13 Most Romantic Hotels In New York City
With its positively attractive denizens, walkable grid system, and anything-can-happen mentality, New York is an inherently romantic city. But finding the most romantic hotels in NYC isn’t such a breeze. It goes beyond heart-shaped tubs and rose petals sprinkled on the bed; we’re talking about that undefinable essence—the old school jazz, the dim interiors, the promise of a good martini. Have no fear: Our NYC-based editors have found secluded stays that evoke an understated, love-is-in-the-air ambiance.
Whether you’re treating your significant other to a cozy staycation on a different side of town or meeting your Hinge date at a lobby where neon-lit elevators lead to cocktails on the roof, these are the hotels that could easily provide the setting for a real-life romcom. From historic edifices lining Central Park to trendy downtown hangouts touting stand-out bar programs, here’s where to go when you’re in the mood to flirt.
How we choose the most romantic hotels in New York City
Every hotel review on this list has been written by a Condé Nast Traveler journalist who knows the destination and has visited that property. When choosing hotels, our editors consider properties across price points that offer an authentic and insider experience of a destination, keeping design, location, service, and sustainability credentials top of mind.
Courtesy The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel/Don Riddle ImageshotelThe Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel
$$$ |
Gold List 2018, 2019, 2022 
Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025Neighborhood: Upper East Side
Why we picked it: For live jazz and martinis at Bemelmans Bar.Since it opened in 1930, The Carlyle has become something more than the sum of its extremely alluring parts, a living legend that embodies, if not the spirit of New York City, at least one of her spirits: her brightest, most sparkling, most elegant self; witty, worldly, and nostalgic. An entire movie has been made about this property—Always at The Carlyle—in which present-day tribal elders such as George Clooney, Sofia Coppola, Wes Anderson, and Naomi Campbell discuss their fondness for the joint. Broadly speaking, the rooms get better the higher the floor. Plus, you get to spend more time in the elevators—not an activity to enjoy in everyday life, but this is not everyday life. The ones at The Carlyle are the stuff of legend, as much admired as the astounding Dorothy Draper lobby or Bemelmans Bar. Imagine if you had been there when Princess Diana, Michael Jackson, and Steve Jobs all piled in (true story). You would have been in awe. Not of them, of course, but of the real superstar—the unflappable, icy-calm, white-gloved Carlyle elevator operator. —Steve King
Courtesy The LowellhotelThe Lowell
$$$ | Gold List 2020, 2026 Readers' Choice Awards 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024Neighborhood: Upper East Side
Why we picked it: For the cozy, wood-burning fireplaces in almost every room.In an era when what’s newest and fastest often gets the spotlight, The Lowell, quietly holding court on a leafy block on New York City’s Upper East Side since the 1920s, remains a bastion of class and elegance. Sometimes you may need to wait a few minutes for one of the two elevators that service the hotel’s 74 rooms and suites, all reimagined by Michael S. Smith, the designer behind the White House updates during Obama’s presidency. But that’s okay; while you wait, you can quite literally stop and smell the flowers—gorgeous fresh bouquets are placed throughout the hotel. There are real room keys and actual light switches to flick, analog vestiges from simpler days that ironically make things easier than the latest innovations. There are dozens of lovely, throwback touches, such as the Club Room, a sophisticated convivial space off the lobby and adjacent to the hotel’s French restaurant, Majorelle, with oak parquet floors, a fireplace, and a small bar, for the exclusive use of hotel guests and their companions until 5 p.m., when the public can join. And while this neighborhood might never be the most avant-garde sweep of Manhattan, it isn’t totally caught in amber. Previously downtown brands (Foundrae, Khaite, Ulla Johnson, Toteme) have opened outposts on nearby Madison Avenue, and the Frick Collection, a few blocks to the north, recently revealed a massive renovation. It seems like the storied Upper East may just be entering another Gilded Age. —Rebecca Misner
Courtesy The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central ParkhotelThe Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2024Neighborhood: Upper East Side
