New hotels in Brooklyn, New York

The 2020 census counted 2,736,074 people in Brooklyn, more than in any other New York borough. For a visitor, though, the useful part of the borough is a narrow strip: its northwest corner, from Downtown Brooklyn up the East River shore through DUMBO to Williamsburg. That is where most of its hotels sit, and where the subway reaches Lower Manhattan in a few minutes. The guide below stays mostly in that corner, with Prospect Park, Green-Wood and Coney Island treated as day trips. For the Manhattan side of the river, start with our New York guide.

One opening on our list stands in that corner. The Livingston opened in March 2026 at 291 Livingston Street, a 22-story new-build tower with 104 rooms, 15 of them with balconies. It is the first hotel in Brooklyn to carry a Hyatt name, under the group's JdV by Hyatt boutique label, and it was developed by Midas Hospitality and ACRES Capital. Rates start from $160.

Getting between Brooklyn and Manhattan

Distances here are measured in subway stops rather than miles. The base fare rose to $3 on January 4, 2026, paid by tapping a card or phone at the OMNY readers; the same card stops being charged once it has paid $35 in seven days.

From Downtown Brooklyn, the 4 and 5 trains run from Borough Hall to Wall Street in one stop under the river. A few blocks east, Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr is the borough's largest station, served by the 2, 3, 4, 5, B, D, N, Q and R, with Long Island Rail Road trains leaving from Atlantic Terminal next door. Hyatt puts The Livingston about 15 minutes from Manhattan.

The L train does the same job for Williamsburg: Bedford Av is its first stop in Brooklyn, a few minutes from First Avenue on the Manhattan side. DUMBO has the F at York St and the A and C at High St.

Three bridges carry pedestrians. The Brooklyn Bridge, opened in 1883, is the one most visitors walk, starting near City Hall in Manhattan and landing by Cadman Plaza and DUMBO; allow half an hour, more in the afternoon crowds. The Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges have their own walkways and far fewer people on them.

NYC Ferry's East River route is the slowest option and the most pleasant. It stops in DUMBO, Williamsburg and Greenpoint between Pier 11 at Wall Street and East 34th Street, with Long Island City across the water in Queens on the same line.

Where to stay in Brooklyn

Downtown Brooklyn

This is the borough's office, court and transit district, rebuilt over the past two decades with residential towers along Flatbush Avenue and around the Fulton Street pedestrian mall. Few visitors would call it pretty. It earns its place on a hotel shortlist through the subway map: more lines meet here than anywhere else in Brooklyn, so Lower Manhattan, Midtown, Coney Island and Prospect Park are all a direct ride away.

The Livingston sits on Livingston Street, close to Barclays Center, the arena that opened in 2012 and hosts the Brooklyn Nets, the New York Liberty and a heavy concert calendar. Hyatt also places it near the Brooklyn Academy of Music, whose opera house on Lafayette Avenue has staged performances since 1908, and the Brooklyn Museum. Its all-day restaurant, The Grove Lantern, works with Brooklyn suppliers: breads and pastries from Bien Cuit, charcuterie from Murray's, coffee and tea from Brooklyn Roasting Company and Brooklyn Tea Company. A lobby counter, Goldfinch Café, serves espresso and pastries, and the tower ends in an 820-square-foot rooftop terrace. Rooms come with marble showers, 55-inch TVs and a desk, and the hotel accepts pets.

Around it, two places are worth a detour. The New York Transit Museum occupies a decommissioned 1936 subway station at Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street, with vintage cars parked on the old tracks. Fort Greene Park, a few minutes north, is crowned by the Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument, a column designed by McKim, Mead & White in 1908. On the skyline, the Brooklyn Tower at 9 DeKalb Avenue, finished in 2022 at 1,066 feet, became the borough's first supertall.

The nearest established neighbor of The Livingston in the upscale bracket is Ace Hotel Brooklyn, which opened in 2021 with 287 rooms on Schermerhorn Street, at the edge of Boerum Hill.

DUMBO

The name stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, and the district is exactly that: a grid of former warehouses and coffee and paper factories pinned between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. The view up Washington Street, with the Manhattan Bridge framed between brick buildings and the Empire State Building visible under its arch, draws photographers from early morning.

Brooklyn Bridge Park runs along the water below. It covers 85 acres on a former industrial waterfront, built out over the old piers, with sports fields, lawns and around 3,750 trees, open daily from 6am to 1am and free. Jane's Carousel, a 1922 merry-go-round, turns inside a glass pavilion designed by Jean Nouvel at the DUMBO end. The one large hotel directly on the park is 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, which opened in February 2017 with 194 rooms. Expect fewer choices and higher rates here than in Downtown Brooklyn, and quiet streets after dark once the day visitors leave.

