Riu Plaza New York Times Square

Four hundred rooms above the west side of Times Square, Riu Plaza occupies a tower on 46th Street where upper-floor city views sweep from Midtown to the Hudson. The hotel's rooftop bar ranks among the better open-air perches in the neighborhood, with sightlines down Seventh Avenue that most Times Square hotels charge a premium cover to match.

The restaurant and bar run through late evening, useful given the area's lack of affordable sit-down options. Rooms carry refrigerators, coffee machines, and blackout curtains — practical details that matter in a district where light and noise rarely stop.

Broadway's theater row starts one block east; the Port Authority Bus Terminal is a four-minute walk for New Jersey connections. Check-out extends to midnight, an unusual grace period that suits red-eye travelers arriving from JFK or Newark.