This Top-Rated East Coast Hotel Is A New York 'Designated Landmark' With Unique Residential-Style Vibes

Hotel, home, or posh members-only club? The Benjamin Royal Sonesta New York near Grand Central Station feels like all of the above. Technically, it's a hotel, but the vibe it gives is of a well-appointed, modern apartment building in the heart of New York City. And that's no accident: it was baked into the blueprint nearly a century ago when it opened as an "apartment hotel" called The Beverly.

The hotel has lived many lives since then. After decades of changing ownership, the property was renamed The Benjamin in the late 1990s, a name it carried into 2022 when Sonesta International Hotels acquired it. They invested $25 million into a renovation (completed in 2024) to update and modernize all of its guestrooms and public spaces while leaving the building's historic bones intact.

Today, New York City has labeled the hotel a "designated landmark." It has also been named one of Fodor's 14 best hotels in Manhattan's Midtown East neighborhood. 

Hungarian-Jewish architect Emery Roth designed the 26-story neo-Romanesque hotel, which opened in the now trendy neighborhood of Midtown Manhattan in 1927 and has become one of his best-known works. It's located in what was then known as Hotel Alley, a stretch of properties built to serve Grand Central, alongside contemporaries like the Waldorf (now the Waldorf Astoria).

In 2017, the New York Landmarks Preservation Foundation designated The Benjamin a historical landmark, citing its architectural and cultural significance. Its cultural footprint had been established early. Within a few years of its opening, American artist Georgia O'Keeffe prominently featured the building in her oil painting "New York, Night (1928-1929)."

Not all of the building's history carries that same cultural weight. The hotel's mascot — a royal owl known as Oscar, the King of New York — appears throughout the property in artwork and furnishings. In the late 19th century, owls became a recurring motif in the city's architecture, after the publisher of the New York Herald installed a row of bronze owls along its roofline, complete with green eyes that lit up at night. Look closely at the keystones above The Benjamin's arched facade, and you'll spot Oscar still keeping watch today.

The rooms and suites at The Benjamin Royal Sonesta are intentionally designed to feel residential, with wood-toned fixtures, marble bathrooms, hardwood floors, and light wall coverings. Manhattan real estate being what it is, standard rooms are on the smaller side, at a mere 275 square feet. The one-bedroom suites, however, range from 550 to 820 square feet and include a living room with a pullout sofa, kitchenette, and private terraces, which makes it a standout compared to most New York hotels. 

The residential concept is a lot less subtle where The Benjamin's two flagship suites are concerned. Both feature sprawling terraces overlooking the New York skyline, kitchenettes with full-size appliances, and dining rooms that seat 6-8 people at contemporary marble dining tables. The Benjamin suite spans 1,620 square feet, while The Beverly suite (an homage to the hotel's original moniker) measures 975 square feet.

Regardless of how it's outfitted, a hotel room doesn't mean much if you don't sleep well in it. Given this, The Benjamin Royal Sonesta has embraced the growing trend of sleep tourism with its Rest and Renew Sleep Program. It includes weighted blankets upon request and a curated 10-choice pillow menu tailored to their sleep preferences. Parents can also request books, sleep masks, kid pillows, and a "mindfulness owl" night light and sound machine to help their children settle in, just as they would at home.