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Best Luxury Hotels in New York: 12 Picks With MICHELIN Keys and Forbes Stars

The best luxury hotels in New York City, ranked by MICHELIN Keys and Forbes Travel Guide 2026 stars, with room counts, neighborhoods and dated nightly rates where published.

By Wijet Editors

At a glance

New York luxury hotels: the recognition on record

Three MICHELIN Keys
4 hotels
Aman New York, Casa Cipriani, Crosby Street Hotel and The Whitby Hotel, per the MICHELIN Guide, April 2026
Forbes Five-Star
7 hotels
Forbes Travel Guide Star Awards 2026, including Baccarat, The Peninsula, The St. Regis and Four Seasons Downtown
Aman New York
83 suites
In the Crown Building at Fifth Avenue and 57th Street, from 718 sq ft, per One Mile at a Time, February 2026
Teterboro FBOs
4 operators
Atlantic Aviation, Jet Aviation, Meridian and Signature Flight Support, per Ace Jet

The best luxury hotels in New York City by outside recognition are Aman New York, Casa Cipriani, Crosby Street Hotel and The Whitby Hotel. All four hold Three MICHELIN Keys, per the MICHELIN Guide’s April 2026 list. Aman and the two Firmdale hotels also hold Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star ratings for 2026. The Five-Star list is a different set: Baccarat, Four Seasons Downtown, Mandarin Oriental, The Peninsula, The Ritz-Carlton Central Park, The St. Regis and Trump International.

Entry-level rooms at Aman New York ran $2,400 to $3,200 a night including taxes and fees, per One Mile at a Time in February 2026. Other published rates are dated in the section on what a night costs.

How We Picked

We combined three things: the MICHELIN Guide Keys for New York (the guide’s article dated April 16, 2026, plus each hotel’s MICHELIN page), the Forbes Travel Guide Star Awards 2026, and a spread across neighborhoods. The two lists rarely agree. Only Aman, Crosby Street and The Whitby appear at Three Keys and Four-Star together, and no hotel in the city is both Three Keys and Five-Star, so we show both.

Room counts come from MICHELIN and Forbes hotel pages. Rates move nightly, so a figure appears only where a named source dates it. We take no paid placement.

Keys vs Stars: Two Different Judges

MICHELIN says its inspectors curate the Keys, which reflect “excellence in design, architecture, service and personality,” and its hotel pages label Three Keys “an extraordinary stay,” Two “an exceptional stay” and One “a very special stay.” Forbes Travel Guide sends inspectors who test properties anonymously against what it calls hundreds of exacting standards, with an emphasis on service, per its February 2026 article.

In practice, Keys favor character and design, which is why small Firmdale and Cipriani houses lead. Stars favor service systems at large hotels, which is why Baccarat, The Peninsula and The St. Regis sit at Five-Star. Use Keys for atmosphere and Stars for polish.

The Best Luxury Hotels in New York

Aman New York

Three Keys, and Forbes Four-Star for 2026. It is an all-suite hotel of 83 suites in the Crown Building at 730 Fifth Avenue, at 57th Street, with suites from 718 sq ft, per One Mile at a Time in February 2026. Entry-level rates were $2,400 to $3,200 a night including taxes and fees, per the same review.

The Whitby Hotel

Three Keys, Firmdale Hotels, and Forbes Four-Star for 2026. It has 86 rooms at 18 West 56th Street in Midtown, per MICHELIN and Forbes. MICHELIN lists a 147-seat private cinema, the Whitby Theater, and afternoon tea at the Whitby Bar and Restaurant.

Crosby Street Hotel

Three Keys, Firmdale Hotels, and Forbes Four-Star for 2026. It has 86 rooms at 79 Crosby Street in SoHo, per MICHELIN.

Casa Cipriani New York

Three Keys. It has 47 rooms at 10 South Street in the Financial District, per MICHELIN. It does not appear on the Forbes Five-Star or Four-Star lists for 2026.

The Mark

Two Keys, and Forbes Four-Star for 2026. It has 152 rooms on Madison Avenue at 77th Street on the Upper East Side, per MICHELIN. MICHELIN’s July 2025 guide listed it from $1,000 a night.

