1 Hotel Central Park

Editorial score of 9.0 of 10, the composite average of the three factors above (Rooms, Service, Location). Method at our methodology page. Affiliate disclosure: booking links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you, and never change our verdict.

What is 1 Hotel Central Park known for?

1 Hotel Central Park is known for taking sustainability seriously and making it feel like luxury rather than penance. The hotel sits near the southern edge of Central Park and turns that geography into its design brief: the lobby is draped in living plants, some 40,000 across the property, and the interiors use more than 6,000 square feet of reclaimed wood, raw linen and natural materials chosen to echo the park it faces. Crucially, the sustainability is real rather than decorative. The building is LEED Silver certified, with energy-recovery HVAC, LED lighting, occupancy-based controls and advanced monitoring, so the green story holds up when you look behind the plants.

What makes it work as a hotel, and not just as a statement, is that the ethos never feels earnest. The 229 rooms are calm and tactile, the location puts Central Park and Columbus Circle within a short walk, and Jams, the ground-floor restaurant from Jonathan Waxman, gives the produce-led philosophy an actual flavour. The honest limits are worth knowing up front: there is no full spa and no swimming pool, and this is a Midtown block rather than a hushed retreat. For a guest who wants a design-led, nature-forward base near the park with a clear conscience, though, it is the most coherent eco-luxury hotel in the city.

1 Hotel Central Park rewards guests who want design and a light footprint without giving up the park. If your priorities are a calm, natural-materials room, a strong gym and a produce-led kitchen a short walk from Central Park, it fits neatly, often at a lower entry rate than the grand names nearby. If a pool, a full spa or a bright, contemporary look is essential, one of the Central Park South five-stars will suit you better. Book it for a wellness-minded solo trip, a couple's weekend or a conscientious traveller who wants the park close, and it holds together.

What are the best rooms to request?

Request a park-facing room on a higher floor, because the green canopy running north toward Harlem is what the rate premium buys and the view most guests remember. The 229 rooms are built around natural materials: walls in reclaimed barn wood, organic cotton bedding, filtered water taps and floor plans that pull in as much daylight as possible. The bathrooms are simple and well made, the showers have real pressure, and the whole room reads as calm and grounded rather than slick. Upper-floor suites on the park side give you a genuine Central Park outlook, while the Urban rooms lower down trade the view for a gentler rate.

One honest caveat: the biophilic look, all reclaimed wood, earthy tones and heavy greenery, can read dim to guests who want a bright, crisp-modern room, so if that is your taste this may feel muted. This is also a busy Midtown property near Sixth Avenue, not a quiet hideaway, and lower rooms catch some city sound. Book a higher park-facing category, lean into the natural-materials aesthetic, and the room becomes one of the more restful in this part of town.

What is the dining like?

Dining centres on Jams, the ground-floor restaurant from chef Jonathan Waxman, which draws its menu from regional farms and cooks in the seasonal California style Waxman is known for. The room has an open kitchen, exposed brick and reclaimed oak, and it serves from breakfast through dinner, so the hotel's produce-led philosophy becomes something you can actually taste rather than just read on a wall. It is an easy place to start the day and a credible option for a relaxed dinner, and the sourcing rigour matches the rest of the building. There is a lobby bar for coffee and cocktails, which suits a hotel built around light, plants and natural materials.

Does it have a spa and pool?

Here it is important to set expectations, because this is where 1 Hotel Central Park differs from its full-service neighbours. There is no full spa and no swimming pool at the hotel. Wellness instead runs through the Field House, a 24-hour fitness centre with personal training available on request, and through in-room HigherDose treatments such as the Sauna Blanket and the PEMF Mat that you can book to your room. The concierge can arrange spa appointments nearby if a full treatment is essential to your trip. If a pool or a destination spa is central to your stay, one of the Central Park South five-stars will serve you better; if a strong gym and in-room recovery is enough, this covers it.

Signature amenities

Near the southern edge of Central Park

The greenery, the rooms, Jams

Exterior

Guest room

Green lobby

Jams

How does 1 Hotel Central Park compare with nearby park hotels?

Against the field, 1 Hotel Central Park is the design-led, sustainable option near the park, and the choice comes down to how much full-service luxury you want with your green credentials. The Ritz-Carlton Central Park is the grand, park-front five-star with a La Prairie spa and top-tier service, but a traditional look and a higher rate. The Plaza is the landmark on the corner of the park, all scale and history. Mandarin Oriental at Columbus Circle trades the park frontage for high-floor rooms with sweeping park views and a pool. 1 Hotel's own trade-off is the absence of a spa and pool, offset by its lower entry rate, its Jams kitchen and a sustainability story none of the others can match.

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