4* Riu Plaza Times Square

If you want classic five-star Manhattan in a very central location, The Langham, New York, Fifth Avenue does it exceptionally well. It sits between Bryant Park and the Empire State Building, with Fifth Avenue shopping, Grand Central and the Theatre District all easily accessible. Rooms and suites are unusually spacious for Midtown, many with striking skyline views. Ai Fiori remains one of the hotel’s strongest features, serving French- and Italian-Riviera-inspired food, while Bar Fiori handles cocktails and lighter plates. There’s also a modern fitness centre and Langham Club for guests booking qualifying rooms. Hell’s Kitchen’s gay nightlife isn’t directly outside, but it’s straightforward by subway or taxi and perfectly manageable as part of a Midtown stay. GayMapper tip: Best suited to travellers who want polished, grown-up luxury and an outstanding central base rather than a nightlife-led hotel.

If nights out are a major part of your New York plans, the location of 414 Hotel is hard to argue with. It sits on West 46th Street in Hell’s Kitchen, only a few minutes from the main concentration of gay bars along Ninth and Tenth avenues, while Times Square and Broadway are equally easy to reach. Set across two red-brick townhouses, this is a much smaller and more personal stay than the big Midtown chains. Rooms face either the street or internal garden and include mini-fridges and free WiFi, while guests share a useful kitchenette area. The little courtyard is a welcome escape from the neighbourhood outside. GayMapper tip: A particularly good choice if you want to spend your evenings in Hell’s Kitchen and would rather stay somewhere small and characterful than in a large Times Square hotel.

For a gay weekend centred on Hell’s Kitchen, citizenM New York Times Square is exceptionally well placed. You’re on West 50th Street, with Broadway and Times Square in one direction and the main gay bars around Ninth and Tenth avenues only a few minutes away in the other. Rooms are deliberately compact but cleverly designed around an XL king bed, rainfall shower and tablet-controlled lighting, blinds and entertainment. Downstairs, the oversized living-room-style lobby gives you much more space, canteenM serves food and drinks around the clock, and the rooftop cloudM bar has excellent Manhattan views. There’s also an unusually impressive high-floor gym. GayMapper tip: Ideal for couples or solo travellers who are happy with a compact room in return for one of the best combinations of design, social spaces and gay-nightlife location in Midtown.

Brooklyn gives you a very different New York stay, and Hotel Le Bleu makes a comfortable base on the edge of Park Slope and Gowanus. Park Slope has its own LGBTQ-friendly community and nightlife, while subway connections make both Manhattan and the livelier queer scenes farther north in Brooklyn easy to reach. The 48-room boutique hotel has a bright contemporary look, with comfortable beds, rainfall showers and free WiFi. Some rooms add balconies or Manhattan skyline views, while complimentary limited parking is a genuinely unusual perk if you happen to be arriving with a car. Barclays Center, Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Museum are also nearby, so there's plenty to do without crossing the East River. GayMapper tip: A strong choice if you want to experience residential Brooklyn rather than simply using it as somewhere cheaper to sleep.

If your gym routine normally disappears the moment you go on holiday, Equinox Hotel New York rather dramatically removes that excuse. The Hudson Yards property is built around fitness, recovery and sleep, with hotel guests receiving access to the huge Equinox club and its indoor saltwater lap pool, outdoor pool and extensive training facilities. The spa goes equally hard on wellness, with everything from massage and skin treatments to cryotherapy and infrared sauna, while rooms have been designed around soundproofing and sleep optimisation. Hudson Yards, the High Line and the Hudson River are on the doorstep. Hell’s Kitchen’s main gay nightlife around Ninth and Tenth avenues is about a 15–20 minute walk north-east. GayMapper tip: Probably the most distinctive luxury hotel on this list if fitness, spa time and serious wellness are an important part of your trip.

Just one block from Central Park, 1 Hotel Central Park takes the usual Midtown luxury formula in a much more natural direction. Reclaimed materials, greenery and sustainable design run throughout the property, including the distinctive living green façade. Rooms combine warm timber and stone with modern comforts, while the fitness centre and in-room wellness touches make it easy to keep some semblance of a routine amid New York excess. Jams, from chef Jonathan Waxman, serves seasonal market-led food downstairs. You’re brilliantly placed for Central Park, Fifth Avenue and MoMA. The main gay nightlife of Hell’s Kitchen is farther west, but easily reached on foot or with a quick taxi or subway hop. GayMapper tip: An excellent luxury choice if sightseeing, Central Park and sustainability matter more than having a gay bar around the corner.