InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel by IHG

Carved into a full block of East 48th Street between Park and Lexington, the InterContinental Barclay reopened in 2019 after a two-year restoration that kept its 1920s lobby colonnade while rebuilding all rooms above. Grand Central sits four blocks south, a straight walk for commuters using the Lexington Avenue subway lines.

The hotel suits business travellers tied to Midtown East offices and UN delegations working the nearby diplomatic corridor. Cellar Bar, below street level, occupies part of the original vaulted foundation and runs later than most hotel bars in the district.