The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel

Two Keys, and Forbes Four-Star for 2026. It has 190 rooms at 35 East 76th Street on the Upper East Side, per MICHELIN. The same July 2025 guide listed it from $1,400 a night.

The Lowell

Two Keys on its MICHELIN page, up from the One Key in the April 2026 article, and Forbes Four-Star for 2026. It has 74 rooms at 28 East 63rd Street on the Upper East Side, and suites outnumber rooms, per MICHELIN. MICHELIN’s July 2025 guide listed it from $1,400 a night.

The St. Regis New York

Forbes Five-Star for 2026. It has 238 rooms and suites (171 rooms and 67 suites) at Two East 55th Street, per Forbes Travel Guide. It is not in MICHELIN’s April 2026 New York Key list. MICHELIN’s May 2026 guide calls the Caroline Astor Suite “call-for-rates.”

Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown

Forbes Five-Star for 2026. Forbes Travel Guide described 189 rooms and suites, each from 400 sq ft, in Tribeca near Wall Street and the World Trade Center (Forbes, November 2016). It is not in MICHELIN’s April 2026 New York Key list.

The Peninsula New York

One Key, and Forbes Five-Star for 2026. It has 239 rooms at 700 Fifth Avenue at 55th Street in Midtown, per MICHELIN.

Baccarat Hotel New York

One Key, and Forbes Five-Star for 2026. It has 114 rooms at 28 West 53rd Street in Midtown, per MICHELIN.

Mandarin Oriental, New York

Forbes Five-Star for 2026, at 80 Columbus Circle. It is not in MICHELIN’s April 2026 New York Key list. Forbes Travel Guide says average room rates hover around $750 a night year round.

HotelAreaMICHELIN KeysForbes 2026RoomsSource
Aman New YorkMidtown3Four-Star83 suitesOne Mile at a Time; MICHELIN; Forbes
The Whitby HotelMidtown3Four-Star86MICHELIN; Forbes
Crosby Street HotelSoHo3Four-Star86MICHELIN; Forbes
Casa CiprianiFinancial District3Not listed47MICHELIN
The MarkUpper East Side2Four-Star152MICHELIN; Forbes
The CarlyleUpper East Side2Four-Star190MICHELIN; Forbes
The LowellUpper East Side2Four-Star74MICHELIN; Forbes
The St. RegisMidtownNot listedFive-Star238Forbes
Four Seasons DowntownTribecaNot listedFive-Star189 (2016)Forbes
The PeninsulaMidtown1Five-Star239MICHELIN; Forbes
BaccaratMidtown1Five-Star114MICHELIN; Forbes
Mandarin OrientalColumbus CircleNot listedFive-StarNot listedForbes

Verdict: Aman New York pairs Three Keys with a Forbes star rating in an all-suite format, with suites from 718 sq ft. For Five-Star service, pick from the Forbes group.

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What a Night Costs

Published rates are few and dated, so treat these as a guide and price your own dates.

  • Aman New York: entry-level rooms $2,400 to $3,200 including taxes and fees (One Mile at a Time, February 2026). MICHELIN’s May 2026 guide calls it the most expensive hotel in the city at over $3,000 a night.
  • The Carlyle and The Lowell: from $1,400 a night (MICHELIN, July 2025).
  • The Mark: from $1,000 a night (MICHELIN, July 2025).
  • The Greenwich Hotel, Tribeca: from $1,200 a night (MICHELIN, July 2025).
  • Mandarin Oriental: average around $750 a night year round (Forbes Travel Guide).

MICHELIN says its July 2025 figures are approximate and based on mid-week rates in peak season, and that off-season visits can bring better deals.

