El Quijote
Spanish since 1930, with a Basque kitchen: the seafood paella costs $58; 5 to 11pm, midnight at weekends.
Hotel Chelsea
Hotel Chelsea, at 222 West 23rd Street in Chelsea, New York, is the 1884 building where Dylan Thomas, Leonard Cohen and Patti Smith lived: reopened in 2022 after 11 years of works, it has wrought-iron balconies over the street and paintings on every landing.
A week here, month by monthCome for a New York stay with dinner and drinks downstairs: Google’s lowest seller showed nights from $429 for 2 adults before tax. For a swimming pool, choose elsewhere.
El Quijote, Hotel Chelsea’s Spanish restaurant: hours, menu, prices Official site Hotel Chelsea spa Hotel Chelsea barDoes it suit you?
5 pairs of hotels, and the guide tells you whether this one suits you.Like a regular
The loft to request
For quiet I would ask for a tenth-floor Chelsea Loft: approximately 56–65 m², with high ceilings, a sitting area and a deep soaking tub. It has no balcony.
The week in January
For 4–10 January 2027, the calendar read on 13 October 2026 shows $429–442 a night for 2 adults before tax; its dearest nights are 18 and 19 December 2026, at $2,195 each.
Parking and spa extras
With a voucher from the front desk, hotel guests pay $50 for 24 hours at Icon Parking, 51 West 22nd Street. Spa treatments carry an automatic 20% service charge at checkout.
The spa without treatments
The penthouse spa admits hotel guests without a treatment booking, subject to capacity, between 9am and 8pm. Any accompanying guests must be registered on the hotel reservation.
What the Chelsea is
The building went up in 1884 as a housing cooperative, designed by Philip Hubert, and has been a hotel with residents since 1905. Here Arthur C. Clarke wrote 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe, Leonard Cohen and Janis Joplin all lived here. It closed in 2011; new owners bought it in 2016 for $250 million and reopened it in 2022 after a $100 million restoration, El Quijote in February and the rooms in March.
Rooms run from the 19 m² Petite Chelsea to the 158 m² Two Bedroom Suite, with parquet, marble-and-brass bathrooms and, in many, the iron balcony over the street. On the ground floor are El Quijote, Spanish since 1930, the Lobby Bar, open to all from 11am to 2am, and Café Chelsea; in the basement the Japanese Teruko. At the top, the spa with its cedar sauna and terrace, free for guests.
Guests praise the staff, the bar and the art in the corridors. On Google the hotel scores 4.8 out of 5 from 1,040 reviews, on Tripadvisor 4.9 from 452, and the MICHELIN Guide gives it one Key. 23rd Street can be heard in the street-facing rooms; the smallest room, the Petite Chelsea, measures 19 m²; and 14.75% tax and $3.50 a night come on top of the rate.
We read the 475 most recent Google reviews with text and counted who talks about what: 93% of those who write about the location are happy, 84% of those who mention the service, 77% of those who mention the rooms. Guests who say the Chelsea is worth the price write about its history and character, retained through the restoration; others return to the size of the smaller rooms.
In the Lumina Guide
Lumina Guide 2027
Hotel Chelsea is the 1884 building on West 23rd Street where Dylan Thomas, Leonard Cohen and Patti Smith lived: reopened in 2022 after 11 years of works, it has wrought-iron balconies over the street and paintings on every landing.
Distinctions
Our reading, point by point
What we found reading the hotel’s own pages, one thing at a time.
Location
Chelsea, the 1 train 112 metres away, the High Line a 10-minute walk; the sirens of 23rd Street.
Character
From 1884, with its residents, the art on the staircase and El Quijote; one MICHELIN Key.
Rooms
12 categories from 19 to 158 m²; iron balconies, deep tubs, kitchens in the suites.
Food and social life
El Quijote, Café Chelsea, Teruko and the Lobby Bar until 2am; all open to the public.
Wellness
A penthouse spa with sauna and steam, free for guests; no pool.
The stay as a whole
From $430 in January, over $2,000 on some autumn nights; 14.75% tax and breakfast, which is not included, come on top.
What makes it rare
A badge is an experience travellers look for, that is really here and that few hotels in the guide have.
A story inside
Here: from 1884, with its residents, the art on the staircase and El Quijote.
