7 Brooklyn Hotels That Offer the Best of the Borough
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Planning a trip to New York City? Manhattan isn't the only borough worth visiting—consider the smattering of Brooklyn hotels across the river. While you may be amazed by the glitz and glamor of Broadway, Times Square, and Central Park, straying away from the hustle and bustle of Midtown Manhattan will help you get a better feel of the real New York and live like New Yorkers do. Brooklyn is home to some incredible neighborhoods, delicious food, amazing nightlife, gorgeous parks, and of course, spectacular hotels. Thanks to New York's widespread public transportation, if needed, you can still easily get to Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx without too much fanfare. Whether you're hoping to walk the cobblestone streets of Dumbo or explore the artsy enclave of Bushwick, these Brooklyn hotels are the perfect home base for you.
Every hotel review on this list has been written by a Condé Nast Traveler journalist who knows the destination and has visited that property. When choosing hotels, our editors consider properties across price points that offer an authentic and insider experience of a destination, keeping design, location, service, and sustainability credentials top of mind.
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Matthew WilliamshotelWythe Hotel
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Readers' Choice Awards 2021The Wythe Hotel defines Williamsburg style for many—a former industrial building given a hipster makeover with exposed-brick walls, factory windows, concrete floors, and plenty of reclaimed wood. The 6th floor Bar Blondeau, which serves French plates and natural wines, offers killer river views of Manhattan. The restaurant, Le Crocodile, has earned raves for its bold brasserie fare. If you're choosing to stay in Williamsburg, you probably want an industrial-chic vibe, and the Wythe delivers.
The HoxtonhotelThe Hoxton Williamsburg
$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2021, 2023When the Hoxton plunked itself down on Williamsburg’s Wythe Avenue—the neighborhood’s unofficial hotel strip—it came just as much for New Yorkers as it did for visitors. Cases in point: a quirky, retro lobby that’s perfect for long, lazy Sunday afternoon hangs; an event space that has hosted, among other things, a pop-up tattoo studio; a rooftop bar that doesn’t have a line (yet). The UK-based Ennismore designed the hotel to feel extremely Brooklyn, dotting it with locally-sourced vintage furniture and bookshelves displaying hefty tomes on contemporary art and ’70-style chandeliers hanging from the lofty ceiling. The three on-site restaurants—seasonal Summerly and Backyard and the year-round favorite Klein’s—are overseen by Jud Mongell and Zeb Stewart, the names behind Williamsburg’s beloved Five Leaves, Union Pool, and Hotel Delmano. The cocktails are a delight (order the mezcal-infused Fire Island), and the food spans everything from New American comfort at Klein’s to New England–style lobster rolls at Summerly. Upstairs, the 175 rooms, like the ones at the Hoxton in Paris, are not massive but fit king-size beds and have views of either the Manhattan or Brooklyn skyline.
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JAMES BAIGRIEhotel1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge
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Hot List 2018 Readers' Choice Awards 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023Few things are as classically New York as the 1 Hotel's location at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge. Aside from the prime real estate, it's a thoughtfully designed, supremely attractive place to call home for as long as you're a guest here. Plus, it has one of the prettiest farm-to-table restaurants in all of Brooklyn: The Osprey. You can feel even better staying here knowing that the hotel is sustainable and eco-friendly, using recycled and repurposed materials for furniture, LED lighting, and a rainwater harvesting system. The rooftop pool has amazing views out over Manhattan and is where you'll want to be on warm days.
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Read McKendreehotelThe William Vale
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023Its distinctive white criss-crossing exterior can be seen from Lower Manhattan, but The William Vale, in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, also makes an impression when seen up close. Each of the hotel’s 183 guest rooms has balconies, most with views looking over the East River and at the Manhattan skyline. The decor is light, airy, and of-the-moment with hardwood floors, glass-enclosed showers, patterned rugs and curated coffee table books from Phaidon. The hotel also has its own elevated public park, a 60-foot outdoor pool (known as the longest outdoor hotel pool in NYC), and two restaurants from famed chef Andrew Carmellini: Southern Italian-inspired Leuca and rooftop bar Westlight (complete with 360-degree city views).
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Alice GaohotelPenny Williamsburg
Set slightly away from Brooklyn’s hotel row, Penny is the place for all the cool kids—the welcoming, kind ones full of energy and smiles. Expect bold design, excellent service, and a fresh dining scene with coveted outdoor space. The property has 117 rooms and an incredible 700 square-foot suite with an outrageously generous private terrace, all offering complimentary in-room pour over coffee, free Wi-Fi, and complimentary bikes to pedal around town. Drawing a crowd that's vacationers and locals alike, you’ll find a younger demographic of artists, creatives, and New Yorkers looking to escape for a few days from the city hustle, or snag an expert cocktail on the hotel’s rooftop where you can take in incredible skyline views.
Stephen Kent JohnsonhotelAce Hotel Brooklyn
$$ | Hot List 2022 Readers' Choice Awards 2023The lobby in any Ace hotel is the place to be, and its Brooklyn outpost is no different. There are public workspaces galore—including a long, library-style table, a plant-filled garden, and a moody bar area with cozy seating—and plenty of guests, locals, and staff making use of them all. Many of the hallmarks of Ace decor are present in the 287 rooms: plywood furniture that offers both form and function, local art, and pops of color (in this case, a deep green). But the room design also leans into the industrial building’s architecture, with exposed concrete and warehouse windows.
Arlo WilliamsburghotelArlo Williamsburg
$Across the East River and on the fringes of Manhattan's alluring chaos, The Arlo Williamsburg is a reasonably priced hotel in the heart of Brooklyn's buzziest neighborhood. On the corner of Wythe and North 10th, the boutique hotel is in the hustle-and-bustle of Williamburg's northside. Whether it's rest and restoration guests seek or flirty liaisons, day or night, all things great are at their fingertips. The eight-story building is stylish, with a red brick facade encased in glass and steel. All guests are greeted with a swanky, industrial-chic entrance, high ceilings, and a spiral staircase that leads down to the front desk check-in. Around every corner, here, is a pop of color, ready-to-assist Arlo staff, and to top it off: a comfy-cozy bed to rest after a day of hitting the city streets that, truly, never sleep.
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