The Benjamin Royal Sonesta New York
5-star hotel · Midtown East, New York
Long Weekend score
GoodNo serious reports. in 296 reviews
Guests rate nearly every hotel highly: half the hotels in New York are rated 8.4 out of 10 or more. So our score shows how a hotel compares with the rest, not how luxurious it is.
- Rated higher than 56% of New York hotels
- 75% of guest comments are praise
- 85% of guest photos show no damage
How this score is made
- Rated higher than 56% of New York hotels. Compared with 819 hotels in New York. Counts for 50% of the score.
- 75% of guest comments are praise. 556 praise, 182 complain. Counts for 30% of the score.
- 85% of guest photos show no damage. 51 of 60 photos. Counts for 20% of the score.
- Serious reports are never counted in. They are flagged beside the score, because one matters even when everything else is good.
- $366 a nighttypical for two, before tax · from $228
- 1 min walkto East 50th Street & Lexington Avenue at Northwest Corner station
- 296 guest reviewsfrom the last 2 years
- 60 guest photostheirs, not the hotel's
At a glance
For
- 11 min walk to Rockefeller Center817 m by road
- A station within walking distanceEast 50th Street & Lexington Avenue at Northwest Corner is 44 m away
- Private balcony8 guest photos show it
- Location155 praise · 0 complain
- Room size78 praise · 6 complain
Against
- Guest photos show wear and dirt9 of the 60 photos guests took, and 0 of the hotel's 40
- Quiet at nightcomplaints rising: 12.0 in 100 a year ago, 16.8 now44 complain · 15 praise
- Room conditioncomplaints falling: 10.3 in 100 a year ago, 4.5 now20 complain · 15 praise
- Complaints the hotel left unresolvedcomplaints falling: 11.1 in 100 a year ago, 6.7 now25 of 296 guests
- Unexpected charges and refunds19 of 296 guests
What guests reported
What guests say
296 reviews from the last 2 years. Most praised: location (155 guests). Weakest: quiet at night, where 44 of the 59 who mention it complain.
Location1550Strength
Beautiful rooms convenient to what we wanted to do.
Google, November 2025, rated 5/5 by this guest
Location is walkable to so much.
Google, July 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Beds331Strength
Some minor service hiccups and slightly dated decor, but comfy beds and unbeatable location make up for it.
Google, February 2026, rated 4/5 by this guest
Room was really nice, clean, good location, super comfortable beds.
Booking network, April 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
Food151Strength
Amazing place, really friendly and high-quality and standards and comfortable and amazing rooms and dining choices , second visit and would happily come back again as also a great location
Google, September 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Good location and good restaurant
Booking network, May 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
Room sizecomplaints rising: 0.9 in 100 a year ago, 2.8 now786Strength
The room was big, well designed and well maintained.
Booking network, January 2026, rated 10/10 by this guest
The suite we rented was comfortable and spacious, with full facilities including a fully equipped kitchenette and two walk-in closets.
Booking network, October 2025, rated 9/10 by this guest
Suite layout basically has a bathroom with no room
Booking network, June 2026, rated 5/10 by this guest
Staff15250Mostly good
Bell person was really lovely who took up our bags.
Booking network, December 2025, rated 6/10 by this guest
The service is very professional at all times.
Google, February 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Some of the staff could be nicer and kinder!
Google, October 2026, rated 2/5 by this guest
Breakfast73Mostly good
Breakfast was good but not great.
Booking network, September 2026, rated 10/10 by this guest
A real highlight was the breakfast we booked at the hotel.
Google, June 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Cleanliness6037Mostly good
Location was good,good size room , kitchenette was nice to have, place was clean
Booking network, December 2025, rated 8/10 by this guest
The rooms are very spacious and clean, the staff were very friendly and we were able to get a late checkout till 2pm for free.
Booking network, March 2026, rated 9/10 by this guest
Housekeeping was missed on more than one occasion which was disappointing.
Booking network, October 2025, rated 8/10 by this guest
Value2116Split
Considering the price, the one thing this hotel has going for it is - Location!!
Booking network, May 2026, rated 6/10 by this guest
We don’t want to give away our hidden gem but this is by far the most bang for your buck in this neighborhood!
