Best hotels in New York: Where to stay in NYC from Manhattan to Brooklyn

The challenge with choosing where to splash out for some shut-eye in New York, the city that never sleeps, is that there’s no shortage of places to rest your head – especially since each district of this dynamic city has its own distinct personality, and discerning travellers can now stray from Manhattan’s thoroughfares in almost any direction.

So how to sift the wheat from the chaff? Pick a neighbourhood and decide whether you want to stump up for something fancy or if you’re happy to go back to basics, as long as it’s stylish. Here are the hotels that combine soul and style, that ditch buttoned-up service, and feel steeped in the spirit of this caffeinated city.

The best hotels in New York are:

Neighbourhood: Midtown

Tim and Kit Kemp of Firmdale Hotels were smart to create a Midtown sibling (two blocks north of MoMA) for their popular Crosby Street Hotel. Their London-centric design formula may be familiar – a slick 16-floor, 86-room newbuild filled with characterful design – but as in their other hotels, the interiors are a tonic of colour and textures thanks to Kit’s artful imagination (minimalists steer clear). Specially commissioned witty artworks and larger than-life-sculptures are scattered throughout the building. A wall glows with artist Martha Freud’s votive ceramics, each etched with different New York landmarks. In the bar, the cocktails are first class – try a tangy Whitby Paloma (Ocho Blanco tequila infused with house-made marmalade, fresh pink grapefruit, lime, agave and soda) – while the leafy Orangery terrace is a blissful retreat from the concrete jungle. JK