Where to Stay in NYC: Personally Tested Hotels for Solo Women Travelers

After three trips to New York City, each one a little bolder than the last, I’ve found my favorite places to stay that felt safe, stylish, and just the right kind of solo-adventure-friendly. If you’re planning your own NYC getaway, whether it’s your first time or your fifth, these hotel picks come from personal experience and are perfect for different kinds of trips. Some are cozy, some are splurge-worthy, but all gave me that wonderful, independent “I’ve got this” feeling. Let’s find your perfect NYC home base.

Pod 39 – great for solo travelers

Pod 39 accuratly calls itself chic and budget friendly. I stayed here on a 5 night solo trip and it was perfect for me! Clean, safe, great location, close to Grand Central Station. Perfect space for a solo traveller. If you’re nervous about navigating NYC solo, this hotel’s proximity to Grand Central will take a huge weight off.

Be aware that the rooms are small! I think with even one other person it would be pretty cramped. It felt a bit like a ship stateroom.

The hotel has a Rooftop Bar and Lounge which is open seasonally. There is also a tavern with some food offerings and a pool table called Allerton Club. Free coffee and for sale continental breakfast items are available in the morning.

There are a couple of other Pod Hotels which I imagine are similarly good. This one is on 39th Street near Grand Central Station, another one is 12 blocks uptown on 51st Street, and a third is near Times Square.

👉 Book Pod 39 here — safe, budget-friendly, and perfect for solo travelers!

Hyatt Centric Times Square – great for couples or families

Great location 1/2 a block away from Times Square. Good location for a first visit to NYC when you might want to want to see a bunch of tourist stuff in a short time. We stayed here on a visit when we saw the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade and it was a short walk 1 1/2 blocks east to reach the parade route.

This is a new-ish Hyatt ($$$) with tiny NYC sized hotel rooms. Still roomy enough if you get a two queen bed room for a family. There is a restaurant off the lobby as well as a billion restaurants in the general area.

Also, there’s a cool rooftop bar, Bar 54, with nice city views. 

👉 Book the Hyatt Centric here for comfort and unbeatable location!

BlueGround – furnished apartments for rental of at least 30 days

This company has furnished apartments all over NYC to rent for a minimum of 30 days at a time. They also rent in many other cities. They have a good website with lots of photos and information about the apartments. You can filter the results in many different ways, including buildings with a doorman, apartments with a workspace, laundry facilities, etc. 

I booked a one-bedroom apartment on W. 34th Street, where I stayed for 5 weeks and worked remotely from NYC! It was one of the most fun and exciting things I’ve ever done! Booking through an established company that handled everything made me feel very safe as a solo female traveler. I ended up in an apartment building with a doorman which really added to my ease of mind from a security perspective.

BlueGround has a mobile app that you can use to contact them at any time for assistance. I used the app a couple of times: once when my bathtub wouldn’t drain and another time when one of the blinds wouldn’t work correctly. Their response was quick, and the problems were resolved smoothly.

👉 Check BlueGround apartments here — ideal for 30+ day NYC stays.

Your NYC Stay, Your Way

No matter how many times I visit New York, the magic never fades, and neither does the importance of finding the right place to stay. Each of these spots gave me something special: a sense of independence, safety, and a little touch of “I’m really doing this!” Whether you’re planning a quick weekend getaway or a longer stay to soak in city life, I hope one of these options becomes your perfect NYC home base.

If you’re still feeling unsure, start with what matters most to you: easy transit access? A sense of community? A cozy retreat after a day of exploring? Trust your instincts: you’ve got great travel judgment, even if it doesn’t feel like it yet.

Have a favorite NYC stay I should try next? Drop it in the comments or email me. I love adding reader-recommended gems to my list.

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Which NYC Stay Is Right for You?

Map of Mentioned Lodging

Be sure to check out all the posts about New York City