyvesant Town
• Lower Manhattan - South Side including Lower Manhattan, SoHo, Little Italy, China Town, Lower East Side, Battery Park, Financial District, Bowery,...

Read on to find out which neighborhood is right for you.

Central Park

The Central Park neighborhood is good if you want to enjoy a quieter atmosphere and don't mind a longer commute to Downtown.

While you'll find many very expensive hotels along the southern edge of the park (this part is already close to downtown), the northern edge is more lined with apartments and cheaper accommodation.

• ➕ Close to Central Park (a quiet location ideal for sports or walking)
• ➕ Lower accommodation prices on the north side
• ➕ You'll find private apartments suitable for families or groups
• ➖ Longer drive to JFK and Newark Airport
• ➖ Big hotels on the South Side are very expensive

View hotels near Central Park

Our recommendations

• La Quinta by Wyndham New York City Centra Park *** - One of the better and cheaper hotels on the west side of Central Park near Strawberry Fields (John Lennon memorial). It is located by the C, B 72 St.
• The Central Park North *** - cheap hotel on the very northern edge of Central Park, near the 110 St-Malcolm Plaza subway station (red lines 2, 3)
• The Mark New York ***** - top luxury, top quality, one of the best and most expensive hotels in New York
• Our tip: on the southern edge of the park you will also find the famous Plaza Hotel - I wrote an honest review of my stay there

Times Square

The Times Square area is practically the most desirable location, as it's a stone's throw away. Hotels in Times Square are among the most expensive in New York. Especially those that offer views of the world-famous square. But there are plenty that are two or three blocks away, and the prices are much better.

• ➕ Great location in the heart of New York City
• ➕ Perfect access to Downtown and both airports
• ➕ Lower prices than elsewhere in Manhattan
• ➖ Very busy environment
• ➖ Read reviews well, there are plenty of bad hotels in the area

Show hotels in Times Square

Our recommendations

• Doubletree By Hilton New York Times Square West **** - The hotel is located right next to the subway station and New York's main Port Authority Bus Terminal, with direct bus service from Newark Airport, for example.
• Hilton Garden Inn New York Times Square *** - Nice modern rooms, free morning coffee in the lobby and a 24-hour Garden Market convenience store with snacks and sundries are all part of this three-star hotel near Penn Station, the Port Authority Bus Terminal and Times Square.

Lower Manhattan

If you want to aim for affordable hotels within easy reach of downtown Manhattan, choose Downtown.

Chinatown, in particular, is where you'll find the cheapest hotels in all of Manhattan. However, be aware that suspiciously cheap deals will be heading for rooms without windows, which is definitely not recommended for stays of more than 2 nights.

Of course, you'll find luxury hotels here too, especially in the Financial District. We've selected the perfect ones for you from hundreds of offers.

• ➕ The cheapest hotels in Manhattan (in Chinatown, but also in the Financial District)
• ➕ Great transportation access everywhere in New York City
• ➕ Great variety of hotels in all categories
• ➖ Often poorly rated hotels
• ➖ Need to choose the exact location well, some areas of Chinatown don't look too good

All hotels in Downtown

Our recommendations

• U.S. Pacific Hotel * - Probably the cheapest hotel you'll find in Manhattan. Prices start at 100 usd, but the rooms don't have windows. A room with a window costs 85 eur, but again, it doesn't have a private bathroom. You can find a room with both a window and a bathroom starting at 111 eur.
• Holiday Inn Manhattan Financial District, an IHG Hotel **** - This hotel offers 4-bed rooms for the price of a double. If you are traveling as a family with bigger kids, definitely head here. The hotel is close to the 9/11 Memorials near the Rector St. and Wall Street subway stations in southern Manhattan.
• Casa Cipriani New York ***** - One of the top luxury hotels with great views of the Statue of Liberty

Midtown Manhattan

A compromise between the Times Square area and Downtown is the area around the Flatiron Building or Empire State Building.

Especially the area around Madison Square or the West Village I consider the nicest of all New York, great for walking through the typical New York streets or visiting cafes.