A history that goes back to at least 1884. 31 hotels of 335 hold it.
Every hotel with this badge
The 5 things that matter, as guests tell them
What do Hotel Chelsea’s guests say? They write it in their reviews, even those who only came for a drink or dinner: we read every one and tell the 5 things that matter, from the location to the bill.
Location
9 in 10 guests who mention it are happy with it. Guests write about Chelsea, the subway a few steps from the door and the High Line 10 minutes away on foot; from here they tell of walking to the Village and the Flatiron too.
Room
8 in 10 guests who mention it are happy with it. Guests describe the restored rooms, with their parquet, deep tubs and iron balconies over 23rd Street.
Staff and service
8 in 10 guests who mention it are happy with it. What guests remember are the staff and the Lobby Bar: they write about the front desk, the doormen, the concierge and the bartenders, sometimes by name.
Breakfast
7 in 10 guests who mention it are happy with it. Breakfast is at Café Chelsea, beside the lobby, or in the room; guests mention the French toast and the croissants.
Price
Nights start at $429 in January and pass $2,000 on some autumn nights; tax, $3.50 a night and breakfast come on top.
Where Hotel Chelsea leads
- Room
On the room it shares first place with The Fifth Avenue Hotel among the 5 hotels compared in Chelsea and around.
- Price
On the bill it comes ahead of the 4 other hotels it is compared with in Chelsea and around.
The numbers, and how we count them
| What | Score out of 10 | Guests who mention it | Happy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | 8.2 | 90 | 93% |
| Room | 7.7 | 155 | 77% |
| Staff and service | 8.0 | 306 | 84% |
| Breakfast | 6.8 | 21 | 67% |
| Price | – | 53 | 38% |
The scores come from 475 Google reviews with text, left from 18 October 2022 to 4 October 2026. The other hotels are the ones weighed for a stay in Chelsea and around: for each we read its latest 500 Google reviews with text, or all of them where there are fewer, as of 4 October 2026. The score is the average of what they say, from 0 if they speak of it very badly to 10 if they speak of it very well. Where only a few mention something, the score stays close to the guide’s average: a handful of voices does not make a reputation.
The hotels we weigh it against in Chelsea and around:
- The High Line Hotel
- The Standard, High Line
- Gansevoort Meatpacking
- The Fifth Avenue Hotel
Price: for two on the night of 5 January 2027, from $429 (seen on Google Hotels on 13 October 2026).
What a night costs, season by season
January and February 2027 show nights from $429 to $544 for 2 adults before tax, while 2–11 December 2026 runs from $950 to $2,100. For a flexible city break I would look at winter dates before choosing a room.
| Period | Dollars a night |
|---|---|
| 14 Oct–1 Dec 2026 | 683–1,674 |
| 2–11 Dec 2026 | 950–2,100 |
| 13 Dec 2026–1 Jan 2027 | 646–2,195 |
| 2 Jan–28 Feb 2027 | 429–544 |
| 1 Mar–31 Aug 2027 | 594–928 |
Lowest seller prices on Google for one night searched alone, for 2 adults before tax, read 13 October 2026; no room or meal plan is specified. Separate high nights: 24 October, $1,650; 7 November, $1,750; 14 November, $1,725; 31 December 2026 at $2,100. No price appeared for 15 October, 20 October or 31 October or 12 December 2026; the calendar ends on 31 August 2027. For 13 January 2027, read on 4 October 2026, the hotel’s own site asked $520 against the lowest seller’s $442. Booked as 7 nights from 16 November 2026, the lowest seller Google listed on 13 October 2026 asked $701 a night.
The Chelsea, Fifth Avenue or Standard
The Fifth Avenue Hotel suits a stay around NoMad, with Madison Square Park 5 minutes away on foot. The Standard, High Line puts the elevated park beneath the building and the Whitney 3 minutes away.
| Hotel | A night, from |
|---|---|
| Hotel Chelsea | $683 |
| The Fifth Avenue Hotel | $1,131 |
| The Standard, High Line | $317 |
Lowest seller price for one night within 16–22 November 2026, searched for 2 adults on Google; read 13 October 2026. Room and meal plan unspecified.
El Quijote, the staircase, Café Chelsea, a suite with a balcony
El Quijote’s dining room with its windmill mural and chandeliers, then the red bar; the neon sign on 23rd Street and the dishes on the table; the wrought-iron staircase hung with paintings; a soufflé at Café Chelsea; a suite’s living room out to the balcony doors.
