The author was a guest of Kimpton Ashbel New York – Park Avenue. All opinions are the author’s own, and Kimpton Ashbel New York Park Avenue had no input in any part of this review.
The Kimpton Ashbel New York – Park Avenue is one of New York City’s newest hotels, but the building dates back nearly a century. It opened in 1928 as the Doral Park Avenue Hotel before becoming Kimpton’s first New York City hotel in 2004. Iberostar took over the property in 2016, and a decade later, it returned to Kimpton in April 2026 following a major renovation.
I visited for 3 nights in late July 2026 with my wife and 3 daughters on our way home after a trip to Spain. We wanted a comfortable Midtown hotel that made it easy to explore the city without staying in the middle of the Times Square chaos.
Here are 6 things I liked about the new Kimpton Ashbel, plus a few things families should know before booking.
1. Cash and Points Rates Were Surprisingly Reasonable
Cash rates at the Kimpton Ashbel for a king room start around $199 per night, or about 26,000 IHG One Rewards points for standard award nights. Although pricing varies by date and demand, I found both the cash and points rates for my late-July stay to be excellent. A room with 2 queen beds that accommodates up to 4 guests is typically only a few thousand points more.
The relatively low award rates also make the hotel a good place to use an IHG One Rewards free night certificate, which typically covers nights costing up to 40,000 points.
I initially planned for all 5 of us to share a room with 2 queen beds. But after several weeks of traveling together, I decided we would be more comfortable with more space. I used my wife’s IHG One Rewards free night certificate from her IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card to book a second room for 1 night. Cash rates were very reasonable for the other 2 nights, so I booked those with cash.
My twins shared the second room, and my wife, our youngest daughter, and I stayed in the original room. Having 2 rooms — and, more importantly, 2 bathrooms — made our stay much more comfortable without adding a huge expense.
2. The Location Was Convenient Without Feeling Chaotic
The Kimpton Ashbel sits on New York’s famed Park Avenue, but the area immediately surrounding the hotel is quiet and mostly residential. It’s only an avenue away from the much busier Lexington Avenue and 2 avenues from the crowds and shopping along Fifth Avenue, yet it felt noticeably removed from Midtown’s constant activity.
The nearest Grand Central Terminal entrance is just 3 blocks away, making it easy to take the subway almost anywhere in the city. We also walked to Fifth Avenue, Bryant Park, Broadway, and Times Square during our stay, with most of those trips taking less than 25 minutes by foot or under 15 minutes by taxi or a ride-share.
For example, one evening we walked from the hotel to the Minskoff Theatre in Times Square to see “The Lion King” on Broadway. The walk took around 25 minutes, but it was manageable for our family in the mild weather.
Being able to reach a Broadway show on foot and then return to a much quieter part of Midtown was one of the best things about the hotel’s location.
3. Returning to the Hotel Felt Like Coming Home
From the moment we arrived, the small check-in desk reminded me more of a residential building’s reception area than a traditional hotel lobby. The surrounding foyer and living-room-style spaces added to the apartment-like feeling.
The immediate neighborhood matched the atmosphere inside. I lived on Manhattan’s Upper East Side many years ago, and this stretch of Park Avenue reminded me more of that experience than staying in Midtown. It felt quiet and residential, with apartment buildings and medical offices nearby, and most of Midtown’s noise and commercial activity was just an avenue or two away.
By the end of our 3-night stay, coming back with my family felt more like returning to an apartment building than walking into a hotel. We recognized the doorman and the people at the front desk, and that familiarity made the experience feel warm and genuinely welcoming.
4. Our 2-Queen Room Was Comfortable by Manhattan Standards
Rooms at the Kimpton Ashbel start at 225 square feet. Our room with 2 queen beds measured 240 square feet. That isn’t huge, but it would have given the 5 of us — 2 adults and 3 children — just enough room to make it work, which isn’t always a given in Manhattan.
One thing I appreciated is that the hotel uses queen- or king-size beds throughout its rooms. Our room had 2 actual queen-size beds rather than the smaller double beds still commonly found in many New York City hotels.
Our room felt fresh and well put together, with comfortable beds, attractive flooring, beautiful bathroom tile, and the same calm color palette found throughout the hotel. The air-conditioning kept the room comfortably cool during our summer stay, and the TV made it easy to sign in and stream our own shows and movies.
5. It’s Particularly Good for Families
Although the hotel’s design and style feel polished and sophisticated, the Kimpton Ashbel is a family-friendly hotel in Manhattan. I was surprised by how many families with young children were staying at the same time as us. Even with so many kids around, the hotel remained relatively quiet and never lost its charming, upscale residential feel.
The hotel has 205 rooms, including 14 connecting rooms. That makes connecting rooms a useful option for larger families (like mine), though the limited number of rooms available means they can be difficult to secure.
The Kimpton Ashbel isn’t packed with resort-style amenities. Its appeal to families is much more practical: It gives parents and children a comfortable, calm place to recharge while keeping them close to the attractions they came to New York to experience.
That was exactly what my family needed. We weren’t planning to spend our days hanging around the hotel. We wanted a convenient Midtown Manhattan home base where we could recharge between sightseeing, shopping, meals, and a Broadway show.
6. Familiar Staff Made the Stay Feel Personal
The residential feeling I keep mentioning wasn’t just about the hotel’s design or neighborhood. Its boutique size meant we regularly saw the same people at the door and the front desk, and it didn’t take long for them to recognize my family whenever we came and went.
Several employees I spoke with had worked at the property for years, staying through its transition from Kimpton to Iberostar and now back to Kimpton. They knew the building’s history well and seemed at home working there.
By the end of our 3-night stay, our conversations with the staff felt easy and natural. Everyone we encountered was warm, friendly, and helpful, and we never felt like just another family passing through a busy NYC hotel — a rarity in Midtown Manhattan.
Final Thoughts
For my family, staying a little removed from the crowds of Times Square and the tourist-heavy stretch of Fifth Avenue turned out to be a great move. We could walk or take a short cab ride almost anywhere in Midtown, while a Grand Central Terminal entrance was only 3 blocks away when we wanted to explore farther.
The Kimpton Ashbel gave us exactly what I wanted: a convenient location, a comfortable room, and a warm residential vibe without making us feel like we were staying in the middle of Midtown Manhattan’s busy tourist areas.
At similar rates, I’d likely book it again the next time I’m in New York City.