Both are a short walk from the Flatiron Building, with no pool and no nightly fee. Hotel Chelsea, from about $510, if you want the bohemian New York of the songs and the books, with residents' art rehung and El Quijote's murals intact; The Fifth Avenue Hotel, from about $760, if you would rather have a new hotel that passes for an old one, with Café Carmellini in the banking hall.
The insider oneNew York's bohemian landmark, restored in 2022 with its iron staircase, its residents' art rehung and El Quijote's murals intact.
$$$From about $510 a night
Choose Hotel Chelsea if
The catch
The Petite Chelsea, the entry room, is about 200 sq ft (19 m²), with a queen bed, a limited view and a place on the lower floors.
The new classicA 1907 Fifth Avenue bank, opened as a hotel in 2023 and dressed as though it always was one.
$$$$From about $760 a night
Choose The Fifth Avenue Hotel if
The catch
The 1907 building holds only suites, from about $2,065 a night in January. Every standard room is in the 2023 tower.
| Best for | Hotel Chelsea | The Fifth Avenue Hotel |
|---|---|---|
| Best design hotels in New York | On the list | On the list |
| Best central hotels in New York | On the list | On the list |
| Best hotels for food and drink in New York | Not on the list | On the list |
Hotel ChelseaThe Fifth Avenue Hotel
Hotel Chelsea
The Fifth Avenue Hotel
The verdict
Both are a short walk from the Flatiron Building, with no pool and no nightly fee. Hotel Chelsea, from about $510, if you want the bohemian New York of the songs and the books, with residents' art rehung and El Quijote's murals intact; The Fifth Avenue Hotel, from about $760, if you would rather have a new hotel that passes for an old one, with Café Carmellini in the banking hall.
Questions people ask
Both are a short walk from the Flatiron Building, with no pool and no nightly fee. Hotel Chelsea, from about $510, if you want the bohemian New York of the songs and the books, with residents' art rehung and El Quijote's murals intact; The Fifth Avenue Hotel, from about $760, if you would rather have a new hotel that passes for an old one, with Café Carmellini in the banking hall.
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 it for the bank, the restaurant in its banking hall and the service every room gets, and pay up to The Corner King for the light. Sleeping inside the 1907 building itself starts at a Mansion suite. A new hotel built to feel like an old New York one: a 1907 bank on Fifth Avenue, maximalist interiors and a restaurant that opens its tables four weeks out. It is central, expensive and made for eating and drinking in, with a gym but no spa or pool.
There is no pool. There is no beach; the nearest is a drive away.