8 NYC Hotels with Great Views for Watching Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Where do you want to be when Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade marches through New York City?

Hotel rooms with parade views (and room service breakfasts) offer a serene (and weatherproof) alternative to a sidewalk teeming with humanity. This year, the parade will march from Central Park West to Central Park South and down Sixth Avenue (aka Avenue of the Americas) to the Macy’s Herald Square mother ship. That means eight hotel are ideally situated to serve up rooms with the view you want.

Booking a parade-view room comes with a unique set of rules. Call the hotel directly (don’t even think about reserving online). Expect holiday pricing (the cheapest start at around $500 a night) and a three-night minimum. Another holiday quirk: the parade is meant to be seen from the street, so rooms on lower floors are the most desirable. Just because a hotel faces Sixth Avenue doesn’t mean Beagle Scout Snoopy and newcomer Minnie Mouse will be visible from every window.

Here’s our guide to hotels with parade-view rooms:

Columbus Circle

Parade view from the Mandarin Oriental New York (Mandarin Oriental New York photo)

Mandarin Oriental New York  If a drone’s eye view of the parade is your idea of Thanksgiving bliss, this is the hotel for you. Rooms in this sybaritic glass tower, which opened in 2003 and overlooks Columbus Circle and Central Park South, start on the 37th floor, so no need to worry about some kid perched on dad’s shoulders blocking the view from your floor-to-ceiling windows. Tuck into room service truffled Eggs Benedict, muesli or waffles. Or book a window table in the sprawling MO Lounge overlooking Central Park and feast on the $85 Thanksgiving Brunch. Minimum three-night stay. 80 Columbus Circle; monyc-holidayreservations@mohg.com or 212 805 8833.

Central Park South

Bourbon Steak House at JW Marriot Essex House New York (JW Marriott Essex House photo)

JW Marriott Essex House New York This sophisticated Art Deco hotel from 1931 is looking spiffy following a stylish lobby renovation that included the long-overdue arrival of a new restaurant, Bourbon Steak New York, which also prepares room service orders. That means the Essex House is your jam if you crave steak and eggs served with a side of Central Park views as the parade passes by. 160 Central Park South between Sixth and Seventh avenues; 212 247-0300 (reservations must be made through the Thanksgiving Team)

Sixth Avenue (Avenue of the Americas)

Ritz Carlton Central Park lobby. (Ritz Carlton Central Park photo)

Ritz-Carlton New York Central Park For 364 days a year, the Ritz-Carlton’s cushy rooms on high floors facing Central Park are the hotel’s most coveted. But on parade day, rooms on low-to-mid-level floors overlooking Sixth Avenue are the hotel’s hot ticket. The parade turns from Central Park South onto Sixth Avenue at the hotel, so guests in strategically placed rooms get multiple views of the action. Bonus: Ritz-Carlton rooms are looking especially good following a renovation when the hotel closed during the pandemic. 50 Central Park South at Sixth Avenue, 212 308-9100.

Guest Room at 1 Hotel Central Park (1 Hotel Central Park photo)

I Hotel Central Park One of New York’s greenest hotels (and we’re not just talking about the ivy that envelops the brick exterior), 1 Hotel Central Park opened in 2015, a feast of reclaimed wood, energy efficiency and local sourcing. The hotel also has the good luck to stand directly above the parade route and boasts rooms with excellent views, many outfitted with the ultimate parade-watching accoutrement — window seats. 1414 Sixth Avenue at 58th Street; 212 703-2001

Hilton Club The Quin (Hilton Club The Quin photo)

Hilton Club The Quin  This luxurious boutique hotel opened in 2013 just in time for Thanksgiving — a stroke of good luck since a generous helping of their east-facing rooms look directly onto the parade. Contact the hotel directly to learn about room service options for Thanksgiving morning. 101 West 57th Street at Sixth Avenue; 212245-7846

Warwick New York lobby (overnightnewyork photo)

Warwick New York Views of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade were probably the last thing publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst thought about in 1926 when he commissioned this 36-story brick tower as an apartment hotel for his Hollywood honey, the starlet Marion Davies. But the hotel is well stocked with rooms in soothing hues that look directly upon the parade. Guests who can’t score a parade-view room can avail themselves of a spot in front of the hotel. 65 54th Street at Sixth Avenue; call Angela Calabrese at 212 314-7728l for information about full-view parade-day rooms.

New York Hilton Midtown lobby. (Hilton New York Midtown photo)

New York Hilton Midtown This behemoth hotel from 1963 is the largest on the parade route and offers guests a staggering array of parade-watching options — nine in all, from premium corner rooms on low floors so you can see the parade arrive and meander along Sixth Avenue to less pricey partial views on higher floors as the parade journeys south to Radio City Music Hall and beyond. Sidewalk watching is restricted to hotel guests, so you may still score a good look if you choose a non-view room. 1335 Sixth Avenue between 53rd and 54th streets; 212 586-7000

Residence Inn Manhattan/Times Square lobby (Residence Inn Manhattan/Times Square photo)

Residence Inn New York Manhattan/Times Square This spacious Residence Inn occupies a prime spot not far from the parade’s grand finale. In addition to suites facing Sixth Avenue, a limited number of corner rooms offer double views, so you can watch the parade arrive and see it march along the avenue. In addition to direct and partial views, the hotel offers sky views, which means you’ll be looking down at the festivities. 1033 Sixth Avenue at 39th Street; 212 380-5003