Google, March 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Excellent value for money, for the price we paid
Google, October 2025, rated 5/5 by this guest
Views54Split
Window facing inside the courtyard, terrible view.
Booking network, August 2026, rated 9/10 by this guest
Wish we'd had a better view as our room looked at the hotel air conditioner.
Tripadvisor, September 2025, rated 4/5 by this guest
We were able to upgrade to a terrace room for $50 which had plenty of space to hang outside and a great view of Lexington.
Google, August 2025, rated 5/5 by this guest
Room conditioncomplaints falling: 10.3 in 100 a year ago, 4.5 now1520Split
Property could use some updating but I will take clean, spacious and safe over the looks.
Booking network, August 2026, rated 9/10 by this guest
However it can be difficult to get a response from some staff, the linens and pillows need refreshing, and the facilities are mildly backed up and consistently odiferous.
Booking network, October 2025, rated 6/10 by this guest
Renovated, very comfortable.
Booking network, May 2026, rated 9/10 by this guest
Quiet at nightcomplaints rising: 12.0 in 100 a year ago, 16.8 now1544Weak spot
The hotel was a 10/10, the only downside was that we were on the 3rd floor and the street noise was unbearable; they should install double glazing or do something about it.
Google, November 2025, rated 5/5 by this guest
The air conditioning in the room was noisy but absolutely necessary and it did its job.
Google, July 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Being on the 11th floor was not high enough to not hear the blaring EMS's at all hours.
Booking network, August 2026, rated 9/10 by this guest
Who stays, and their score out of 10
From every review of the last two years that gives a score and says who travelled, including those with no words.
All 974 Google ratings
Problems guests raised
Raised most: complaints the hotel left unresolved, in 25 of 296 reviews.
Complaints the hotel left unresolvedcomplaints falling: 11.1 in 100 a year ago, 6.7 now25 of 2961 in 12 reviews
Three days later the amount is still being held and they ignore of course all my emails so far.
Booking network, August 2026, rated 3/10 by this guest
We reported the issue to the team, but unfortunately, it was never addressed or fixed during our entire week-long visit.
Google, August 2026, rated 3/5 by this guest
Unexpected charges and refunds19 of 2961 in 16 reviews
It's a shame they add a room service fee at check-in that totals more than $230 for amenities like a $15 minibar ($12 for a bottle of water), a gym, and WiFi.
Google, December 2025, rated 3/5 by this guest
Surprise security deposit payment upon check in.
Booking network, June 2026, rated 7/10 by this guest
Problems in the bathroom17 of 2961 in 17 reviews
Hot water didn’t work for 2 of the 3 days properly.
Booking network, September 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
The water pressure is very low, and the AC is quite noisy, making it hard to sleep with it on.
Booking network, October 2025, rated 9/10 by this guest
The liftcomplaints rising: 2.6 in 100 a year ago, 7.3 now16 of 2961 in 18 reviews
There were constant issues with the elevators, and one of them was completely out of order, which caused significant inconvenience.
Booking network, January 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
The rooms are fantastic, although having only two elevators for 25 floors can sometimes be a problem, especially if one breaks down.
Google, November 2025, rated 5/5 by this guest
Something broken in the roomcomplaints falling: 6.0 in 100 a year ago, 2.8 now12 of 2961 in 25 reviews
Despite being newly refurbished, room was quite run down, laminate coming up, blinds torn and off centre, stains on floor
Booking network, August 2025, rated 6/10 by this guest
Electric blinds in the room were half broken.
Booking network, July 2025, rated 6/10 by this guest
Not as shown or bookedcomplaints falling: 5.1 in 100 a year ago, 2.2 now10 of 2961 in 30 reviews
That in booking is said five stars, but it was only four stars.
Booking network, July 2026, rated 7/10 by this guest
Suite had some facility issues like furniture on balcony was minimal and not representative of the photos.
Booking network, July 2025, rated 8/10 by this guest
Serious reports
None found in 296 reviews.
Photos, checked
9 of the 60 guest photos we checked show damage or dirt (15%).
Guest photos showing damage or dirt9 of 6015%
Of 60 guest photos, 9 show damage or dirt: stains in 2, building work in 2, dirty surfaces in 2 and pests in 2, and some photos show more than one. Of the hotel's own 40, 0 do.
