Neither adds a nightly fee, and both have a public bar that fills up at night. Hotel Chelsea if you want to sleep where Dylan Thomas, Leonard Cohen and Patti Smith lived, with residents' art up the iron staircase and a rooftop spa; Nine Orchard if you know New York already and would rather drink martinis in a 1912 banking hall with Chinatown outside.
The insider oneNew York's bohemian landmark, restored in 2022 with its iron staircase, its residents' art rehung and El Quijote's murals intact.
$$$From about $510 a night
Choose Hotel Chelsea if
The catch
The Petite Chelsea, the entry room, is about 200 sq ft (19 m²), with a queen bed, a limited view and a place on the lower floors.
The boutique oneA 1912 Lower East Side bank with its dome rebuilt, its marble banking hall a bar, and compact rooms above.
$$$From about $625 a night
Choose Nine Orchard if
The catch
The cheapest rooms are small: the Studio Queen is 230 sq ft (21 m²) with little storage, and the Nook is sold below it without a published size.
| Best for | Hotel Chelsea | Nine Orchard |
|---|---|---|
| Best design hotels in New York | On the list | On the list |
| Best central hotels in New York | On the list | On the list |
Hotel ChelseaNine Orchard
Hotel Chelsea
Nine Orchard
The verdict
Neither adds a nightly fee, and both have a public bar that fills up at night. Hotel Chelsea if you want to sleep where Dylan Thomas, Leonard Cohen and Patti Smith lived, with residents' art up the iron staircase and a rooftop spa; Nine Orchard if you know New York already and would rather drink martinis in a 1912 banking hall with Chinatown outside.
Questions people ask
Neither adds a nightly fee, and both have a public bar that fills up at night. Hotel Chelsea if you want to sleep where Dylan Thomas, Leonard Cohen and Patti Smith lived, with residents' art up the iron staircase and a rooftop spa; Nine Orchard if you know New York already and would rather drink martinis in a 1912 banking hall with Chinatown outside.
Hotel Chelsea earns its place on the building itself: the staircase, the residents' art and El Quijote's murals and bar are the real thing, restored rather than recreated. Pay for a Premier Chelsea, ask for your side, and accept 23rd Street as part of the address. A Victorian landmark kept characterful on purpose, with residents' art on the walls and up the iron staircase, and a ground floor of bars and restaurants that stays busy late. It is a base for walking Chelsea rather than a hotel to retreat into, with a rooftop spa but no pool.
There is no pool. There is no beach; the nearest is a drive away.
Book Nine Orchard for the banking hall, the rebuilt dome and a Lower East Side corner with Chinatown on the doorstep, and pay the step up to a Corner King. Reserve the Swan Room when you reserve the room. A small, design-led hotel inside a landmarked 1912 bank, where the public rooms carry the history and the bedrooms are calm and compact. It is a base for eating your way round Chinatown and the Lower East Side, with no spa or pool to keep you in.
There is no pool. There is no beach; the nearest is a drive away.