Hotels John F. Kennedy Has Stayed At

A 7,000-square-foot rooftop bar overlooking Gramercy Park is central to the planned revival of Gramercy Park Hotel. Closed since 2020, the 18-story hotel at 2 Lexington Avenue is slated for an extensive renovation by MCR and MORSE Development, encompassing its lobby, first-floor restaurants and bars, and 197 guestrooms and suites. The building dates to 1924 and occupies the former site of architect Stanford White’s estate, giving the project a substantial piece of New York history to work with. For now, it remains a hotel in waiting, with the rooftop’s full restoration among the plans for its next chapter.

A restored bank vault beneath the New Yorker Hotel now houses Butcher & Banker, a steakhouse that gives the building’s history a place at the dinner table. Above it rises a 43-story Art Deco hotel designed by Sugarman and Berger and opened in 1930. A restoration begun in 2006 helped preserve that architectural character, which also carries into the guest rooms. Accommodations range from compact Metro Queens to larger doubles, with designated View rooms overlooking the Manhattan skyline. On Eighth Avenue, steps from Penn Station and Madison Square Garden, the New Yorker puts rail arrivals, concerts, and games close at hand; its architecture and subterranean dining room give travelers reasons to linger in the building itself.

Ludwig Bemelmans’s murals and nightly piano at Bemelmans Bar give The Carlyle an identity that extends well beyond its guest rooms. Cabaret at Café Carlyle makes music central to this Upper East Side Art Deco landmark, where art and entertaining shape the public spaces. In The Gallery, decorator Renzo Mongiardino took inspiration from Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace, creating a distinctive setting for afternoon tea. Upstairs, rooms include designs by Tony Chi and Thierry Despont, while suites furnished with original artwork carry a residential character. Central Park, Madison Avenue, and nearby galleries put the neighborhood within easy reach, but the hotel’s own rooms for music, drinks, and conversation are reason enough to spend an evening here.

Central Park finds its way indoors at The Surrey: signature suites take their cues from Bow Bridge, Greywacke Arch, and Bethesda Terrace, giving Martin Brudnizki’s residential interiors a distinctly local frame of reference. Reimagined as a Corinthia hotel, this Upper East Side address on East 76th Street has 70 rooms and 30 suites, with accommodations looking onto Madison Avenue or the courtyard. The park itself is a short walk away. Casa Tua extends the house-like character through an Italian and Mediterranean restaurant and a lounge beside the lobby, where the day runs from cappuccinos to evening martinis. Together, these spaces make the hotel feel closely tied to the neighborhood around it.

The 1893 World’s Fair clock is back at the center of the Waldorf Astoria New York’s lobby, a fitting anchor for a hotel whose recent restoration makes its architectural heritage central to the stay. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon restored its exterior and interior spaces, preserving the scale of the Art Deco architecture. Upstairs are 375 redesigned rooms and suites; the King Room includes a seating area, writing desk, and deep soaking tub. Downstairs, Peacock Alley returns alongside Lex Yard, chef Michael Anthony’s brasserie. The Park Avenue address places guests in Midtown, near Grand Central Terminal, Rockefeller Center, and Fifth Avenue’s shops.