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What to expect
Dinner at El Quijote, the Lobby Bar counter, breakfast at Café Chelsea, Teruko’s sushi, the spa and the gym under the steeple.
The Lobby Bar
11am to 2am, for guests and neighbours, no bookings; the house drink is the 1884 Martini.
Café Chelsea
The French-American bistro beside the lobby, from breakfast at 7am to dinner; the Breakfast Américain costs $28.
Teruko
The basement Japanese, Monday to Saturday from 5pm, with a sushi counter and the back bar of Tokyo’s Hotel Okura.
The spa
On the top floor, 9am to 8pm: a cedar sauna, steam, a terrace; a 60-minute massage starts at $250.
The gym in the steeple
Under a 40-foot ceiling, open to guests 24 hours, with Technogym, Peloton and Rogue equipment.
Good to know before you book
The smallest room, the Petite Chelsea, measures 19 m²; the site promises a balcony only in the Petite Suite, and in other rooms you cannot book one for certain. Source: hotelchelsea.com
Breakfast is not included; on top of the rate come 14.75% tax and $3.50 a night. No resort fee on any booking site read.
There is no pool. The spa is free for guests; outsiders get in only with a treatment, half an hour either side.
23rd Street is a busy road: guests on the street side report sirens and horns, even though Booking promises soundproofed rooms.
The hotel still has residents, about 20 rent-controlled tenants in 2024; the staircase hung with paintings is for those staying.
3 Google reviews between February 2024 and January 2026 describe a shower that ran without hot water: 2 in the room, one in the spa.
Rooms and suites
Getting here
The 1 train stops 112 metres away, at the corner of Seventh Avenue; the C and E 157 metres away, on Eighth.
| JFK | 34 minutes without traffic; by taxi the flat fare to Manhattan is $70 plus surcharges. |
|---|---|
| Newark | 30 minutes without traffic, or the NJ Transit train to Penn Station, $17.25, then a 12-minute walk. |
| LaGuardia | 19 minutes without traffic, 15 km. |
| Check-in | From 3pm, check-out by noon; late check-out is charged. |
Times computed on OpenStreetMap’s roads on 4 October 2026; Taxi and Limousine Commission and NJ Transit fares read the same day.
Beyond the hotel
From here you walk nearly everywhere in Chelsea and Flatiron: the High Line and the Flatiron Building 10 minutes away, the Empire State 19.
The High Line
The old elevated railway turned park: a 10-minute walk to the 23rd Street entrance.
Chelsea Market
The covered market in the old biscuit factory: 14 minutes on foot.
The Flatiron Building
The 1902 wedge-shaped tower: a 10-minute walk east.
Madison Square Park
The garden facing the Flatiron, with its benches: 12 minutes on foot.
The Empire State Building
The tower you see from the north-side balconies: 19 minutes on foot.
From Hotel Chelsea to the High Line and the Flatiron
The hotel on 23rd Street, the High Line and Chelsea Market to the west, the Flatiron, Madison Square Park and the Empire State to the east. Tap a place to see the route.
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Recommended for you
A day at Hotel Chelsea
7am
Breakfast at Café Chelsea
Begin at Café Chelsea, where the all-day menu draws on French bistro cooking.
10am
Walk to the High Line
Walk west to the 23rd Street entrance of the High Line, 10 minutes from the hotel.
The afternoon
Exercise in the steeple
Back at the hotel, the gym occupies the rooftop steeple, once a residence and artist’s loft.
5pm
Dinner at the bar
At El Quijote, the bar welcomes walk-ins and serves the full dinner menu.
After dinner
A last lobby drink
The Lobby Bar stays open until 2am, leaving time to return after an evening out.
Hotel Chelsea reviews
Platform scores and what guests say: the room, the rooftop spa and gym, the art in the corridors, a weekend as residents.
Scores read on 4 October 2026
Google1,040 reviews4.8/5
Tripadvisor452 reviews4.9/5
Booking.com631 reviews9.3/10
Expedia1,142 reviews9.8/10Guest voices
From the hotel’s Google listing, in 2026: a room with a deep tub, the rooftop spa and gym, art on every floor and a weekend as residents.
