Times Square sits at the crossroads of Midtown Manhattan, placing you within walking distance of Broadway theaters, Rockefeller Center, and the subway lines that connect you to the entire city. This guide covers 15 hotels in Times Square, from apartment-style stays with kitchenettes to full-service properties with rooftop lounges, so you can make a direct, informed booking decision.
What It's Like Staying in Times Square
Staying in Times Square means the city's noise, light, and foot traffic are not backdrop - they are constant. The area around 42nd to 47th Street on Seventh Avenue and Broadway never fully quiets, even past midnight, which matters if you are a light sleeper on a lower floor. That said, most subway lines converge here, making this the single most connected district in Manhattan for moving around without a taxi. LaGuardia Airport is around 12 km away, and Penn Station sits under a 15-minute walk south, giving you direct rail access to the rest of the Northeast.
Tourists concentrated here means restaurants, pharmacies, and convenience stores are open around the clock, and theater tickets, attraction access, and tour departures are all steps away. Midtown workers largely avoid the pedestrian core, so weekday daytime crowds are mostly visitors - which keeps the energy high but the commuter crush manageable compared to Grand Central or Penn Station blocks.
Pros:
- Direct subway access to JFK, Brooklyn, Uptown, and Downtown from multiple station entrances within 2 blocks
- Broadway theaters, Radio City Music Hall, and Rockefeller Center all within a 10-minute walk
- 24-hour dining, pharmacy, and convenience options concentrated within one block in every direction
Cons:
- Street-level noise from traffic, crowds, and entertainers continues well past midnight on most nights
- Hotel room sizes in this district skew smaller than equivalent price points in other Midtown neighborhoods
- Cab and rideshare pickups are slower here due to pedestrian traffic and restricted vehicle access zones
Why Choose a Hotel in Times Square
Hotels in Times Square charge a location premium that reflects the density of attractions within walking distance, not necessarily the size or finish of the rooms. Rates here typically run around 20% higher than comparable properties in Murray Hill or the Financial District, but you eliminate taxi costs to Broadway, Rockefeller Center, and Midtown shopping entirely. For short stays built around theater, tourism, or Midtown business, the trade-off calculates in your favor. For longer stays or trips centered on neighborhoods like the Upper West Side or Brooklyn, the premium is harder to justify.
The hotel mix in Times Square is broad - you will find global chain flagships, boutique independents, and extended-stay apartment formats all competing within a few blocks. Room sizes average around 25 square meters in standard categories, which is tight by U.S. standards but typical for this district. Properties on 8th Avenue tend to be slightly quieter and marginally less expensive than those directly fronting Broadway or 7th Avenue, without meaningfully increasing your walk time to key attractions.
Pros:
- Rooftop lounges at several properties offer Times Square views without leaving the building
- Extended-stay formats with kitchenettes are available, reducing dining costs on longer trips
- Multiple hotels offer on-site breakfast buffets, reducing the time and cost of morning logistics
Cons:
- Standard room sizes are consistently smaller than the same price bracket in less central neighborhoods
- Hotel bars and restaurants in the immediate Times Square core charge a visible tourist markup
- Parking costs at on-site garages are among the highest in Manhattan, often exceeding $80 per night
Practical Booking & Area Strategy
The 42nd to 47th Street corridor along 7th Avenue and Broadway is the highest-density hotel zone, with properties literally above or adjacent to subway entrances - The Knickerbocker sits directly above the Times Square-42nd Street station, which is served by the N, Q, R, W, S, 1, 2, 3, and 7 lines. Hotels positioned between 49th and 55th Street, such as Sheraton New York Times Square on 7th Avenue, give you a slightly quieter block while keeping you around 450 meters from the main Times Square pedestrian plaza. Bryant Park, just 200 meters from several properties, provides the nearest green space and doubles as a venue for outdoor films in summer and ice skating in winter.
Key attractions within the walking radius include the TKTS discount theater booth at Duffy Square, the Top of the Rock observation deck at Rockefeller Center (around 700 meters north), Carnegie Hall (reachable on foot in under 15 minutes), and the Museum of Modern Art at 1.1 km. For airport transfers, the E train at 7th Avenue reaches JFK in around 50 minutes without a taxi. Book at least 6 weeks ahead for stays during the Thanksgiving parade period, New Year's Eve, and summer school holiday weeks, when Times Square hotels hit capacity and rates spike sharply. For fall and late January travel, last-minute rates become more competitive as tourist volume drops.
Best Value Stays
These hotels deliver strong location access and reliable amenities at the more accessible end of the Times Square pricing spectrum, with practical features that reduce your overall trip costs.
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1. Hampton Inn By Hilton New York Times Square
Show on mapfromUS$ 374
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2. Paramount Times Square - A Generator Hotel
Show on mapfromUS$ 148
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3. Row Nyc At Times Square
Show on mapJust a few rooms left at the best rate!
fromUS$ 92
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4. Radio City Apartments
Show on mapfromUS$ 194
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5. Residence Inn By Marriott New York Manhattan/Times Square
Show on mapfromUS$ 219
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6. Civilian Hotel
Show on mapfromUS$ 184
Best Premium Stays
These properties bring elevated finishes, rooftop access, extended dining options, and landmark positioning in Times Square - suited to travelers where room quality, views, and on-site experience are part of the stay itself.
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7. Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel
Show on mapfromUS$ 185
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2. Dream Midtown, By Hyatt
Show on mapJust a few rooms left at the best rate!
fromUS$ 159
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3. M Social Hotel New York Times Square
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fromUS$ 384
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10. Hyatt Centric Times Square New York
Show on mapRooms filling fast – secure the best rate!
fromUS$ 303
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11. Aka Times Square
Show on mapRooms filling fast – secure the best rate!
fromUS$ 235
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12. Riu Plaza Manhattan Times Square
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fromUS$ 179
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7. Doubletree By Hilton New York Midtown Fifth Ave
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fromUS$ 171
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8. The Knickerbocker Hotel
Show on mapfromUS$ 357
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15. W New York - Times Square
Show on mapJust a few rooms left at the best rate!
fromUS$ 234
Smart Travel & Timing Advice for Times Square
Times Square hotel rates follow a predictable pattern tied to New York's event calendar. New Year's Eve is the single most expensive night of the year in this district, with rates for properties directly fronting the ball drop zone selling out months in advance. The Thanksgiving period, late June through August, and spring break weeks in March are the three other high-demand windows where booking at least 6 weeks ahead is necessary to access reasonable rates. Late January through February and early November are the two windows when Times Square hotels drop to their most competitive pricing - crowds thin, rates fall, and the area is still fully operational with no meaningful attraction closures.
For most visitors, 3 nights is the functional minimum to justify the Times Square location premium - enough time to cover Broadway, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, and downtown Manhattan via subway without feeling rushed. Longer stays of 5 or more nights are better served by apartment-format properties like AKA Times Square or Residence Inn, where kitchenettes reduce the cumulative cost of eating in a high-price district. Booking directly through hotel websites or loyalty programs frequently unlocks room upgrades and flexible cancellation terms that third-party platforms in this market do not match. If your travel dates are fixed, book as far in advance as possible; if your dates are flexible, checking rates midweek for a Tuesday or Wednesday arrival consistently returns lower nightly pricing than weekend check-ins.