New York Marriott Marquis — Times Square Front Door, Connecting Rooms for Families
Picture stepping out of your hotel and finding yourself standing at Times Square — Broadway across the street, the Disney Store two minutes away, Rockefeller Center a five-minute walk. That is what Marriott Marquis delivers every single morning. Score 8.4/10 from over 3,100 verified Booking.com reviews. TripAdvisor ranks it #1 among Times Square hotels. Honest take: if you are travelling with family and want the kind of location where every morning starts with choices rather than logistics — this is the clearest answer in Manhattan.
Most midtown Manhattan hotels ask you to walk a block or two before New York actually starts. Marriott Marquis does not — you are already in the middle of it the moment you step outside. The hotel at 1535 Broadway sits directly on Times Square: the LED billboard wall is right there, Broadway theaters are across the street, and the whole square is your front yard. Guests with families write about this consistently in their reviews: children who wake up and immediately want to go to the window, morning walks to Disney Store before breakfast. The numbers support it — 8.4/10 from over 3,100 Booking.com reviews and TripAdvisor #1 among Times Square hotels is not achieved by a mediocre property.
"We pulled back the curtain at 2am — Times Square was fully lit, glowing into the room. The kids woke up and refused to sleep again. Worth every dollar just for that moment."
The rooms were renovated in 2022, which makes the Marriott Marquis feel noticeably fresher than many Midtown competitors at the same price point. The standout for families is the Connecting room configuration — three options: Family Room (2 Queens) from $279–380 per night, Connecting King + Queen at $420–620, and One-Bedroom Family Suite from $580–850. One important practical note: to get a connecting room with a working connecting door, you need to book it as a single Connecting reservation and note the connecting door request in special requests. Booking two separate rooms and hoping for a connected door does not work at this property — multiple guest reviews flag this explicitly. Plan ahead and it is smooth; overlook it and you will be frustrated at check-in.
What makes the hotel more than just a great address: the lobby is on the 8th floor, reached by glass elevators running up through a full-height atrium — genuinely impressive, especially for children experiencing it for the first time. The Revolving Restaurant Lounge at the top offers a 360° Manhattan panorama as the room slowly turns. More practically, the hotel has a Broadway ticket desk in the lobby — no queuing at TKTS, no detours. Lion King, Wicked, Hamilton, whatever the family wants — handled from the hotel floor. The Fitness Center runs 24 hours. Wi-Fi is free throughout.
Getting around from here requires almost no planning. The Times Square–42nd Street station — serving the 1-2-3, N-Q-R-W, and 7 lines — is directly outside. You can reach Central Park in 10 minutes on foot, MoMA in 5, Penn Station in 10. For World Cup 2026: MetLife Stadium is in New Jersey, reached by NJ Transit from Penn Station (10-minute walk from the hotel) in roughly 35–45 minutes. On match days, trains fill fast — allow at least 90 minutes from the hotel to your seat.
A few things worth saying plainly, as a friend would: there is no swimming pool. If a pool is a firm requirement for the family, this is not the right hotel — look at Four Seasons Downtown or Thompson Central Park instead. Times Square is loud and very crowded, particularly on weekends and during major events — the lobby can get packed during peak season and World Cup week. The rooms are not large by five-star standards: that is the inherent trade-off of a Midtown Manhattan address. Guests who want generous square footage will need to step up to suite pricing.
To put it directly: Marriott Marquis is the right answer for families where the question is 'how do we make every day in New York as efficient and memorable as possible?' The location eliminates the taxi-and-logistics overhead that other hotels carry. The connecting room options solve the family-sleep puzzle properly. The 2022 renovation means you are not paying 5-star rates for a tired product. Over 3,100 guests have confirmed this in writing. If you need a pool, silence, or a sub-$200 rate — there are other hotels in our New York list that match those requirements specifically.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Best location in NYC for families — Broadway, Disney Store, M&M World within 2-minute walk
- ✓ Booking.com 3,100+ reviews, largest pool among Times Square hotels
- ✓ Multiple Connecting room configurations to suit different family sizes
- ✓ Renovated 2022 — rooms and lobby feel fresher than many Midtown competitors
- ! No swimming pool — if a pool is a requirement, look at other properties
- ! Times Square is loud and very crowded, especially on weekends
- ✓ Times Square–42 St subway station at the front door — all major lines covered
- ✓ Broadway ticket desk in the lobby, no queuing outside
- ✓ Revolving Lounge with 360° Manhattan views
- ! Room sizes are modest for a five-star — trade-off of the Midtown address
- ! Lobby can be very busy during peak season and World Cup events
- 💡If you need a swimming pool · Marriott Marquis has no pool · For families requiring one, look at Four Seasons Downtown or Thompson Central Park instead
- 💡If your budget is below $200/night · Connecting rooms here start at $279+ · Consider Moxy Times Square or other options in our list
- 💡If you want quiet and calm surroundings · Times Square is the busiest neighborhood in New York around the clock · Look at hotels in Upper East Side or Chelsea for a calmer base
Heading to New York for the World Cup?
New York is a 2026 host city — see our full World Cup guide (matches, where to stay, tickets, visa) plus how to reach MetLife Stadium on match day.