Where to Stay: Neighborhoods

  • Midtown: Aman New York, The Whitby, The St. Regis, The Peninsula and Baccarat are all within a few blocks of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street, per MICHELIN and Forbes addresses. It suits first visits and shopping.
  • Upper East Side: The Mark, The Carlyle and The Lowell sit near Central Park and Museum Mile. MICHELIN describes The Lowell as close to the park, the museums and Midtown shopping.
  • Downtown: Casa Cipriani in the Financial District, Crosby Street in SoHo and Four Seasons Downtown in Tribeca. MICHELIN files Casa Cipriani under the Financial District, at the southern tip of Manhattan.
  • Columbus Circle: Mandarin Oriental, at 80 Columbus Circle.

Best Downtown

Four Seasons Downtown (Forbes Five-Star) and Crosby Street Hotel (Three Keys) are the two downtown picks with the strongest recognition, and Casa Cipriani (Three Keys) is the third. The Whitby is Midtown, so it does not belong in this group. Other downtown names on MICHELIN’s April 2026 list are Nine Orchard at Two Keys, in Lower Manhattan near Dimes Square, and The Greenwich Hotel at One Key in Tribeca, which Forbes rates Four-Star for 2026.

Best for Couples

For couples, the practical filter is a smaller hotel with a distinctive room. The Lowell has 74 rooms, and MICHELIN notes that some suites have original wood-burning fireplaces. The Whitby has 86 rooms and a 147-seat private cinema, per MICHELIN. Casa Cipriani, with 47 rooms, is the smallest Three-Key hotel on this list.

The Most Expensive Hotels in NYC

The figure people cite most is the Grand Penthouse at The Mark, which MICHELIN’s May 2026 guide puts at some $75,000 a night for the entire 16th floor and rooftop terrace. The Four Seasons Ty Warner Penthouse is its usual rival; a September 2013 NewYorkHotels.org survey, reported by Hospitality Net, averaged it at $40,000 a night, the highest in that ranking. The St. Regis Caroline Astor Suite is “call-for-rates,” per MICHELIN. Suite rates are negotiated and change, so ask the hotel before you plan around any of these.

For the wider picture, see our guide to the most expensive hotels in the world.

Arriving by Private Jet: Teterboro and Helicopter

Teterboro (TEB) in New Jersey is the usual choice, and Ace Jet lists four FBOs there: Atlantic Aviation, Jet Aviation, Meridian and Signature Flight Support. It is about 12 miles from Midtown. Luxury Travel Magazine, citing Silver Air in October 2026, puts the drive at 20 to 35 minutes in normal traffic and past 45 minutes at peak hours, via the Lincoln Tunnel, the Holland Tunnel or the George Washington Bridge.

A helicopter skips the road. CNBC reported in 2014 that Blade’s Manhattan West Side to Teterboro flight took four to five minutes, at $800 for a six-person Eurocopter. That price is from 2014, so ask Blade for current terms.

For fees at these airports, see our cost to land a private plane at an airport guide, and for booking, our private jet charter guide.

See the luxury hotels hub, the global best hotels in the world ranking, and our Forbes Five-Star hotels page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most luxurious hotel in New York City?
By recognition, Aman New York leads this list: Three MICHELIN Keys and Forbes Four-Star for 2026, with entry-level rooms at $2,400 to $3,200 a night per One Mile at a Time in February 2026. Seven hotels hold Forbes Five-Star, including Baccarat and The St. Regis, so the answer depends on which judge you trust.
Which New York hotels have three MICHELIN Keys?
Aman New York, Casa Cipriani, Crosby Street Hotel and The Whitby Hotel hold Three Keys in the MICHELIN Guide's April 2026 New York list.
What is the most expensive hotel in NYC?
The Mark's Grand Penthouse is the one most often cited, at some $75,000 a night per MICHELIN's May 2026 guide. Suite rates are negotiated, so ask the hotel for a current figure.
Which NYC luxury hotel is best for couples?
Casa Cipriani (47 rooms, Three Keys) and The Lowell (74 rooms, Two Keys, some suites with wood-burning fireplaces) are the smaller options. The Whitby adds a private cinema. This rests on recognition and the features MICHELIN lists.
How far is Teterboro from Manhattan hotels?
About 12 miles from Midtown. Luxury Travel Magazine, citing Silver Air in October 2026, puts the drive at 20 to 35 minutes in normal traffic and past 45 minutes at peak hours.

Sources

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