Editorial score of 9.2 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.
Why is The St. Regis New York a top pick in Manhattan?
The St. Regis is the city's landmark butler-service grande dame, and it earns the standing the old-fashioned way, by doing the same things extremely well for a very long time. John Jacob Astor IV opened it in 1904 to give New York a hotel worthy of the city's ambitions, and more than a century later the Beaux-Arts building on Fifth Avenue and 55th Street remains one of the most consequential hotel addresses in the world. The centrepiece is the St. Regis Butler Service, invented here and still the brand's signature: every guest is assigned a personal butler around the clock for wardrobe pressing, in-room cocktails, the morning newspaper and the requests that arrive at odd hours. It is, by some distance, the most consistently executed personal service in Manhattan, and the staff have been refining it longer than most of the competition has existed.
The other half of the case is that a careful restoration kept the Beaux-Arts bones intact while bringing the rooms current, so the hotel reads as a living landmark rather than a museum. Italian marble bathrooms, silk drapery and hand-carved millwork run through the accommodation, and downstairs the King Cole Bar with its 1906 Maxfield Parrish mural is a genuine New York institution independent of the hotel. For a formal Manhattan occasion or a high-level business stay where address, history and service matter more than a buzzy scene, this is the benchmark. Set your expectations for classic grandeur rather than of-the-moment design, and it delivers on every count.
What are the best rooms and suites to request?
Book a suite if the budget allows, and treat the entry rooms as the way in rather than the full experience. Rooms are richly traditional, with Italian marble bathrooms, silk drapery, hand-carved millwork and deep-pile carpet, and every one comes with the 24-hour St. Regis butler that defines the address. The suites are where the hotel is at its most extraordinary: the larger two-bedroom suites run to private marble hallways and butler pantries and are among the finest hotel accommodation in the city, rising to the signature and Presidential suites, while the collaboration Designer Suites created with the luxury houses Dior and Bentley give the top tier a genuine sense of occasion. For a milestone celebration, the jump from a classic room to a suite is the difference that makes the stay.
One honest clarification: this is classic grandeur rather than contemporary design, and the entry rooms, while beautifully finished, are Manhattan-sized rather than vast. Guests who want minimalist glass-tower interiors and a floor-to-ceiling skyline will find the St. Regis formal and traditional by comparison, which is precisely why its regulars love it. Treat the room as the frame for the service and the setting, book up a category or two for the celebration, and lean on your butler from the moment you arrive.
Put your butler to work the moment you check in: unpacking, a pressed jacket for dinner and an in-room cocktail set-up cost nothing extra and are the point of staying here. Reserve nothing at the King Cole Bar, because tables are first come, so arrive early for the Red Snapper under the Parrish mural, then walk the two blocks to the Museum of Modern Art before the afternoon crowds.
What is the dining and the bar scene like?
The beating heart of the hotel is the King Cole Bar, a genuine New York institution and the room where the Bloody Mary, known here as the Red Snapper, was introduced to America, poured beneath Maxfield Parrish's 1906 King Cole mural. Tables cannot be reserved, so it stays democratic in its own rarefied way and draws Manhattan's establishment nightly. Adjoining it, the space long known as Astor Court has been reimagined as an elegant lounge for sharable plates, afternoon indulgence and Champagne, so a full day of eating and drinking can be spent within the hotel's own walls. Beyond the door, the restaurants of Midtown and Fifth Avenue are steps away, which is a fair trade for a hotel whose dining identity is built around one of the best bars in the world rather than a headline restaurant.
What about wellness and the public rooms?
The St. Regis is a service hotel first, and its public rooms do real work: the lobby functions as a meeting point, the King Cole Bar as a venue for any evening encounter, and the butler desk as the engine that handles whatever the office forgot to arrange before departure. Wellness here is understated rather than resort-scale, centred on an on-site fitness centre and the butler-coordinated spa and grooming services that suit a business traveller on a tight schedule more than a spa-day itinerary. For guests who want a large destination spa and a lap pool as the centre of the stay, that points toward a newer tower, but for classic Fifth Avenue service and a landmark bar, the St. Regis is unmatched.
Signature amenities
On Fifth Avenue at 55th Street
Midtown Manhattan, Fifth Avenue at 55th Street · steps from the flagship shopping of Fifth and Madison
What's nearby
- Fifth Avenue shopping
Flagship storesAt the door - Museum of Modern Art
MoMA5 min walk - Saks Fifth Avenue
Department store6 min walk - Central Park
Grand Army Plaza8 min walk - Rockefeller Center
Landmark & skating9 min walk
The facade, the suites, the King Cole Bar
Facade
Guest room
King Cole Bar
SuiteHow does The St. Regis compare with New York's other landmark hotels?
Against the field, the St. Regis is the butler-service, Fifth Avenue benchmark, and the choice comes down to what you want the stay to feel like. The Mark is the restaurant-led Upper East Side alternative, bolder in its Jacques Grange design and closer to Central Park and the museums. The Four Seasons New York is the modern I. M. Pei tower on 57th Street, back in form after its 2024 reopening, with some of the largest standard rooms in the city. Baccarat Hotel New York is the crystal-house glamour choice a few blocks west, built around one of Midtown's best hotel pools. The St. Regis owns the traditional end of that spectrum, and the trade-off is exactly that classic formality rather than contemporary polish.
| Hotel | Style | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| The St. Regis New York | Fifth Avenue Beaux-Arts landmark | Butler service, address, King Cole Bar | Traditional, not contemporary; top rates |
| The Mark Hotel | Upper East Side design five-star | Restaurant, Central Park, character | Entry rooms smaller than public spaces |
| Four Seasons New York | Modern Midtown East tower | Large rooms, business, efficiency | Monumental rather than warm |
| Baccarat Hotel New York | Crystal-house Midtown glamour | Design, spa, indoor pool | Scene-led; premium price |
Frequently asked questions
When did The St. Regis New York open and who built it?
The hotel opened in 1904, built by John Jacob Astor IV as a Beaux-Arts landmark on Fifth Avenue at 55th Street. More than a century later it remains the flagship of the St. Regis brand, and a careful restoration has kept the original architecture intact while bringing the rooms current.
What is St. Regis butler service?
It is the brand's signature, invented here: a dedicated butler available around the clock on every stay, who handles garment pressing, in-room cocktails, the morning newspaper, unpacking and any request. It is among the most consistently executed personal service programmes in Manhattan.
What is the King Cole Bar at The St. Regis New York?
It is the hotel's celebrated bar, home of Maxfield Parrish's 1906 King Cole mural and the American birthplace of the Bloody Mary, known here as the Red Snapper. Tables are not reservable, and the adjoining space long known as Astor Court is now a lounge serving sharable plates and Champagne.
Where is The St. Regis New York located?
At 2 East 55th Street at Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, steps from the flagship shopping of Fifth and Madison, the Museum of Modern Art and Rockefeller Center, and a short walk from Central Park.
Is The St. Regis New York worth it?
Yes, for landmark grandeur and service. It holds both Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five-Diamond recognition, and its combination of address, history and butlers is hard to match. The trade-offs are top-of-Manhattan pricing and a classic, formal style rather than a contemporary scene.
Other luxury stays in New York
#2 · Upper East SideThe Mark Hotel
#4 · Midtown EastFour Seasons New York
#7 · Midtown