Kimpton Era Midtown New York Hotel Review
Nonstop Dan rating
Kimpton Era Midtown
A brand-new Midtown property with strong bones but too many fundamentals that fall short for the price
What to Expect at Kimpton Era Midtown New York?
We're staying at one of New York's newest, supposedly luxury hotels, the Kimpton Era Midtown New York. This hotel opened earlier in 2026 in a brand new building. For a Kimpton, the price often seems quite reasonable, so I thought we need to check this out.
Kimpton Era Midtown New York hotel exterior
Kimpton Era Midtown New York hotel exterior
Kimpton Era Midtown New York hotel entrance
To be honest, the branding surprises me because the rooms here range from 190 to 270 sq ft. Those are tiny rooms and would definitely align more with one of IHG's lower brands. However, we still wanted to give it a chance to see if this truly feels like a luxury hotel, especially given that it's part of IHG Destined, meaning you can get all the typical travel advisor perks when booking here.
On our night, the rate was $540 for one night for a queen bed room, again, just 190 sq ft big. We were able to use an IHG free night award from the Chase credit card and supplement about 27,000 points, considering the card's annual fee is about $100 and those points are worth $135. We paid just $235 for a night, quite a nice saving! The price here ranges from about $255 to $635 a night, with an average of $413 a night for the base room.
Does a hotel with such small rooms deliver despite the high price tag? Let's find out!
Want free breakfast, a room upgrade, and $100+ in credit?
Book through our travel advisor link and get the same rate as booking direct, plus meaningful extras at no additional cost.
- $100+ property credit
- Complimentary breakfast for 2
- Room upgrade, subject to availability
- Early check-in & late checkout, subject to availability
* More benefits may apply at select properties
Kimpton Era Midtown New York check-in Experience and Lobby
The hotel is located on 48th Street between 5th and 6th Avenue. On the ground floor, there's just a small lobby with a few self-check-in machines. Ew😂. It's certainly not the most personalized arrival experience, especially compared to the warm, attentive check-in we've experienced at Mandarin Oriental New York.
Kimpton Era Midtown New York lobby
Kimpton Era Midtown New York lobby self check-in
Kimpton Era Midtown New York lobby staircase art
Then you can head to the third floor to visit the actual lobby. We arrived at the hotel at 5:10 p.m., which matters only because they offer a happy hour in the lobby bar from 5:00 to 6:00 every day, where guests can enjoy free wine, beer, and soda. This was packed when we got there, which didn't make for a very good first impression.
kimpton Era Midtown New York lobby bar
Kimpton Era Midtown New York bar
Kimpton Era Midtown New York wine selection
Kimpton Era Midtown New York different kind of beverages
The staff was pretty nice, and ultimately we didn't have to wait too long. When providing the Kimpton secret password for the summer, we were given a free Kimpton tote bag, which was quite cool! They also provide all guests with free refillable Kimpton-branded water bottles, which is a nice touch.
Kimpton Era Midtown New York welcome water bottle
Kimpton Era Midtown Room Features and Amenities
We were assigned Room 1803, a 1 Queen bed room, which unsurprisingly is on the 18th floor. The Kimpton Era has one of those frustrating lift designs where you need to click your destination in order to get an elevator. That means you're assigned a specific elevator rather than being able to use the next available one, which often resulted in very long wait times.
Kimpton Era Midtown New York map
Kimpton Era Midtown New York hallway
Kimpton Era Midtown New York room number
Once we were up on our floor, though, we made it to our room, and I let out a small laugh! Opening the door is definitely the smallest room we've ever stayed in New York City. If you've checked out our other luxury hotel reviews, you'll know we've stayed at a wide range of properties, so we have plenty of points of comparison. Unfortunately, since the hotel was fully booked, they weren't able to upgrade us to a king bed room, so queen bed it is.
Upon entering, you've got a tiny stool built into the wall behind the door with some hooks above it.
Kimpton Era Midtown New York room 1803
Along the same wall, you've got your tiny sink with barely any surface to store your toiletries.