Brooklyn Heights

Brownstone rows, churches and the Promenade, a walkway built over the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway with a straight view across to the Financial District. Clark St station (2 and 3) is one stop from Wall Street. Hotels are scarce; most visitors stay in Downtown Brooklyn, ten minutes' walk away, and come here in the evening.

Williamsburg

North of the Williamsburg Bridge, this former industrial district along the East River became the borough's main nightlife and restaurant area during the 2000s, and its waterfront now carries a line of glass apartment towers. Bedford Avenue is the commercial spine, with the L train underneath it. South of the bridge, the J, M and Z stop at Marcy Av.

The riverfront is the part to walk. Domino Park opened in 2018 on the site of the former Domino Sugar refinery, keeping some of the plant's machinery as landmarks along the path, and Marsha P. Johnson State Park, a few blocks north, hosts Smorgasburg on Saturdays from April to October, 11am to 6pm. The 2026 season counts 74 vendors across its Brooklyn markets.

Williamsburg has more design-led hotels than anywhere else in the borough. The Wythe, opened in 2012 in a 1901 building that first made barrels and later textiles, has 72 rooms. Two older addresses explain why people cross the river to eat here: Peter Luger has served steaks on Broadway, in the shadow of the Williamsburg Bridge, since 1887, and Brooklyn Brewery has brewed on North 11th Street since 1996. None of the openings we currently track is in Williamsburg, so for now it is a place to spend evenings rather than a hotel recommendation.

Further out

Park Slope, Greenpoint and Bushwick are residential neighborhoods, worth a walk for their brownstones, Polish bakeries on Manhattan Avenue and street murals respectively. Hotel choice in them is thin.

Day trips inside the borough

Prospect Park was laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, the designers of Central Park, and covers 526 acres. Smorgasburg moves there on Sundays, to Breeze Hill, on the same April to October schedule as the Williamsburg market.

East of Grand Army Plaza, along Eastern Parkway, the Brooklyn Museum and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden stand next to each other, with their own station on the 2 and 3 (Eastern Pkwy-Brooklyn Museum). The garden's cherry trees flower in April and May.

Coney Island is the end of the line for the D, F, N and Q at Stillwell Av, roughly an hour from Midtown. The Cyclone roller coaster dates from 1927, the Wonder Wheel from 1920, and Nathan's Famous has sold hot dogs on Surf Avenue since 1916. The boardwalk and beach are free; the rides open seasonally. The New York Aquarium sits on the boardwalk, and Brighton Beach, one stop further on the B and Q, is the center of the city's Russian-speaking community.

Green-Wood Cemetery, founded in 1838, spreads over 478 acres of hills in the south of the borough, a short walk from the 25 St station on the R. Its high ground was part of the 1776 Battle of Brooklyn, and its paths are open to walkers daily.

Which part of Brooklyn for your trip

A first visit built around Manhattan sights is best served by Downtown Brooklyn: The Livingston's address gives several direct lines into Manhattan, at a starting rate of $160 a night. For a game or a concert at Barclays Center, it is a short walk from the hotel to the arena.

Travelers who care more about the skyline view than about subway connections should look at DUMBO and the park. Those coming for restaurants and bars should base themselves in Williamsburg, or stay Downtown and take the G, or a car, north in the evening.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get from JFK to Downtown Brooklyn?

By AirTrain to Jamaica, then the Long Island Rail Road to Atlantic Terminal, about 20 minutes from Jamaica. The cheaper alternative is AirTrain to Howard Beach and the A train, which stops at Hoyt-Schermerhorn and Jay St-MetroTech in Downtown Brooklyn.

What is the newest hotel in Brooklyn?

The Livingston, a 104-room JdV by Hyatt hotel at 291 Livingston Street, opened in March 2026. It is the first Hyatt-branded hotel in Brooklyn and the only Brooklyn opening this guide currently tracks.

How long does it take to get from Downtown Brooklyn to Manhattan?

About 15 minutes by subway to most of Lower Manhattan. From Borough Hall, the 4 and 5 reach Wall Street in one stop. Midtown takes longer, roughly half an hour on the 2, 3, B, D, N, Q or R from Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr.

Can you walk from Brooklyn to Manhattan?

Yes. The Brooklyn Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge and the Williamsburg Bridge all have pedestrian paths. The Brooklyn Bridge walk from Cadman Plaza to City Hall takes about 30 minutes.

Is there a hotel near Barclays Center?

Yes. The Livingston, on Livingston Street in Downtown Brooklyn, is a short walk from the arena and from the Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr station.

When does Smorgasburg run in Brooklyn?

Saturdays at Marsha P. Johnson State Park in Williamsburg and Sundays at Breeze Hill in Prospect Park, from 11am to 6pm, every weekend from April through October.