Hotel Elysée

Midtown East gem near the park. Old world touches with modern comforts. Mid range price. Spacious baths. In room climate control., free wifi. Mini bar. Monkey Bar lounge and Resteraunt.

I am a native New Yorker who moved away 11 years ago and came to bring my partner to the big apple and stayed at the Hotel Élysées based upon its amazing reviews. It turned out to be the most amazing hotel experience we have ever had. The service was impeccable, the room was amazing, the location unmatched. We already booked our return trip for next May and cannot wait to stay at the Hotel Élysées again!

I wanted to give it 5 star but couldn’t for one reason. Price. I don’t have much problem with it in fact but with the more&more fierce neighboring competition they should review that thing. Plus it’s a lovely small boutique hotel but could get really unjustifiably expensive! And I’m saying this and I stay often, but getting exposed to better choices. The 2 things I like about it is that it has a nice aura to it, not ambience! It could feel cozy & charmingly Parisian somehow «not influenced by the name trust me:)», the other thing about it is location, that’s all. Other than that there’s nothing special to it, no special toiletries for example even. I’m emphasizing on price cause it could get REALLY ridiculous for a hotel like it sometimes of the year & I just look away for really other equivalently good options! Nice cozy BF lounge overlooking 54^th st that has some «actual» good stuff to start the day, not just the usual hotel crap. Very nice, helpful & friendly staff, small rooms relative to NYC’s usual, nice & quiet & very comfy overall. Yeah, nice bathrooms! I care about that just as much as the room, and here they’re very nice & all marble which is always nice! Good for all types of stays, all ages, and with kids too. Ah, just 1 elevator for the entire hotel!

Great location, great staff, great room. Clean, casual, easy, nice breakfast (included)…they even let me check out at 2:00. Check out the adjoining Monkey Bar for drinks but not for food.

Excellent service!
When we arrived for a one night getaway, the staff greeted us with a smile and upgrade to the President Suite! They also surprised us with wine and chocolates in the evening. We have stayed at many hotels in NYC and we finally found a keeper and rare gem!
Thank you Elysee for a wonderful trip!

It’s all about the ambiance!
If you are bored with the reliably good hotel chains like Hilton and Marriott, and want a change of pace, and if you like old-​school social club vibes in a hotel, Elysee is what you are looking for.
The breakfast area is basically a huge living room with old-​style décor, and I have seen older gentlemen in tweed jackets and bow ties who looked like they lived there. Complimentary breakfast is also very nice. Try to get a room with a patio — I liked having extra space to sit and hang out with friends.
This hotel is classy without being flashy. One of my personal favorites in NYC.

Very European, boutique-​type hotel in a terrific location. From the guys holding the doors open and taking you to your room to the front desk to everyone at breakfast — the staff is lovely. EVERYONE wanted you to feel at home, cozy, comfy and respected. The Continental breakfast was perfect. We were sad we never made it back in time for cocktail hour. As my travel pal said — so different than being in a huge, «soul-​crushing» Times Square Hotel — but close enough to everything. Little treasure in the city. Would not hesitate to stay here again. Not super modern, but quiet and nice. I recommend for mature audiences — not kids looking for a wild time. Thanks to everyone for making our 3-​night stay charming and nice.

As a weekend getaway (even from just across the river where my boyfriend lives in Hoboken), we went in for the weekend.
This is by far one of the best places in the city when it comes to lodging. There’s something to be said for the older buildings. We had a large King suite with a large room when you first walk in. could be a living room in a NYC apt. Spacious bathroom, and the bedroom part had lots of space! VERY CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN. The staff were all amazing. Free breakfast and wine and cheese in the afternoon. Bed was firm and perfect.
Fun neighborhood spots for nightlife.
The only negative… we had to leave this place. Would definitely return!
Old world charm.

Staying here surpassed my expectations in every way. First of all, the service is amazing. It’s subtle but everything you need is right there under your fingertips. When I was placing the order for the room, my dates of stay have changed several times. The reservation desk was more than courteous in accommodating my needs. The hotel itself is really magnificent. Beautiful décor, spacious rooms with antique furniture. The continental breakfast that is included is really good, filling enough to start the day and last until lunch. The complimentary afternoon wine & cheese affair is also very good. Would definitely stay here again. The location is also great, next to central park, MOMA, Frick Museum.

