In a city packed with dazzling hotel openings, heritage icons and scene-stealing rooftops, earning the title of New York’s best hotel is no easy feat. But Travel + Leisure readers have spoken—and the winner of this year’s World’s Best Awards is the opulent, maximalist dreamscape known as the Fifth Avenue Hotel in NoMad.
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A relative newcomer, the hotel opened in late 2023 and quickly became a favorite for both well-heeled travelers and in-the-know New Yorkers. With interiors by Martin Brudnizki Design Studio, the 153-room property feels like the love child of a Gilded Age mansion and a Wes Anderson set, blending jewel-toned walls, antique curiosities and luxurious amenities (hello, Dyson hairdryers and “maxi”-bars) into a singular experience. One T+L voter raved, “Everything was on point from the moment I walked in the door until I left a week later.”
But it’s not just about good looks. The service at The Fifth Avenue Hotel is as elevated as its design. Guests staying in the Mansion suites, located in the historic 1907 building, originally designed by McKim, Mead & White, are greeted by personal butlers who offer welcome drinks and iPad-powered tutorials on controlling everything from lighting to blinds. It’s the kind of place where if your room needs a walkthrough, you know you’ve made a good choice.
Downstairs, the hotel’s food and drink offerings are just as seductive. The cozy, wood-paneled Portrait Bar serves meticulously crafted cocktails in a setting that feels like a secret society’s private lounge. And the hotel’s signature restaurant, Café Carmellini, is helmed by James Beard Award-winning chef Andrew Carmellini, who delivers French-Italian elegance with dishes like duck tortellini and squab en croûte.
When it comes to the competition, this year’s list was full of shake-ups: None of 2024’s top 10 hotels returned, proving just how fast the city’s hospitality scene evolves. Other notable entries included Gansevoort Meatpacking at No. 2 and Hotel Barrière Fouquet’s New York at No. 3.
But it’s The Fifth Avenue Hotel that reigns supreme in 2025—and with its intoxicating scent, impeccable service and theatrical flair, it’s giving New York something rare: a hotel that feels like an escape, even when you’re right in the middle of it all.