Guests’ photos confirm: private balcony (8).
The hotel says it has no swimming pool, spa or hot tub.
Price, place and rooms
Price
$366 is a typical night, from 299 dates checked in the coming year.
Weekends cost the same as weekdays
A typical night, month by month
Cheapest month: Jan 2027, $260Dearest month: Dec 2026, $521
Prices on booking sites, the day we checked
What each seller advertised on the one day we checked, so these sit outside the year-wide figures above and can fall below the typical price.
- Super.com$388
- Vio.com$405
- deals.goseek.com$405
- deals.etrip.net$405
- hotelsinamerica.com$411
- prestigia.com$411
- Kayak$412
- hotelscombined.com$412
Lowest advertised nightly rate for two adults; taxes and local fees are not included. Shown in US dollars.
Nearby
East 50th Street & Lexington Avenue at Northwest Corner station is 44 m away by road, about 1 minute on foot.
- Nearest station: East 50th Street & Lexington Avenue at Northwest Corner1 min walk44 m by road
- Nearest main road: 3rd Avenue131 m
- Nearest shop: Amazon Go4 min walk288 m by road
- Rockefeller Center11 min walk817 m by road
- Times Square21 min walk1.6 km by road
- The Empire State Building26 min walk1.9 km by road
- The Brooklyn Bridge6.9 km
The lines are 5, 10 and 15 minutes on foot.
Distances follow the streets, not straight lines.
Rooms
22 room types, from 23 to 151 m².
- Queen Room23 m²Sleeps 2
- Room Selected at Check In23 m²Sleeps 21 Double bedBalcony in its photos
- Double Room23 m²Sleeps 2
- Standard Room, 1 King Bed (Guestroom)23 m²Sleeps 2Bathtub
- Double Room26 m²Sleeps 2
- Deluxe Studio, 2 Double Beds28 m²Sleeps 4Bathtub
The other 16 room types
- Deluxe Studio, 1 King Bed28 m²Sleeps 2Bathtub
- Deluxe Studio30 m²Sleeps 42 Queen bed
- Quadruple Room30 m²Sleeps 4Not stated
- Double Room30 m²Sleeps 2
- Double Room30 m²Sleeps 2
- Deluxe King Studio30 m²Sleeps 2
- One-Bedroom King Suite42 m²Sleeps 4
- Suite42 m²Sleeps 21 super-king bed + 1 Sofa bed
- Queen Suite42 m²Sleeps 4
- One Bedroom Suite Queen Bed Accessible42 m²Sleeps 4Bathtub
- Quadruple Room51 m²Sleeps 41 Queen bed
- Quadruple Room51 m²Sleeps 4Not stated
- Deluxe One-Bedroom Suite51 m²Sleeps 4Balcony
- Suite91 m²Sleeps 21 super-king bed
- Suite151 m²Sleeps 31 super-king bed
- Suite, 1 Bedroom (1 Queen)Not statedSleeps 4Bathtub
From the hotel's own room descriptions, checked against each room's photos.
How it compares
How it ranks
Guests who booked rate it 8.6 out of 10. 56% of the 819 hotels in New York are rated lower, and a typical one is rated 8.4.
Every review site, out of 100
13 Google reviewers ticked "Quiet", yet 44 guests complain about noise.
If quiet at night matters to you
Here, 44 of the 59 guests who mention quiet at night complain. These nearby hotels do better on it.
More hotels in New York
The nearest first, with our score for each.
How we know
296 reviews counted · 100 photos checked · updated 10 October 2026
- We collected this hotel's 891 most recent reviews from Google, Tripadvisor and the Booking network. 296 of them describe a stay in the last 2 years and are the ones counted here; the rest were 133 older, 152 in other languages and 310 with a score but no words.
- The hotel replied to 0 of its 200 newest Google reviews.
- 7 in every 100 reviews thank a staff member by name.
- 13 reviews mention a free upgrade, a cake or a gift.
- We looked at 100 photos: the first 40 of the hotel's own and the 60 newest from guests.
- Every number on this page is counted, not estimated. Anything in quotation marks is a guest's own words.