Why we picked it: For panoramic views of the most romantic place in NYC: Central Park.The top-hatted men holding the door for you are an appropriate prelude as you walk into this iconic New York building. The Central Park Ritz underwent a refresh in the first half of 2019 and the hotel has indeed transformed. New layouts for the rooms, new drinks at the bar, new art everywhere; this is not your grandfather's Ritz. Everything, from the bespoke and sometimes surprising furniture (the boring old desk chairs in the suites have been replaced with massive midcentury-style loungers) to the honor bar spotlighting small batch and local offerings, to the photos on every wall featuring images of powerful women all over Manhattan, makes the experience here current in a way that hotels in Midtown often are not. It's a gorgeous example of how old New York can be 21st century compatible. —Noah Kaufman
William Abranowicz/Fifth Avenue HotelhotelThe Fifth Avenue Hotel
$$$ |
Hot List 2024 Readers' Choice Awards 2024Neighborhood: NoMad
Why we picked it: For Gilded-Age-inspired decor and luxury amenities like an in-room martini ritual.This riot of colors, patterns, and curiosities from modern master Martin Brudnizki is perhaps his most impeccably orchestrated yet. The vaulted lobby is dressed up in ornate wall panels; corridors are bedecked in vivid wallpapers; rooms are filled with painted screens and pagoda-style lamps that are an ode to the travels of hotel owner Alex Ohebshalom. A go-for-broke assemblage of art, from old-world oils to modern photography, greets you around every corner. It’s the bold palette Brudnizki is known for, a dreamlike pastiche that would have been chaos in a less practiced hand. Just as adept is the hospitality, which extends from the ready-to-please butler service on every floor to extra touches like the candle that’s slipped into your room after you’ve complimented the scent in the lobby, a martini cart that appears at your door when you need a nightcap, and the warm welcome you’ll get when you return. And you will return, even if just for a perfect Negroni at the hotel’s Portrait Bar or an extravagant dish from Café Carmellini—but most of all, for the chance to wake up in a giant cabinet of curiosities in the heart of New York’s NoMad district. —Arati Menon
Annie Schlechter/Hotel ChelseahotelHotel Chelsea
$$ | Hot List 2023Neighborhood: Chelsea
Why we picked it: For the rich history of lovers that once roamed its halls, like Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe.Hotel Chelsea may not be filled with famous musicians anymore, but the rock-and-roll vibe remains. Long-term residents who have been grandfathered into their apartments in the building still float around, and most guests—usually drawn by the hotel’s history—have a knowingness to them, whether they’re in their 30s or 60s. The 155 guest rooms and suites have wood floors with the Hotel Chelsea monogram now inlaid; the sun dapples through ivory eyelet fabric on the windows; and the bathrooms are classically done with light and dark gray marble accentuated by bronze details. Animal-print chairs maintain a bit of spunk in the now bright, airy rooms, as do ornate dark wood bedside tables. Massive closets, their interiors a riot of wallpaper, make it even easier to imagine unpacking and sticking around for a while. If you visited the Chelsea back in the day, you’ll recognize the original fireplaces, stained glass windows, and those iconic wrought-iron balconies leaning over West 23rd Street, which have been restored. —Kat Chen and Megan Spurrell
Courtesy The High Line Hotel/Jesse David HarrishotelThe High Line Hotel
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023Neighborhood: Chelsea
Why we picked it: For sultry, dark academia vibes set in a 1895 gothic, red-brick building.The area surrounding the High Line is so unrecognizable from recent decades that many lament the loss of the neighborhood’s former grit and industrial vibe. But if you’re feeling nostalgic, stay at Chelsea’s High Line Hotel, a red brick building built in 1895 as a Collegiate Gothic Seminary. While there’s nothing rough about it, you may still feel you’ve been shuttled into the past. Rooms look out onto the High Line or the hotel’s own garden, and are treated with hardwood floors, idiosyncratic furniture sourced from the likes of Brimfield Antique Show, and reproduced 19th-century English wallpaper. Guests are encouraged to take one of the hotel’s Shinola bicycles for a spin or grab a latte at the lobby’s Intelligentsia bar. The hotel may be especially appealing to writers, given the building’s history (it once belonged to The Night Before Christmas author Clement Clarke Moore), the abundant presence of old typewriters, and the property’s claim to the city’s fastest Wi-Fi.