Google5 nights in The Chelsea
On the fifth floor, facing south: a large bathroom with a deep tub and a rain shower, a walk-through dressing area, a king bed that was a joy to sleep in.
Google · August 2026Read the review
GoogleThe rooftop spa, without a pool
The only reason for not giving 5 stars is that there is no pool; otherwise, prompt service, and the rooftop spa and gym are very well done.
Google · August 2026Read the review
GoogleA gallery on every floor
Every floor is lined with artworks; the concierge will show you round the collection if you ask. The one gripe is the toiletries, below the standard of everything else.
Google · June 2026Read the review
GoogleLike renting an apartment
It felt like renting an apartment in Chelsea for the weekend: the balcony with a table and chairs in February, a huge tub, and the High Line, the Village and the Flatiron on foot.
Google · March 2026Read the review
GoogleThe hot water
Beautiful, like stepping back in time; but in late December the shower turned icy after a minute, and the next day it never ran hot. The advice: try it on arrival and call maintenance.
Google · January 2026Read the review
Questions before you go
Sources read on 4 October 2026.
How much does a night at Hotel Chelsea cost?
On Google Hotels, read on 4 October 2026 for 2 adults before tax, the cheapest night of each month runs from $429 (3 January 2027) to $817 (2 June 2027): $738 on 18 October 2026, $682 on 5 November, $644 on 14 December. Some nights climb to $2,300 (9 October) and $2,100 (31 December). For 12 November the hotel’s own site asked $850, the cheapest seller $683. 14.75% tax and $3.50 a night come on top; breakfast is not included.
Is breakfast included?
No. It is served at Café Chelsea, beside the lobby, from 7 to 11am on weekdays and until 10.30am at weekends: the Breakfast Américain costs $28, a croissant $6. In-room dining runs around the clock, at a charge.
Can you dine at El Quijote without staying?
Yes. El Quijote opens Sunday to Thursday from 5 to 11pm, Friday and Saturday until midnight; you book on Resy up to 2 weeks ahead, for up to 5 people, and the bar serves the full menu to walk-ins. The seafood paella costs $58.
What is the spa at Hotel Chelsea like?
It sits on the top floor, with a terrace garden, and opens from 9am to 8pm. It has a Swedish cedar sauna, aromatic steam rooms, rain showers, a lounge with a fireplace and a couples’ suite with a marble tub. A massage costs $250 to $300 for 60 minutes, with a 20% service charge added automatically; entry is from 18. Next door, in the steeple, the gym is open to guests 24 hours.
Can non-guests use the spa?
Only by booking a treatment: then the sauna and steam rooms are yours from 30 minutes before to 30 minutes after. The spa sells no day passes. Hotel guests use it free, without a treatment, subject to space.
Is there a pool?
No: the hotel has neither a pool nor a hot tub, though Expedia mentions one. The water is in the spa, with the sauna, the steam rooms and the marble tub in the couples’ suite, used for treatments for 2.
Is the Lobby Bar open to everyone?
Yes: the Lobby Bar opens daily from 11am to 2am, for guests and neighbours alike, and takes no bookings, so expect a wait at busy times. The house drink is the 1884 Martini. The hotel publishes no prices; one guest paid $35 a drink in 2023, before tax and tip.
Which rooms have a balcony?
The site promises a balcony only in the Petite Suite, a Juliet balcony over 23rd Street. The façade has them on every floor and several guests found one in rooms such as the Premier Chelsea, but you cannot book one for certain; the tenth-floor lofts and the Two Bedroom Suite have none. Rooms run from the 19 m² Petite Chelsea to the 158 m² Two Bedroom Suite; there is a kitchen in the Chelsea Suite, the Studio Suite and the Two Bedroom Suite.
Are the rooms noisy?
On the street side, sometimes: 23rd Street is busy, and sirens and horns recur in reviews, in 2024 as in 2026, though Booking and Expedia speak of soundproofed rooms. For a quiet night ask for a courtyard room or a tenth-floor loft.
How far are the airports?
Without traffic JFK is 34 minutes away, LaGuardia 19 and Newark 30 (OpenStreetMap, 4 October 2026). By taxi from JFK the flat fare to Manhattan is $70, plus surcharges, tolls and tip; from Newark the NJ Transit train reaches Penn Station for $17.25, then it is a 12-minute walk.
