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Welcome to the hustling, bustling, and always lively NYC, a world-class destination with near-limitless potential for everyone in the family. Known for its skyscrapers, parks, shows, and art scene, New York City is also one of our favorite family travel destinations because it’s packed to the brim with family-friendly activities for kids of all ages and interests.
With more than 600 hotels, visitors always have room, but which are best for families? In today’s post, we’ll reveal our top picks for family-friendly hotels in NYC to help you plan your family’s next trip to the Big Apple. And don’t worry; we promise you’ll get some sleep.
Our Top 3 Family-Friendly Hotels in NYC
Picking The Right Family-Friendly Hotels in NYC
NYC: A Family-Friendly Haven in the Concrete Jungle
New York City offers a wide array of family-friendly hotels, each one presenting a unique way to experience the hustle and bustle of city life with the comfort and convenience of family-oriented services and amenities that you’d expect from a modern metropolis and at a variety of different prices points to fit any budget.
Because there are so many options to choose from, we will narrow our recommendations down using a few specific criteria that I know are important to my family when we’re traveling and that I suspect will resonate with most parents out there.
Our Criteria for best family-friendly accommodations in NYC:
- NYC hotels with large family-style rooms. Space in NYC is at a premium, so while there are many options, finding a hotel with comfortably sized rooms for families can be a challenge.
- Hotels in New York City with family-friendly dining options. Enough said here. The last thing kids want to do after a long day of exploring is wait around in line for a seat at a restaurant only to find out they don’t have a kid’s menu.
- Proximity to the subway. New York City is not a place you want to drive in, and the subway provides excellent access to all points of NYC.
Top Recommendations for Family-Friendly Hotels in NYC
The Peninsula New York: Our Luxury Pick
Located on Fifth Avenue and 55th Street, The Peninsula is in the heart of the city’s iconic shopping, entertainment, and cultural district. Bonus points: this hotel is just a short walk to Central Park and Rockefeller Center!
This beautiful old hotel, with its grand awning and marble façade, is a show stopper, and while the hotel’s aesthetics harken back to New York’s Art Deco period, this hotel is the definition of modern, with luxe furnishings and opulent bedding.
Family-Friendly Accommodations At The Peninsula
One of the things we love most about this hotel is that it’s one of the only family-friendly hotels in NYC that offers multi-room suites, but rooms here come at a premium, with a grand luxe 2-bedroom queen suite coming in at roughly $1,400 per night.
So if you’re only staying for a few days and looking to splurge, The Peninsula is an excellent choice. In addition, this hotel offers a custom package for families staying with children.
The Peter Rabbit’s New York Adventure Package, which is a special rate at a slightly higher price point, comes with the most adorable benefits for little wanderers:
- Peter Rabbit children’s robe and slippers.
- Peter Rabbit and Peter the Bear plush toys.
- The Tale of Peter Rabbit storybook by Beatrix Potter.
- Special Peter Rabbit coloring book with crayons.
- Spring-themed chocolate in-room amenity.
Other things we love about the Peninsula are flexible check-in and out times, perfect in these uncertain days of air travel, including American Breakfast for two daily, and Children 10 years and under eat free breakfast in Clement.
Family-Friendly Dining At The Peninsula
Speaking of dining, Clement is open for breakfast and lunch until 2:30 PM, and the restaurant features an upscale American menu that changes seasonally.
If your children are adventurous eaters, they may enjoy the experience of trying familiar foods that have been slightly elevated in ingredients and presentation, but if not, the hotel also offers a children’s menu with the classics you’d expect, like macaroni and cheese and spaghetti and meatballs.
The hotel also offers a substantial room service menu for families that would rather eat in after a long day with tired little ones than refresh and dress to impress at other venues.
M Social Hotel Times Square New York
The next family-friendly hotel on our list for NYC is the M Social, which is located in Manhattan right amid all of Time Square’s comings and goings, making it an excellent location for family travel plans that include a combination of shopping, dining, and entertainment.
Family-Friendly Accommodations At M Social
Here’s where the budget meets reality if you plan to travel to New York City with family. The M Social doesn’t offer any multi-family room suites, so if you’re traveling with multiple children or children that need to have their own quiet and dark space for bed, this may not be the option for you.
The best rooms here are 2 double beds, and the hotel offers various views as upsell/budget options. The rooms are fairly large, and you shouldn’t feel too cramped even when traveling with kids.
Family-Friendly Dining Options At M Social
Marketed as “a private oasis perched above the hustle and bustle of Times Square”, M Social’s restaurant is open for breakfast and dinner.
The hotel offers a full American buffet breakfast, where you and the kids can grab some coffee, fruit, yogurts, and standard breakfast items. In the evenings, the hotel’s menu transforms into a communal dining experience for families where they can share everything from cheese plates to Mac and Cheese before tucking into something more substantial.
While the hotel doesn’t offer lunch, its central time-square location also means that families will have abundant dining opportunities as they explore the city. One of our favorites when we visit, is the Hardrock Café in Times Square, which offers a great view and a variety of menu options.
New York Marriott Marquis
Our final entry on the list is the Marquis. Also located in Times Square, the hotel bills itself as “the best hotel in Times Square,” and with a name like Marriott’s, they have the experience and amenities to back it up, with comprehensive room service, planned events, ticket booking services, and a new immersive experience sure to wow foodies.
Family-Friendly Accommodations At The Marquis
Regarding family-friendly hotels in NYC, the Marquis is one of our favorite picks because it offers several options. No, they don’t have multi-room family suites, but they offer a mix of pull-out bed + king and 2 queen bed layouts that can comfortably fit a family of 4.
I’ve always felt like Marriott is a nice middle-of-the-road hotel option for families, and this is no exception. You aren’t likely to be wowed by the room (except for some of the views), but it’s clean, safe, well maintained, and won’t break the bank – at least as far as New York City is concerned.
Family-Friendly Dining Options At The Marquis
If I have one complaint about the Marquis, it’s the limited dining options. While the hotel does have an onsite restaurant that offers an expansive kids’ menu, it’s only open for dinner. That leaves us poor, sleep-deprived parents bereft of a hearty breakfast solution.
With that said, there are some incredible local breakfast options in Times Square, but you’ll need to get the family dressed and ready to go to enjoy them.
A Final Note About Family-Friendly Hotels in NYC
Regarding family travel, it’s important to remember that different destinations have different limitations. I love NYC, and while I think there’s a ton of choice when it comes to finding family-friendly hotels in NYC, I would be remiss if I didn’t also note that you simply aren’t going to get as much bang for your buck here as you will in some of our other favorite travel destinations.
All-in-all, New York City is an expensive city to visit, so you’ll certainly want to evaluate your options and make a budget before you book.
While there are many remarkable things about The Big Apple, it’s not a destination I would want to spend more than a few days in, especially when traveling with my children. With that in mind, if you’re planning a family vacation to New York City, I recommend limiting your time there to no more than 4 days.
Flying into New York is relatively easy if you live in the USA, so where I would normally recommend 5 or more days in any one destination, my strategy recommendation here is slightly different. Pick one or two things you want to see and do in New York City, book at one of the family-friendly hotels in NYC we’ve mentioned for a long weekend, and plan for multiple trips over time.
The Big Apple is a big city, and it’s easy, especially for kids, to get overwhelmed, so plan your trip, take your time, and enjoy your jaunt to the city that never sleeps!