Our third stay here. Fantastic location! Walking distance to Central Park, Rockefeller Center, 5^th & Park Avenues. Good value: room included breakfast and all-​day use of their Club Room with coffee service, wine, champagne and noshes. Rooms are quiet, comfortable, clean, unpretentious and traditional — we feel at home here. They play quiet classical music in the Club Room — a welcome touch that’s important for us. Wonderful beds. Great night sleep. The staff are consistently attentive and helpful — they remembered we like a room with a view. On this trip we ordered deli to be delivered to the hotel and the hotel staff warmly brought it to our room. Hotel Elysee provides an oasis of gracious comfort in the middle of Manhattan. We’ll definitely be back!

We had a wonderful, lovely stay here. The location was perfect… close to MOMA, the Frick (don’t miss it), Central Park. We had hoped for a terrace, but when one was not available, we asked for an upgraded room, and were given a spacious, terrific suite with a great front view, for very little more than our original room.
We mentioned it was our anniversary, and a bottle a champagne and a little box of chocolates were left on our dining table.
The beds were very comfortable, the bathrooms lovely, and all rooms spacious for New York standards. Breakfast and a wine and cheese hour were also terrific. The décor was elegant, and I especially liked the chandeliers in the bedrooms.
Special thanks to Chris, who was impeccable and gracious. Still very young, he has been with the hotel for 10 years, which is always a good sign. The service was great, and all staff remembered us as we came in, and asked us how our stay was going.
Just lovely. Go there. We will return.

Expensive and average hotel.
I do like the charming boutique-​ness and convenience to Central Park, Rockefeller Center, Park Ave and other «tourist attractions».
I didn’t like the crampness of the rooms and the bed could use a little more plush.
The rooms, for the most part, are average.
It is part of the Hotel Giraffe name (which we loved) but we felt it could use some upgrades (especially the elevators and lighting).
The staff was what you would expect from an expensive hotel but I like it when they have a personality!
There are numerous other hotels (i.e. Kimpton Hotels rock) that are less expensive and more modern yet old school.

This is a super charming little boutique hotel. My wife and I stayed here for our honeymoon, and couldn’t have asked for a better experience. It’s antique décor, classical music, and endless supply of free coffee/​pastries were a very welcome break from the business of the City.
When you stay here, you can go live the city life as much as you want, and then have a comfortable place to come back to.
As if that wasn’t enough, my wife left her cell phone in a cab on the way to the airport. I eventually go a hold of the cabbie, and he was kind enough to drop it off at Hotel Elysee. They overnight shipped it to us the next day. Awesome service.
5 stars all the way.

A charming, small hotel on the East Side. I’m not sure what is Matt S’s issue with this hotel but I found the Elysee charming with superior service. The location is walking distance to everything in Mid-​town.
The rooms are similar to the uptown Ritz and the Waldorf (not Towers) in décor. The service is comparable to the Sofitel and Peninsula chains and better than Ritz, W, Waldorf. The clientele trends quieter, better mannered, monied but not flashy. I did not encounter couples groping each other in the elevator. I did not encounter tourist hordes in the public areas. Best of all, there were no drunks screeching their way down the hallways on their return from partying at 4am. No, this isn’t the Plaza, and for that, I am truly grateful!
We were in room 117, which could definitely have used a refresh as the wall paper and chairs were looking a bit worn. However, everything was spotlessly clean. Breakfast, snacks and wine/​cheese were provided in the second floor lounge. Someone else mentioned the country house weekend feel — that sums up the Elysee experience perfectly.

This hotel is truly a winning choice for anyone spending a few days in NYC who want excellent service, old world charm and a fabulous location. Close to the theater district, fine dining, 5^th Avenue shopping and Central Park, the Elysee is central to everything. We have been here several times in the past for business and to celebrate our wedding anniversary, and this year they were kind enough to put us in a beautiful suite which we so appreciated. There was a bottle of wine and some lovely chocolates waiting for us when we arrived at our beautiful suite. Service is impeccable — something one doesn’t often find in hotels these days!