Where can you park?
The hotel has no car park and no valet. The front desk gives a voucher for Icon Parking at 51 West 22nd Street: $50 for 24 hours, a 6-minute walk away.
Does Hotel Chelsea allow pets?
Yes, according to Google and Leading Hotels of the World. Expedia specifies dogs and cats, one per stay, at no charge, with bowls provided; Booking says charges may apply. The hotel’s own site publishes no policy, and the terms come with the confirmation.
Is it good for children?
Yes, at any age. Families can book connecting rooms by email, including 2- and 3-bedroom pairings, or the Two Bedroom Suite, for 4. The hotel’s FAQs, read on 15 October 2026, do not publish its terms for cots. The spa is for over-18s.
Can you hold a wedding at Hotel Chelsea?
Yes. The largest space is the Bard Room, 100 guests, with its own street entrance and bar; then the Piano Room with its solarium, up to 75, Teruko, 100 for exclusive use, and El Quijote, 60. Prices are not published; for the wedding party there are connecting rooms.
What happens on New Year’s Eve?
For 2026 no event, menu or price is published on the hotel’s, El Quijote’s or Café Chelsea’s sites, read on 4 October. Only the price shows: 31 December is the dearest night of the month on Google Hotels, $2,100 before tax. Check Resy closer to the date.
Is Hotel Chelsea open all year?
Yes: the Google Hotels calendar has prices for every month from October 2026 to August 2027, and no closure is announced. The last long closure was for the works, from 2011 to 2022.
Is it cheaper to book direct?
On the 3 dates read on 4 October 2026 the hotel’s site was never the cheapest: for 12 November it asked $850, as Booking.com did, against $683 on Super.com; for 13 January 2027, $520 against $442. The official rate cancels free until 3pm the day before; members of Leading Hotels of the World’s Leaders Club save up to 20%.
Do people still live at Hotel Chelsea?
Yes: at the 2022 reopening there were about 40 permanent residents, in January 2024 about 20 rent-controlled tenants, and a guest in May 2026 noticed their decorated doors. The skylit staircase, hung with paintings left by artists, is for hotel guests; the history page lists the famous residents.
Other hotels in the guide
The Standard, High Line
The 2009 glass tower over the High Line: every room has a glass wall on the Hudson or the city, and Le Bain is on the roof.
Waldorf Astoria New York
The 1931 Art Deco tower on Park Avenue, reopened in 2025 with 375 rooms instead of 1,400, a Guerlain spa and Peacock Alley under the clock.
The Greenwich Hotel
Robert De Niro’s Tribeca hotel, opened in 2008: 88 rooms no 2 alike, a courtyard for guests and a pool under the roof of a Japanese farmhouse.
The Fifth Avenue Hotel
A 1907 mansion on Fifth Avenue and a glass tower, opened in 2023: 149 rooms, a butler for every stay, Café Carmellini and the Portrait Bar.
The Pierre, A Taj Hotel, New York
The 1930 tower on the corner of Central Park, with lift operators, a Rotunda painted in 1967 and Park View rooms between the 34th and 39th floors.
The St. Regis New York
The first St. Regis, opened in 1904 on Fifth Avenue: a butler for every room, rooms redesigned in 2026 and the Red Snapper at the King Cole Bar.
Aman New York
An Aman in the city: a fire in every suite, a spa on 3 floors and a jazz club inside the Crown Building.
Amangiri
34 suites and 10 tented pavilions on 900 acres of desert beside Lake Powell, with full board, a 2,322 m² spa and a pool round a rock
Blackberry Farm
68 rooms, cottages and houses on a 4,200-acre working farm at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains, with 3 meals a day in the rate and a cellar of more than 9,000 wines
Little Palm Island Resort & Spa
30 thatched bungalow suites on a private island for adults only, reached by boat or seaplane; no televisions, one restaurant with tables on the sand, and a dive boat to Looe Key reef
The Setai Miami Beach
157 suites in a 1937 Art Deco building and a 40-storey tower, with 3 pools at 3 temperatures and a serviced beach on Collins Avenue
San Ysidro Ranch
38 garden cottages with fireplaces and sunken spas on a ranch that has taken guests since 1893; breakfast, lunch and dinner are in every rate, and dogs are welcome