Boutique Hotels in Manhattan, From SoHo to Midtown
The five boutique hotels on this list cover three very different parts of Manhattan, and every one of them scores 8.9 or higher with guests. Downtown, the Crosby Street Hotel sits on a cobbled SoHo street and has its own private screening room and an inner courtyard. In NoMad, Hotel Giraffe by Library Hotel Collection has a rooftop garden and rooms decorated with 1920s and 1930s photography, a ten-minute walk from Union Square. Midtown holds the other three: the Bryant Park Hotel faces the park behind the New York Public Library, The Chemists Club Hotel is on East 41st Street near Grand Central, and the Casablanca Hotel is steps from Times Square in the Theater District.
Manhattan's boutique hotels tend to follow its neighborhoods. SoHo keeps its cast-iron facades and Belgian-block streets, with galleries and shops filling former warehouses. NoMad, north of Madison Square Park, has turned its early 20th-century office buildings into restaurants and hotels. Midtown is denser and busier, but Bryant Park offers a lawn and winter skating rink behind the Public Library, and the Theater District's Broadway houses sit a few minutes from Times Square.
Five Hotels, Three Distinct Neighborhoods
A boutique hotel in New York usually means fewer rooms, more character and a specific neighborhood rather than a convention-sized tower. These five suit couples, design-minded travelers and families who prefer a quieter lobby. The useful differences are location, the extras included in the stay, such as breakfast or refreshments at the Library Hotel Collection properties, and features like a rooftop garden, a spa or a private theater.
The Crosby Street Hotel is the downtown pick and the highest rated hotel on this list, at 9.4. It stands on a cobbled street in SoHo, with bright rooms, high ceilings and full-length windows. Beyond the rooms, it has an inner courtyard, a terrace restaurant, a 24-hour gym, spa and wellness facilities and a private theater, rare features for a Manhattan hotel. It is both pet-friendly and family-friendly. From SoHo, the galleries and shops of Prince and Spring Streets, Washington Square Park and the restaurants of Nolita are all an easy walk away.
Two hotels from the Library Hotel Collection reward travelers who like extras included. The Casablanca Hotel, rated 9.2 from more than 1,200 guest reviews, is in the Theater District steps from Times Square, and serves a daily continental breakfast with refreshments available around the clock. Hotel Giraffe, rated 9.0, is in NoMad and adds a rooftop garden, complimentary refreshments and an in-house restaurant, with rooms decorated in 1920s and 1930s photography. Union Square Park and Chelsea are within a ten-minute walk, and Madison Square Park is a few blocks north of the hotel.
The Bryant Park Hotel, rated 9.1, is directly opposite Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan. Its refreshed rooms and suites have a residential feel, and many look over the park or the city skyline. It has spa and wellness facilities and welcomes families. The location puts the New York Public Library's main branch, Fifth Avenue shopping and Grand Central Terminal within a short walk, while the park itself hosts outdoor movies in summer and an ice rink in winter, making it a strong base for a first visit to the city.
The Chemists Club Hotel, the most reviewed boutique hotel here with more than 1,600 guest reviews and an 8.9 score, occupies a recently renovated building on East 41st Street. Its rooms are spacious and its bathrooms are finished in Carrara marble, and the Benjamin Steakhouse operates on site. The address is a few minutes on foot from Grand Central Terminal, which makes it practical for day trips by Metro-North train, and close to Bryant Park and the Library. It suits travelers who want a calm Midtown base rather than the Times Square crowds.
A traveler's perspectiveIf I had one choice, it would be the Crosby Street Hotel in SoHo: it has the top guest score on this list at 9.4, a private theater, an inner courtyard and a terrace restaurant, and it accepts pets. For a Broadway weekend, I recommend the Casablanca Hotel by Library Hotel Collection, rated 9.2, steps from Times Square with a daily continental breakfast included. For a park view in Midtown, I would ask for a park-facing room at the Bryant Park Hotel.
Crosby Street Hotel
New York
110 reviews
Contemporary design and a private theater on a cobbled SoHo street
Check availabilityWhy guests love itA private theater with film screenings every Sunday is the surprise for families at the Crosby Street Hotel, a five-star design hotel on a cobbled SoHo street. Rooms are bright, with high ceilings and full-length windows. The inner courtyard gives children a calm outdoor space in the middle of Manhattan, and the drawing room with its fireplace suits a quiet hour. The terrace restaurant handles meals, there is a 24-hour gym, and pets are welcome.
Casablanca Hotel by Library Hotel Collection
New York
1,247 reviews
Boutique charm in the Theater District, steps from Times Square
Check availabilityWhy guests love itCasablanca Hotel is a boutique address in the Theater District, steps from Times Square, so families can walk back after a Broadway matinee. A continental breakfast with pastries, yogurt and eggs is included each morning, and refreshments are available around the clock, which helps with hungry children between outings. Tony's di Napoli on site serves Italian food for an easy dinner. Bryant Park and Rockefeller Center are within easy walking distance for more sightseeing.
Bryant Park Hotel
New York
834 reviews
Luxury boutique hotel with park views and a historic setting
Check availabilityWhy guests love itThe Bryant Park Hotel sits in Midtown Manhattan directly opposite Bryant Park, which gives families a green space across the street for a break between museums and shows. The rooms and suites were recently refreshed with a residential feel, and many look over the park or the city skyline. The hotel describes itself as family-friendly and has spa and wellness facilities. I would ask for a park-view room, the detail that sets this address apart.
Hotel Giraffe by Library Hotel Collection
New York
788 reviews
Boutique NoMad hotel with a rooftop garden and complimentary refreshments
Check availabilityWhy guests love itHotel Giraffe is a boutique hotel in NoMad, and it suits families who like a smaller, calmer base in Manhattan. Mornings start with complimentary coffee, tea and fresh fruit, a handy snack before heading out. The rooftop garden is a quiet place to rest above the street, and Bread & Tulips downstairs saves a search for dinner. Union Square Park, with room for children to run, and Chelsea are both within a 10-minute walk.
The Chemists Club Hotel
New York
1,604 reviews
A renovated boutique hotel on East 41st Street
Check availabilityWhy guests love itSpacious rooms are the main advantage for families in Midtown, where hotel rooms are often small. Grand Central Terminal, Bryant Park and the New York Public Library are within a few minutes on foot, and the Theater District is about fifteen minutes away, which keeps walks manageable for children. The on-site Benjamin Steakhouse is better suited to a quiet dinner with older kids. Check bedding options when booking if you need extra beds.
Local tips
- 1Ask for a park-view room when booking the Bryant Park Hotel; many of its rooms and suites look over the lawn or the skyline.
- 2At the Library Hotel Collection properties, check the times of the included breakfast and refreshments so you can plan your mornings around them.
- 3Use the subway rather than taxis between SoHo and Midtown; the trip under Broadway is usually faster than surface traffic at rush hour.
- 4Book Broadway tickets before choosing your hotel dates if the show matters most, then pick the Casablanca or another Midtown address nearby.
- 5Visit Bryant Park in winter for its ice rink and holiday market, a short walk from the Midtown hotels on this list.
- 6Walk SoHo early on a weekend morning, before the shops open, to see its cast-iron buildings and cobbled streets without the crowds.