Kimpton Era Midtown New York room sink and miniature closet
Beyond that, on the same wall, there's a miniature closet where you can shove some bags or clothes inside just to get them out of sight.
Kimpton Era Midtown New York room towel
Kimpton Era Midtown New York room closet
There's also a tiny fridge in here with some complimentary soft drinks.
Kimpton Era Midtown New York room minibar
Kimpton Era Midtown New York room minibar
Since there wouldn't be room for an ironing board in here, the hotel provides a steamer, which I appreciate.
Kimpton Era Midtown New York steamer
Along the same right wall of the room, we've got a mini desk that doubles as a bedside table for the queen bed. That honestly occupies most of the room. For a room this small, it's a functional space, but that's about it.
Kimpton Era Midtown New York room mini desk
Kimpton Era Midtown New York room 1803 queen bed
Along the windows, they provide a little bit of padding, so I guess this is where they intend for you to lounge, at least if you're under 4 ft. tall. I appreciate that you can open the windows to get some fresh air, and the view outside is pretty cool.
Kimpton Era Midtown New York room window city view
Across from the bed, there's a large TV with all the modern bells and whistles, and on the wall next to it, you've got a full-body mirror, but good luck finding anywhere to stand to actually take in your outfit!
Kimpton Era Midtown New York room TV and body-mirror
Although the room is small, it feels relatively luxurious and comfortable. Speaking of comfort, the bed is plush and just firm enough. The bedding is great as well.
Kimpton Era Midtown New York room 1803 queen size bed
Finally, we've got the bathroom, which is across from the sink. It has a toilet and a shower, both of which are modern and functional. Since the hotel is brand-new, I really appreciate that everything is in such pristine condition.
Kimpton Era Midtown New York shower
Kimpton Era Midtown New York shower
Kimpton Era Midtown New York bathroom toilet
Kimpton Era Midtown New York room services
Now, for some complaints about the room besides the size. You'd think that every detail would be meticulously planned out to maximize a small space like this, but that didn't feel like the case. For example, there are no reading lights on the bed, so if you want to read at night, you either need to have the bright light on the desk turned on or use your phone flashlight.
The TV protrudes so much from the wall that it's very difficult to walk past it below the bed. The worst thing, though, is that the walls are so thin that you can hear everything going on in the rooms around you. When I say everything, we truly heard everything you can hear from a hotel room: the good and the bad! We usually sleep with the earplugs anyways, so once we popped those in, it wasn't too much of a problem.
Kimpton Era Midtown New York Dining Experience
This hotel, like New York hotels, is not decked out with amenities and restaurants. There's an Asian rooftop restaurant, but it can't actually be accessed from the hotel. You need to leave the building and enter through a door next to the hotel entrance.
Can that still be considered a hotel restaurant in New York? I don't know. It also requires you to dress up, so to be honest, as far as I am concerned, this restaurant doesn't count. Then we've got the restaurant where breakfast is served - Bar Rocco.
Kimpton Era Midtown New York bar rocco signage
Kimpton Era Midtown New York bar rocco entrance
Kimpton Era Midtown New York bar rocco
Kimpton Era Midtown New York bar rocco
Breakfast is a la carte here, so you can order whatever you want. IHG Diamond and IHG Destined travelers get breakfast included, of course. This is a very standard New York breakfast menu, but as usual at these types of hotels, the pricing is quite steep.
Kimpton Era Midtown New York bar rocco menu
Kimpton Era Midtown New York bar rocco table
Kimpton Era Midtown New York Gym
There is no spa or sauna here, unlike the Mandarin Oriental New York which offers both amenities. But we do have a pretty well-equipped and modern gym. I'd say this was our favorite part of the hotel, even though it's not the most extensive facility ever.
Kimpton Era Midtown New York gym equipment
Kimpton Era Midtown New York gym equipment
Kimpton Era Midtown New York gym equipment
You've got loads of cardio machines, as standard in the U.S., and then a cable machine and several benches with dumbbells going up to 75 lbs. We managed to get in some good workouts, which was nice. There's also a pull-up and dip machine.