TitsouhotelFouquet's New York
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2023, 2024, 2025Neighborhood: Tribeca
Why we picked it: For an escape to (almost) Paris, with the option for a movie date night at Cannes Cinema.The French hotel line known for its Paris and St. Barts properties arrived in the U.S. in 2022 by way of New York. At a cobblestoned intersection in the Tribeca North Historic District, an industrialist red brick façade gives way to eight floors of ethereal Art Deco interior design straight out of the South of France. Fouquet’s New York’s pastel-colored luxury includes three dining options, an indulgent underground spa (complete with a sauna, hammam, and hydrotherapy pool), and a Cannes-inspired cinema space true to Tribeca’s popular annual film festival. The theater hosts programming like screenings and film premieres, and can be reserved for corporate and artistic events. The street-level outpost of the famed Champs d’Elysee bistro, Brasserie Fouquet’s is a destination in itself, with a signature red and black bar mirroring its Parisian (and Louvre Abu Dhabi) counterpart. A French lavender, mint green, and cream color scheme includes custom-made wallpapers with France-linked illustrations of New York City scenes like Lady Liberty, pizza-eating Central Park goers, and cartoon pigeons with croissants in their beaks. —Shannon McMahon
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Liz ClaymanhotelWythe Hotel
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2021Neighborhood: Williamsburg
Why we picked it: For a cocktail moment at Bar Blondeau, followed by a romantic dinner at Le Crocodile.The Wythe Hotel defines Williamsburg style for many—a former industrial building given a hipster makeover with exposed-brick walls, factory windows, concrete floors, and plenty of reclaimed wood. The sixth floor Bar Blondeau, which serves French plates and natural wines, offers killer river views of Manhattan. The restaurant, Le Crocodile, has earned raves for its bold brasserie fare. If you're choosing to stay in Williamsburg, you probably want an industrial-chic vibe, and the Wythe delivers. —John Wogan
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Photo by Adrian GauthotelPublic
$$ | Hot List 2018, 2019Neighborhood: Lower East Side
Why we picked it: For a different kind of romance, i.e. meeting a stranger for a drink at the Lobby Bar.As the name might imply, the public spaces are a big factor here, and once you walk through the ground-level garden and take the glowing, futuristic elevators up to the lobby, an entire community awaits—one with big white sofas, work spaces, and plenty of locals who come to get some work done in a setting that's a bit more exciting than their neighborhood café. Public also raises the bar when it comes to hotel restaurants, with Peruvian-inspired cuisine at Popular and Cantina & Pisco Bar. Whether you're mingling at the rooftop bar (which morphs into a nighttime scene post sunset) or joining one of the complimentary yoga or pilates classes, you're bound to have your next meet-cute at this hang-out-friendly hotel.—J.W.
