The honest answer on New York Times Square hotels with a view is that the view depends far more on your floor and your room category than on the hotel name. Plenty of properties around Broadway and 42nd Street have rooms that look straight at the glowing screens, and plenty of rooms in the same buildings stare at an air shaft. Know what to ask for, and you can often get the good one.
What kind of view do you actually want?
Decide this first, because the options are not the same:
- The neon spectacle. Rooms facing Broadway or Seventh Avenue, high enough that you see the screens rather than the street. It is bright and noisy at night. Some travellers love it, some cannot sleep with it.
- The skyline. Rooms on the upper floors facing east or south can show the Midtown towers, and on a clear day the Empire State Building is the landmark most people look for.
- The rooftop. Some hotels have a bar or terrace on the roof, so you can see the lights without paying for a room that faces them.
A few New York Times Square hotels with a view to check
I cannot promise what any single room looks like, but these are well-known names where views are part of the pitch. Verify current room details on each hotel site.
- New York Marriott Marquis on Broadway between West 45th and 46th Streets. It is a tall, atrium-style hotel, and the higher floors are the reason to choose it. Its lobby is on an upper level, which surprises first-time guests.
- The Knickerbocker at the corner of Broadway and 42nd Street. It is a historic building with a rooftop bar, and Times Square sits close below.
- citizenM Times Square, a compact modern hotel with a rooftop bar. Rooms are small, but the common areas carry the view.
- Large chain hotels along Seventh Avenue and Eighth Avenue, such as Hilton, Sheraton and Hyatt-branded properties. These have many floors, so a high-floor request really matters.
None of these New York Times Square hotels with a view is guaranteed to give you the angle you want. Hotel names, brands and renovations change, so treat this as a starting list rather than a recommendation to book blind.
How to get the room you picture at New York Times Square hotels with a view
- Book a view category, not a standard room. If the site lists a Times Square view room, choose it. If it only says high floor, treat that as a request, not a guarantee.
- Email the hotel after booking. A short, polite note asking for a high floor facing the square is usually all they need. Hotels often cannot promise it, but notes are read.
- Ask about the direction. A room on a high floor facing the wrong way can still lack the view you paid for.
- Check recent guest photos. Photos taken from actual rooms on review sites say more than the hotel gallery.
- Ask about construction. Midtown always has scaffolding somewhere. It is worth asking whether anything blocks your side.
Noise, safety and price: the real trade-offs
A view of the square usually comes with the square. Expect sirens, crowds on the pavement late into the evening, and light that does not fully go away. Ask for earplugs or a white-noise setting, or pick a higher floor to lessen the street sound. Prices change by season, day of the week and events, so I will not quote numbers here. Compare the hotel site with a couple of booking platforms before you commit, and read the cancellation terms.
Are New York Times Square hotels with a view worth it?
If it is your first trip and you want a postcard moment, yes, for one or two nights. If you plan to be out all day and sleep light, you may be happier in a quieter part of Midtown, such as the streets around Bryant Park, and simply walk to the square in the evening. It takes only a few minutes on foot, and the square is at its most striking after dark in either case.
Cheaper ways to get the view
You can also see the square from a rooftop bar without booking a room. Buy a drink, take your photos and go. Hours and dress codes for bars change, so look at the venue site on the day.
The short version: choose the floor first, the hotel second, and write to the hotel before you arrive. That is the most reliable way to turn New York Times Square hotels with a view from a brochure phrase into something you can actually see from the bed.
For background, the Times Square article on Wikipedia is a useful starting point.
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