The Westin New York Grand Central
Forty-storey Midtown tower a little more than a block east of Grand Central Terminal
About this hotel
The building at 212 East 42nd Street was designed by Emery Roth & Sons and opened in February 1981 as the Harley of New York, named after Harry and Leona Helmsley. Starwood and Host Hotels reopened it in October 2012 as The Westin New York Grand Central after a renovation that carried the lobby out to 42nd Street. Today the 40-storey tower stands in Turtle Bay, beside the Daily News Building, with Grand Central Terminal a little more than a block to the west and the United Nations about two blocks east. Inside are close to 800 rooms, a restaurant, a bar and a fitness centre, plus valet parking for drivers.
- A little more than one block east of Grand Central Terminal on East 42nd Street
- 40-storey tower with close to 800 rooms
- Opened in 1981 as a Helmsley hotel, a Westin since 2012
- Restaurant, bar and fitness centre
- Valet parking and pets accepted, each with a supplement
Our take
212 East 42nd Street opened in 1981 as the Harley of New York, a Helmsley hotel, and has flown the Westin flag since a 2012 renovation that extended the lobby onto 42nd Street. For a rail traveller the address is the point: Grand Central Terminal is a little more than one block west, so Metro-North trains, the subway at Grand Central-42 St and the Long Island Rail Road at Grand Central Madison are a short walk with a case. Its 40 floors hold close to 800 rooms, a big and efficient operation rather than a personal one. I would pick it for business in East Midtown or at the United Nations, two blocks east. Anyone catching Amtrak should look elsewhere: those trains leave from Penn Station, across town.
- Amtrak does not use Grand Central: trains to Boston, Philadelphia or Washington leave from Penn Station and Moynihan Train Hall on the West Side, so plan a subway or taxi transfer.
- The Long Island Rail Road platforms at Grand Central Madison lie far below the terminal: the MTA puts the walk from the Metro-North concourse at 10 to 12 minutes, and the longest escalators take about 100 seconds.
- From the hotel, walk west on 42nd Street and use the terminal's Lexington Avenue side: Vanderbilt Avenue, the entrance many guides mention, is on the far side of the building.
- Arriving by car or with a pet, both are possible here: valet parking and pets are accepted, each with a supplement.
Why we love it
- Grand Central's trains and five subway services a few minutes away on foot
- A flat walk along 42nd Street, easy with a suitcase
- The United Nations two blocks east for business visits
- Valet parking and pets accepted for travellers who arrive by car
Why guests love itThe Westin New York Grand Central is a large, practical base for any trip that runs through Grand Central Terminal. Metro-North departures for the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines, five subway services at Grand Central-42 St (4, 5, 6, 7 and the shuttle) and the LIRR at Grand Central Madison are all a few minutes west on foot, along the flat pavement of 42nd Street. The tower has 40 floors and close to 800 rooms, with a restaurant, a bar, a fitness centre and valet parking, and pets are accepted with a supplement. Across 4,500 reviews averaging 8.4, guests describe a consistent, well-run stay. Its limit is its character: rooms follow the Westin template, and the building is a 1981 tower, so travellers hoping for a period railway hotel will not find one here.