Stephen Kent JohnsonhotelNine Orchard
$$$ | Hot List 2023Neighborhood: Lower East Side
Why we picked it: For close proximity to a date night in Dimes Square.Ask any in-the-know New Yorker for their favorite neighborhood, and chances are the Lower East Side will be it. The place teems with urban cool. Tattoo parlors on every corner. Low-key restaurants where the plates rival those in SoHo, but the crowd is a blend of skaters, designers, and musicians. When Nine Orchard opened June 2022 on a historic corner in the neighborhood, it brought with it a degree of sophistication seldom celebrated here. There are the historical bones, for one, located inside an old, grand bank, with an airy lobby bar humming under old vaulted ceilings that rival those up at Grand Central. Classic dishes like steak au poivre and frites are exceptional at the attached Corner Bar (the tables are lovely with their minimal settings, but the pick of seats is one of the 40 stools at the wraparound bar). With a full belly, you’ll happily plunk down into one of the property’s 113 guest rooms with simple wood bed tables and hand-carved chairs that feel like a groovy space to tune into the custom radio stations created for the hotel by DJ Stretch Armstrong and Devon Turnbull, New York-based DJ and producer who focus on New York-inspired music on all four of the in-hotel stations. Whatever station you choose, this landmark hotel offers locals and visitors alike a sense of being grounded in a place, and pays homage to the neighborhood and its city as one of the very best in the world. —Lara Kramer
Courtesy Annie Schlechter/The Bowery HotelhotelThe Bowery Hotel
$$Neighborhood: Lower East Side
Why we picked it: For the dark woods and Oriental rugs, plus the fact that it’s a popular wedding venue.Walking into the lobby at The Bowery feels like stepping back into a Gothic version of the nineteenth century—or, at least, a movie set from someone with a gothic vision. Dimly lit and oozing atmosphere, it's a world of crimson velvet, dark leather and wood, threadbare Oriental rugs, and oil paintings. The effect is transportive to another time, but somehow still rooted in downtown NYC. The view from one of the upper floors is something you'll never get tired of, and is worth the splurge. The Bowery's in-house restaurant, Gemma, is a solid choice on warm evenings—grab an outdoor table and get ready for some of the best people-watching in NYC. After dinner, few places are better for a glass of red than the lobby lounge (its fireplace makes the atmosphere even better). —J.W.
Kyle Knodell/Courtesy The Rockaway HotelhotelThe Rockaway Hotel
$$ | Hot List 2021 Readers' Choice Awards 2025Neighborhood: The Rockaways
Why we picked it: For a coastal couple’s escape away from the traffic lights.The Rockaway, when it was announced, seemed to be a tall order: a hip, boutique hotel in the heart of a community beach enclave (the Irish pub across the street is family-run and full of regulars). The community was skeptical; do we need to be bringing in weekenders from the city and farther afield? For them, The Rockaways has everything they need. But the owners—local boys done good in Manhattan—knew they could bring a cool hotel to the area that would both serve visitors and the community. The result? Sunny, blonde wood rooms and a chic poolside bistro all a few blocks from the beach. Indeed, judging from the number of locals who come in for breakfast, a bite, to say hi, or coffee throughout the day, they've pulled it off. And city-weary guests coming in for short- or long-term stays, ready to plotz by the pool with a book, hit the rooftop bar for a drink, and join those locals with regular fitness classes, not to mention walk the boardwalk one block over, too. The Rockaway Hotel is bringing something new to the community—without replacing anything it already has. —Corina Quinn
Courtesy Thompson HotelshotelThe Beekman, A Thompson Hotel
$$ | Gold List 2019 Readers' Choice Awards 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023Neighborhood: Financial District
Why we picked it: For the glitzy atrium that will make you swoon.When a hotel opens in New York, it’s not uncommon for locals to barely bat an eye. This is, after all, a city crawling with them—big, small, modern, classic. It takes an exceptional property to capture the collective consciousness, which is exactly what happened in 2016, when The Beekman opened. The landmark was built in the 1880s with a nine-story, glass-ceiling atrium, but throughout the past century, the atrium had been covered up as the building functioned as just another office. Now the glass skylight soars once again above the lobby’s Art Deco bar where New Yorkers flock—come 6 p.m., it’s nearly impossible to find a free bar stool. The rooms all have vintage furnishings, with dark wood floors and distressed leather headboards: comfortable but not so much so that you don’t want to leave and miss out on everything happening around you. So many hotels like to say they’ve made the neighborhood, but in the case of the Beekman, it’s actually true.—J.W.