Kimpton Era Midtown New York fitness center cardio area
Kimpton Era Midtown New York fitness center dumbbell
Kimpton Era Midtown New York gym equipment
Kimpton Era Midtown New York gym equipment
Kimpton Era Midtown New York gym towel station
Where is the Kimpton Era Midtown New York located?
On location, I must say that this hotel has one of our least favorite locations in the entire city. Being on 48th Street between 6th Avenue and 5th Avenue is like being in the worst of the tourist areas without really having any benefits. You're a few blocks from the subway, but you'll be walking through crazy crowds in both directions most times of day. I'd even prefer to stay Smack Dab in the middle of Times Square over this, because at least then you're in the middle of the action and right by the subway. For example, the New York Times Square EDITION has a preferable location to this. It still has nothing on the Mandarin Oriental New York, though.
Kimpton Era Midtown New York fitness center street view
Is the Kimpton Era Midtown New York Worth it?
So would I return to the Kimpton Era midtown New York? Probably not. However, there is one situation where I would recommend it, If you are traveling to New York alone or at least staying in the room alone. I'd say that if you can get a date where the pricing is on the lower end, around $250-$300 a night, it might be a decent deal especially if you book through a travel advisor who can provide added value and assistance with your stay (since the room still has plenty of space for one person). For couples or families, though, I'd try to at least book a king bedroom here, or even better, one of their larger rooms exceeding 250 sq ft.
Kimpton Era Midtown new York Scoring Breakdown
Room: 4/10
Bathroom: 4/10
Night Sleep: 7/10
Value: 5/10
Breakfast: 6/10
Condition: 10/10
Service: 3/5
Dining: 2/5
Location: 2/5
Amenities: 3/5
Wellness: 3/5
Pools: 0/5
Overall Feeling: 4/10
Total: 53/100. See how it compares to other properties in our full luxury hotel rankings.
Positives of Kimpton Era Midtown New York
Brand-new building — everything in pristine, spotless condition
Nightly happy hour (5–6pm) with free wine, beer, and soda in the lobby bar
Friendly, efficient staff; free Kimpton tote bag and refillable water bottles at check-in
Comfortable, plush bed and quality bedding
Complimentary soft drinks in the room's mini-fridge
In-room steamer (smart substitute given no space for an iron/board)
Large, modern TV and a clean, fully-functional bathroom
Best surprise: a genuinely well-equipped gym — full cardio line, cable machine, dumbbells to 75 lbs, pull-up/dip station
IHG Destined affiliation means standard travel advisor perks carry over; IHG Diamond/Destined guests get breakfast included
Strong redemption value: free night award + ~27K points brought a $540 room down to $235 out of pocket
Areas of Improvement Of Kimpton Era Midtown New York
Rooms run 190–270 sq ft — genuinely tiny, more in line with a select-service brand than a "luxury" Kimpton
No reading lights on either side of the bed
TV protrudes so far from the wall it blocks the walkway past the bed
Paper-thin walls — noise from neighboring rooms carries through completely (earplugs recommended)
Elevator system requires pre-selecting a floor/destination, leading to long, inefficient wait times
No spa or sauna
"Rooftop restaurant" isn't actually accessible from inside the hotel — separate entrance, dress code required
Breakfast is a la carte and pricey unless you have elite status
Weak location: 48th between 5th/6th sits in dense tourist congestion without the payoff of being near major subway access
Ground-floor arrival experience is underwhelming (self-check-in kiosks only; real lobby is up on 3) and the happy-hour crowd made a rough first impression
No upgrade flexibility when sold out — stuck with queen even when a king was preferred
Minimal storage/counter space (tiny sink ledge, mini closet)
Want free breakfast, a room upgrade, and $100+ in credit?
Book through our travel advisor link and get the same rate as booking direct, plus meaningful extras at no additional cost.
- $100+ property credit
- Complimentary breakfast for 2
- Room upgrade, subject to availability
- Early check-in & late checkout, subject to availability
* More benefits may apply at select properties