• ➕ In my opinion, the most beautiful area of Manhattan
• ➕ Great transportation access to everywhere in New York City
• ➕ Good hotels
• ➖ Higher room rates
• ➖ Necessity of connecting flights to both airports

Show hotels in Midtown

Our recommendations

• Best Wester Empire State *** - Decently rated classics with good prices near Madison Square
• Hyatt Grand Central New York **** - One of New York's largest hotels is right next to Grand Central Terminal

Queens

If you head outside of Manhattan, you can look forward to much cheaper hotels of the same quality.

Our location and one that has been verified by hundreds of travelers is Queens, specifically Long Island City.

If you're flying into JFK Airport, then Queens is a clear must-stay location in New York.

Subway lines from the airport going into Manhattan head right through Queens, and with the right hotel choice, you can take the subway into downtown Manhattan in less than 15 minutes.

• ➕ Lower prices than Manhattan
• ➕ Quality, modern hotels with good ratings
• ➕ Location between JFK and Manhattan
• ➖ You always have to take the subway to get to Manhattan, it's very far on foot
• ➖ Queens itself is a borough without any attractions

Show hotels in Queens

Our recommendations

• Wingate by Wyndham Long Island City *** - Great value for money only about 5 minutes walk from the orange line F subway station "21 St-Queensbridge".
• LIC Hotel *** - This hotel is a little further south and is located by the E, M, R subway (Queens Plaza station) or the 7, N, W subway (Queensboro station). Guests seek it out for its rooftop terrace, from which they can take great photos of Manhattan. Reviews praise the clean rooms, breakfast and accessibility.
• Courtyard by Marriott Long Island City *** - Classic chain hotel right by the Queens Plaza subway station (E, M, R lines)

Brooklyn

Like Queens, my favorite neighborhood in New York City has a great location between JFK airport and Manhattan.

But unlike Queens, Brooklyn is full of attractions and offers the best views of the Manhattan skyline. But there aren't many hotels here, and when there are, they tend to be in the higher price range.

• ➕ Divine views of Manhattan
• ➕ High quality hotels
• ➕ Location between JFK and Manhattan
• ➖ High room rates

Find hotels in Brooklyn

Our recommendations

• 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge ***** - A modern trendy eco hotel and one of the most iconic contemporary New York City hotels offering breathtaking views of Manhattan right from the rooms. The hotel is located right next to the Brooklyn Bridge
• The William Vale ***** - Another trendy hotel with a view is located in the northern part of Brooklyn (Williamsburg), but it has less accessibility - the nearest subway station "Bedford Av" of the L line is more than 1 km from the hotel

Top 3 hotels with the best views in New York

Personally, I love the views of the big city skyline and when choosing my accommodation I always look for hotels with the best view right from the room.

Within New York City, I'd pick these 3 hotels with out-of-the-box views.

• The Dominick Hotel ***** - This is the clear winner for me with absolutely phenomenal views of Downtown and the Hudson River.
• The Standard, High Line **** - a fashionable hotel with great views of the Hudson and distant Downtown and the famous Le Bain disco
  • Our tip: I spent 3 nights at this hotel and wrote an honest review of my stay
• W Hoboken **** - the hotel is in Jersey City, so you have to use ferries or trains to get to New York, which are not covered by the $34 weekly fare limit, but the rooms have an absolutely great view of the Hudson River with all of Manhattan in the background

Do you have another tip for a hotel with a great view? Share it with us and with travelers from around the world in the comments section below this article. Thanks!

New York hotel prices

Keep two things in mind when choosing NY accommodation:

• Prices on sites like booking.com are often listed without taxes (+14.75%) and city fees (about $3-$5 per night).
• Prices in the summer and before Christmas will be 2-3 times higher than in the winter
• The earlier you book a hotel in New York, the cheaper it will be (ideally book 3-5 months in advance)

As mentioned above, you can get cheaper rooms up to 100 usd, but you better count on 200 usd to 400 usd per night in your calculations.

Check hotel rates in New York

It's also a good idea to at least partially outline your itinerary in advance and choose an area or specific hotel accordingly. It doesn't make sense to commute 30 minutes more per day for the sake of saving ten dollars per room.