Editorial score of 8.9 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 book The Knickerbocker in Times Square?
Book it because it is the one hotel that makes the case that Times Square can support genuine five-star quality, and it does so from a building the rest of the district cannot replicate. The Knickerbocker opened in 1906 as John Jacob Astor IV's flagship on the corner of 42nd Street and Broadway, a Beaux-Arts tower with a terra-cotta facade and the oversized windows and ceiling heights that only period construction delivers. It served time as an office building through the middle of the century, then reopened as a hotel in 2015 as the only Leading Hotels of the World member in the neighbourhood. That heritage is the draw: you get architecture with a real story, at the most transit-central address in Manhattan, without the compromise the average Times Square tower asks of you.
The other half of the appeal is what the hotel added on top of the bones. Charlie Palmer Steak IV anchors the fourth floor over Broadway, and the St. Cloud rooftop rises above the LED signage to give you the Times Square panorama from the calm side of it. The result is a hotel that reads as a landmark rather than a chain box. Where it falls short is consistency. For a property flying the Leading Hotels flag, the execution can waver, and recent guests have flagged dusty windows, a balky electric room shade and service that runs hot and cold. Set expectations for a characterful landmark rather than a flawless one, book with the trade-off in mind, and the Knickerbocker rewards the choice. For a Times Square base that puts you above the crowds rather than in them, with a real building and a real rooftop, nothing else in the district competes on the same terms.
What are the best rooms to request?
Request a corner room or a suite on a high floor and prioritise the 1906 proportions, because the period architecture is the reason to be here rather than in a modern tower nearby. The 330 rooms and 31 suites keep the building's original high ceilings and oversized windows, which give even the mid-tier categories a sense of volume that new construction cannot buy. Categories run from the compact Petite, which is exactly as small as the name suggests, up through Classic and Deluxe to the corner rooms and the Penthouse. The corner rooms and suites open the outlook in two directions and catch the light better, and for an anniversary or a special weekend the extra space and the view are worth the step up.
The honest caveat is that Petite rooms are genuinely tight and a poor fit if you are unpacking for several nights, and the service and housekeeping that should protect a Five-Star stay do not always land, with recent guests noting dusty glass and a temperamental room shade. Skip the entry category, ask for a higher floor for quiet and light, and flag anything amiss early so the team can put it right. Handled that way, the rooms deliver the one thing the district's newer hotels cannot: a real 1906 landmark to sleep inside. The double glazing and the depth of the old walls also do genuine work against the noise of the intersection, so a high-floor room is quieter than the address would ever suggest.
Book St. Cloud for sunset before your dinner reservation so you see Times Square light up from above the signage, then take the lift down to Charlie Palmer Steak IV. If quiet matters most, ask for a room on a higher floor away from the Broadway corner.
What is the dining and the bar scene like?
The dining is a genuine reason to book. Charlie Palmer Steak IV, the chef's fourth-floor steakhouse over Broadway, is the anchor: a modern take on the American steakhouse with house-made pastas and seafood alongside the beef, and windows that put you above the street rather than in it. Upstairs, the St. Cloud rooftop is the showpiece, with panoramic Times Square views, private Sky Pods, the Waterford Crystal Lounge and living walls of greenery, which makes it one of the more polished rooftop rooms in Midtown. Tucked inside St. Cloud is Akoya, an intimate temaki counter for a hand-roll sushi sitting that feels a world away from the crowds below. Between the steakhouse and the rooftop you can build a full evening without leaving the building.
Does it have a spa or pool?
No, and it is worth stating plainly. The Knickerbocker has a fitness centre but no full spa and no pool, which is normal for a landmark building of this vintage in a dense part of Midtown. Wellness here is the rooftop escape and a workout room rather than treatment suites and a lap pool. If a spa day or a swim is central to your trip, this is the wrong address; if the draw is the architecture, the rooftop and the transit centrality, the missing spa is a fair trade rather than a real shortfall.
Signature amenities
At the crossroads of Times Square
Corner of 42nd Street and Broadway · above the Times Square subway hub
What's nearby
- Times Square subway
42nd Street hubAt the door - Broadway theatres
Theatre District3 min walk - Bryant Park
NY Public Library5 min walk - Penn Station
Amtrak & LIRR8 min walk - Grand Central
Metro-North10 min walk
The landmark, the rooms, the rooftop
Landmark
Guest room
St. Cloud
SteakhouseHow does The Knickerbocker compare with other Times Square hotels?
Against the field, The Knickerbocker is the historic, rooftop-led choice, and the decision turns on whether you value character or consistency more. The Times Square EDITION is the design-led alternative, an Ian Schrager hotel with Michelin-starred dining and a stronger service floor, at a higher rate. The InterContinental New York Times Square is the full-service workhorse one block west, dependable and well run but without a landmark building or a rooftop. The New Yorker is the value option, a 1930 Art Deco tower that trades luxury polish for scale and price. The Knickerbocker's own trade-off is the one to weigh honestly: you get the best building and the best rooftop in the district, but the Five-Star execution does not always match the badge.
| Hotel | Style | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Knickerbocker | 1906 Beaux-Arts landmark | Character, rooftop, transit centrality | Service consistency can waver |
| The Times Square EDITION | Design-led Schrager hotel | Scene, Michelin dining | Higher rates |
| InterContinental Times Square | Full-service Theatre District | Broadway, families, reliability | No rooftop or landmark building |
| The New Yorker Hotel | 1930 Art Deco tower | Value, scale | Not a luxury property |
Frequently asked questions
Where is The Knickerbocker Hotel located?
The Knickerbocker is at 6 Times Square, on the corner of 42nd Street and Broadway, in the heart of the Theatre District. The 42nd Street-Times Square subway station next door serves most of the system, Bryant Park is about five minutes on foot, Penn Station roughly eight and Grand Central about ten.
Is The Knickerbocker really the only five-star hotel in Times Square?
It is the only Leading Hotels of the World member in Times Square and has positioned itself as the district's only Five-Star hotel since its 2015 reopening. The property occupies a 1906 Beaux-Arts landmark originally built by John Jacob Astor IV.
How many rooms and suites does The Knickerbocker have?
There are 330 guest rooms, including 31 suites, set within the building's original 1906 proportions with high ceilings and oversized windows. Room categories run from the compact Petite up to the Penthouse.
What are the restaurants and bars at The Knickerbocker?
Charlie Palmer Steak IV is the fourth-floor steakhouse overlooking Broadway; St. Cloud is the rooftop bar with panoramic Times Square views, Sky Pods and the Waterford Crystal Lounge; and Akoya is an intimate temaki counter tucked inside St. Cloud. In-room dining is also available.
Is The Knickerbocker worth booking despite the service reviews?
The Beaux-Arts rooms, the quiet you get despite the address and the St. Cloud rooftop are the reasons to book. For a Leading Hotels property the execution can waver, with recent guests flagging dusty windows, a balky electric room shade and service that runs hot and cold, so temper expectations on consistency.
Other luxury stays in New York
#16 · Times SquareThe Times Square EDITION
#45 · Theatre DistrictInterContinental Times Square
#32 · Midtown West