Dream Midtown: A Newly Hip Manhattan Hotel

Caroline Morse Teel is the Managing Editor for SmarterTravel Media. Follow her on Instagram @TravelWithCaroline.

Caroline joined Boston-based SmarterTravel in 2011 after living in Ireland, London, and Manhattan. She's traveled to all seven continents, jumped out of planes, and bungeed off bridges in the pursuit of a good story. She loves exploring off-the-beaten path destinations, anything outdoorsy, and all things adventure.

Her stories have also appeared online at USA Today, Business Insider, Huffington Post, Yahoo, Boston.com, TripAdvisor, Buzzfeed, Jetsetter, Oyster, Airfarewatchdog, and others.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "Earplugs. A good pair has saved my sleep and sanity many times!"

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E-mail her at cteel@smartertravel.com.

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(Photo: Gregory Goode)

Midtown Manhattan can be a great place to stay (easy access to all subway lines, walking distance to famous attractions, etc.) and also a terrible place to stay (sterile hotels, hoards of tourists, proximity to Olive Garden and Red Lobster). We checked in and checked out the revamped Dream Midtown, which is now a decidedly different hotel than you usually find in the more uptight Times Square area.

(Photo: Dream Midtown)

We had the chance to stay at the hotel after it had completed the first stage of its recent $20 million renovation. Dream Midtown’s makeover started with all of the property’s 220 rooms and the lobby being completely redesigned. The lobby has a chill, relaxing vibe (complete with a massive fish tank) that is very soothing to visitors arriving after a long journey (or day out on the town).

(Photo: Dream Midtown)

The rooms are not the typical beige boxes—guests sleep on a pillow-top mattress topped with feather duvets and 300-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets, under a canopy headboard covered in vibrant fabrics. All of the rooms offer plenty of breathing room (the smallest are 220 square feet), and the suites are especially spacious, ranging from 400 to 1,500 square feet. Some of the suites even have two bathrooms, which is a luxury most New York City apartments don’t even have! The en-suite bathrooms lend a spa-like atmosphere to the hotel, as they are stocked with marble showers and Dead Sea toiletries.

All rooms also have high-tech amenities like wireless charging for your phones and radios with Bluetooth capabilities.

Driving can sometimes be the easiest and fastest way to get in to New York City, but then actually having to deal with keeping the car somewhere while you explore can be more hassle than it’s worth, which is why we appreciated the Dream’s special parking arrangement for guests. The hotel has discounted rates available at a garage (located less than half a block away), where guests can park for just $25 for 24 hours.

The hotel’s signature restaurant is Serafina, a famous Italian eatery with outdoor seating where you can grab a custom cocktail or pizza and people-watch to your heart’s content. We’re even more excited for the rooftop lounge which is slated to open in the summer as part of the massive renovation’s second act.

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