Wonderful small hotel in midtown… people are very helpful, small in feel, nice rooms

What a gem! We booked this based on recs from the Frommers guide & Tripadvisor and did the prepay special. Got the junior suite, which I highly recommend for the extra seating area. Windows actually open. We faced 54^th but the noise didn’t bother us. It was our anniversary & we were surprised upon arrival with Prosecco & chocolates in our room. So many nice freebies here — chocolate bar & 2 bottles of water upon arrival, free wifi, large breakfast spread (with great, efficient servers), cookies/​drinks throughout the day, wine/​cheese M-​F nights. Location was convenient to everything. Staff was wonderful & quick to bring requests like ice or a pair of scissors. Only one elevator, but it wasn’t an issue unless it was peak breakfast time. Highly recommend!

It takes more than a few special things for me to have found a «hotel for life» for future trips to New York, but Hotel Elysée, a «boutique hotel» in midtown, has certainly won that distinction. They’re much more than a ‘cut above’ every other impersonal hotel I’ve stayed in in NYC, and in one case that I’ll describe below they provided a service that I’m sure NO other hotel in NYC would have done. (I have no association with the hotel other than now being a very satisfied customer.)
Of course the rooms must be a cut above. One of the most prized elements in a NYC hotel room is space — there usually isn’t much, but the suite I stayed in not only exceeded my expectations but actually delighted me. Not only was the bedroom and living room each large and inviting with «real» furniture, but there was a third room, a «sunroom» attached, which was an external private four-​season enclosed large room with frosted glass ceiling and walls, comfortable furniture, and even a refrigerator. This is unprecedented in my NYC experiences and expanded even a nice hotel room into a wonderful spacious airy temporary home. (Of course the bathroom could have used more counter space, but I’m happy with the tradeoff.)
The hotel offers a lounge for all guests similar to the «concierge floor» in some hotels, with continental breakfast and afternoon snacks and wine, and cookies and similar ²⁴⁄₇. And unlike some hotels that refuse to recognize that some people like to make their own coffee in the morning without having to wait for room service, Elysée provides a coffee maker and all the accouterments on request. (They could improve this by replacing the traditional coffee maker with a Kureg and a selection of coffees, but I’m not complaining.)
And the staff seemed genuinely friendly. Not the forced smiles and civility that’s usually the best you can hope for in a hotel, but truly pleasant and helpful. Yes, they provided some excellent restaurant suggestions and made the reservations, but here comes the truly outstanding service that they provided, without my asking for or expecting it (!), that guarantees they’re my NYC destination for life:
When I drove into NY I was surprised to find a parade running down 5^th avenue. Of course I had to cross 5^th to get to the hotel, and this required that I and seemingly every other car in the city had to make a several-​mile long loop up through Central Park, at about 2 MPH. At one point I rolled down the window to ask a policeman just where I could cross — and the window would only close halfway. It was plain stuck, and of course there was rain forecast for the day of my return trip.
So when, tired and frustrated, I checked in, I asked Mike at the front desk if they might have some clear plastic sheeting and package sealing tape that I might use to cover the opening. Of course I knew this would likely be a poor fix at best for the hours-​long trip home in the rain, but it was the best idea I had and there was no time to get the car to a local dealer.
Mike said he would have the Engineering department take a look at the car in the adjacent parking garage where they parked it. Their engineers, Adam and Jarek, met me at the car, tried the usual things to get the window unstuck, and when it still would not budge said:
«We’ll cut you a piece of plexiglass to fit the opening and tape it in place.»
And that’s just what they did. Wow! Not the flimsy floppy sheet of plastic I’d planned that would probably have ripped at 60 MPH, but a hard piece of clear plexiglass cut EXACTLY to fit, carefully designed to be captured by the exposed part of the window glass and a feature on the door so that the wind could not get under it and rip it away at speed. And then they left a roll of tape that would not damage the car’s paint for me to seal the tiny gap if the wind noise was too high. Wow!
And they did this without charge.
My thanks to Adam, Jarek, and Mike for providing an over-​the-​top, unasked for and unexpected exceptional service that made an incredible difference in the comfort and safety of my trip home, and to Hotel Elysée in general for providing a very welcome spacious and calming haven from the crowded and claustrophobic NYC norm.
I can not imagine any «typical» hotel so exceeding all my expectations, and that’s why Hotel Elysée is certainly now «my» hotel for all future NYC trips.

