Where to stay in New York City

New York has more rooms than almost anywhere, so the question is rarely availability. It is whether the neighbourhood works for your days and whether the advertised rate resembles what you pay.

On the second point the rules changed recently and in your favour, so it is worth knowing what you are now entitled to be shown. On the first, the useful measure is not distance from Times Square — it is which lines you can reach without a transfer.

As everywhere on this site, there are no room rates here. What follows is the published stuff: the taxes, the fees, the rules and the journey times.

The four charges that land on every New York hotel bill

The city’s Department of Finance describes its Hotel Room Occupancy Tax as “one of three taxes and one fee that apply to hotel room rentals in New York City”. In practice:

• 5.875% — NYC hotel room occupancy tax.
• 8.875% — combined sales tax (4.5% city, 4.0% state, 0.375% for the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District).
• $2.00 per room, per night — a flat city charge on any room renting at $40 or more, which in New York means all of them.
• $1.50 per unit, per night — the New York State Hotel Unit Fee.

So 14.75% of the rate plus $3.50 a night, and the percentage part is not permanent: the 5.875% rate was extended on 17 November 2023 and currently runs to 30 November 2027.

One trap worth knowing if you are booking a family suite: the $2.00 is levied per room within the suite. The Department of Finance’s own worked example is a three-room suite at $6.00 a day in flat charges, before the percentage tax on the whole rental.

Since February 2026 the advertised price has to be the real one

This is the most useful recent change for anyone booking New York. Since 21 February 2026 it has been a deceptive trade practice to advertise a hotel stay in New York City without disclosing the total price, defined in the rule as “the maximum total of all charges and fees that a consumer must pay, inclusive of any mandatory fees and charges, except taxes and fees imposed by a government”. It must be shown more prominently than any other price.

It binds anyone advertising a stay to a New York City consumer, so it reaches the booking platforms too, not just the hotels. A mandatory “resort” or “destination” fee that first appears at checkout is now a violation reportable through 311, not something to shrug at. Penalties run $525, then $1,050, then $3,500.

Federally, the FTC’s rule on unfair or deceptive fees took effect on 12 May 2025 and covers short-term lodging on the same principle: it does not ban any fee, it requires the total to be shown up front.

One part is not live yet. The provision requiring hotels to disclose their card-hold and deposit policy — the amount, why they might keep it, and when it is released — was deferred to 22 January 2027. Until then, ask before you book.

Neighbourhoods, measured in stops rather than miles

The honest measure of a New York location is which lines you can board without a transfer. A few that consistently work:

• Long Island City is one stop from Manhattan on two separate lines with no change — Vernon Blvd–Jackson Av is the stop before Grand Central–42 St on the 7, and Court Sq–23 St is the stop before Lexington Av/53 St on the E.
• Williamsburg puts Bedford Av three stops from 14 St–Union Sq on the L.
• Around Times Square you get the largest interchange in the system — 61.2 million riders in 2025 — with the A, C, E, N, Q, R, W, S, 1, 2, 3 and 7.

Two cautions. A Times Square hotel does not give you the B, D, F or M: those are at 42 St–Bryant Pk / 5 Av, a separate complex three blocks east with no in-system connection. And if you are on the Upper East Side, the Second Avenue Q does not reach Grand Central — from 96th, 86th or 72nd it runs to Lexington Av/63 St, where there is a free out-of-system transfer to the 4, 5, 6, N, R and W.

Anything relying on the G is a different proposition: it runs only between Court Sq and Church Av and never enters Manhattan at all.

Two things that are not the alternative you might expect

Short-term rentals are largely not available. Under Local Law 18 of 2022, New York bars renting an entire apartment for fewer than 30 days, limits short-term rentals to units where the host actually lives, and caps the booking at two guests. Platforms have had to verify registration before taking payment since September 2023. Plan on a hotel, an aparthotel, or a stay of 30 days or more — see how the booking sites differ for what that leaves you.

Driving to the door has a toll on it. A hotel in Manhattan at or below 60th Street sits inside the Congestion Relief Zone: $9 peak, $2.25 overnight for a car with E-ZPass, where peak is 5am–9pm on weekdays and 9am–9pm at weekends. An Upper East or Upper West Side hotel is outside it. Full detail on the car page.

Where to book

Common questions

How much tax is added to a New York hotel room?

14.75% of the rate plus $3.50 a night in fixed charges. The percentages are 5.875% city hotel occupancy tax and 8.875% combined sales tax; the fixed part is a $2.00 city charge per room per night plus the $1.50 New York State Hotel Unit Fee. On a multi-room suite the $2.00 is charged per room.

Do I still have to watch for resort fees?

Less than you did. Since 21 February 2026 a New York City hotel stay must be advertised at its total price including every mandatory fee, shown more prominently than any other price, with only government taxes allowed to be excluded. The rule also binds platforms advertising to New York consumers. A mandatory fee appearing only at checkout is reportable to the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection through 311.

Will I be told about the credit-card hold up front?

Not yet. That part of the city rule — the hold amount, why it might be kept and when it is released — was deferred to 22 January 2027. Until then it is worth asking the hotel directly before booking, particularly if the hold would tie up a meaningful part of your available balance.

Can I book an apartment on Airbnb instead?

Generally no. Local Law 18 of 2022 prohibits renting a whole apartment for fewer than 30 days, restricts short-term rentals to units where the host lives, and limits them to two guests, and platforms must verify registration before processing payment. Whole-home listings for a short city break largely do not exist in New York.

Is it cheaper to stay outside Manhattan?

Often, and the transfer penalty can be small if you pick carefully. Long Island City is one stop from Manhattan on both the 7 and the E with no change; Williamsburg is three stops from Union Square on the L. What matters is having a useful line without a transfer, not the distance on a map.

Does a hotel near Times Square give me every subway line?

Not quite. The Times Sq–42 St complex covers the A, C, E, N, Q, R, W, S, 1, 2, 3 and 7, which is a lot — but not the B, D, F or M. Those stop at 42 St–Bryant Pk / 5 Av, three blocks east, and there is no free connection between the two complexes.

Sources

Fares, journey times and operating rules on this page were checked against these sources on 11 September 2026. Authorities change fares and timetables without notice — confirm anything time-critical on the operator’s own site.

• NYC Department of Finance — hotel room occupancy tax and rates
• NY State Department of Taxation — hotel and short-term rental occupancy
• NYC Consumer and Worker Protection — Notice of Adoption, Limitations on Hotel Fees (6 RCNY § 5-15)
• FTC — Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees takes effect, 12 May 2025
• NYC Office of Special Enforcement — Short-Term Rental Registration Law
• MTA — subway line maps and station complexes
• MTA — Congestion Relief Zone