Brilliant hotel! Helpful staff, beautiful clean rooms. Wine and cheese reception every evening. Couldn’t ask for a better experience.

Featured in the 2010 Michelin Guide, this quiet and refined hotel is a warm and elegant respite from the hustle and bustle of Midtown. Located at what could possibly be the center of the universe, the Elysee offers great proximity to the best of Manhattan. Their complimentary breakfast buffet features a wide selection of pastries (including my all-​time favorite: chocolate croissants!), bagels, cereals, yogurt, fruit, and juice, and from 5:00 to 8:00 pm, a wine and cheese cocktail hour takes place in the club room.
I absolutely love the sophisticated details found at the Elysee, including Belgian chocolate bars, free bottled water, Gilchrest & Soames toiletries, Turkish towels, cotton waffle bathrobes, and flat screen TV’s. The service is truly unparalleled and despite being fully booked the previous night, I received a room key to a great room on an upper floor within 30 minutes of my early morning arrival. I suspect that I was the youngest guest at the hotel by a decade or two, but I’d choose the Elysee over the loud, modern, and young W Hotel any day. It’s impossible to not be impressed by this place. Have I mentioned the free wireless internet? The amenities at the Elysee go on and on!

This beautiful hotel, located between Park Avenue and Madison Avenue on East 54 street in New York City is not just a hotel, but truly a piece of the Big Apple’s history.
The hotel has hosted numerous movie stars, artists, writers and intellectuals in its 80+ year existence.
Upon arrival to the Elysee, I was greeted at the front desk by the hotel’s friendly and informative staff. They were quick to cover everything that was included in my stay. From where the computer, printer and other business necessities were located to when the free wine was going to be served in the club room.
I was given a great room on the top floor and absolutely loved the décor. It felt like being away at some early 20^th century country bed and breakfast. Some of the features in the room that stood out included the beautiful flat screen television mounted on the wall, the comfortable king size bed, i-​home mp3 dock/​alarm clock radio, and the chandelier on the ceiling!
When you stay at this luxurious 103 room boutique hotel expect a lot of freebies with the rate. When I first got into my room, I needed to check my e-​mails.
No problem, because Hotel Elysee is equipped with wireless high-​speed internet throughout the entire building. Such a great feature that should be in all hotels already, but sadly is not.
Don’t worry if you forgot your laptop. Just simply head down to the second floor and you can access the internet on the hotel’s computer. Plus it is installed with a printer in case you need to do some work while on the road.
Speaking of the club room. This is truly as tranquil as you are going to get while staying in the city. It was a rainy Friday afternoon and I was waiting on my wife to arrive from a meeting downtown. So I simply poured a cup of their delicious complimentary coffee (4 different flavors available), snatched some cookies, and relaxed on one of the big comfy couches that offer a view of East 54 street. Very cool spot to hang out with friends, family or alone when you want to get out of the hotel room for a little while.
The lounge area also offers a European style breakfast daily each morning that includes NYC style bagels, fresh fruit, soft muffins, hot & cold cereals, boiled eggs, various juices and much more! Seriously you can have one heck of a meal to start your day before heading out to explore this great city.
After you return from maxing out your credit card at the local shops, be sure to head back to the lounge from 5−8pm for complimentary wines, hors d’oeuvres, and numerous imported and domestic cheeses. I can tell you from experience that nothing beats unlimited wine for three straight hours. I was feeling pretty happy come 8pm and was in my room fast asleep in the room’s comfy bed before 10pm.
Your rate also includes a free pass to a nearby New York Sports Club throughout your stay. Some features of NYSC include aerobic, sauna, and cycling. So in between all the free breakfast, wine and cheese that you will be inhaling, at least you can burn off some of the calories for free.