Row NYC used to be the "it" spot if you wanted to feel like you were living inside a neon-soaked, high-energy music video right in the middle of Times Square. It was massive. We are talking 1,331 rooms. It sat on 8th Avenue, taking up an entire city block between 44th and 45th streets. For years, if you searched for a hotel that balanced "uncomfortably close to the M&M Store" with "actually kinda cool interior design," this was your place.
But things changed. Fast.
If you walk past Row NYC New York today, you aren’t seeing tourists with selfie sticks checking in for a Broadway weekend. The history of this building is basically a mirror of New York City’s own chaotic timeline over the last decade. It went from the flagship Milford Plaza—the "Lullaby of Broadway"—to a hip, millennial-focused rebranding, and then into one of the most discussed emergency shelters in the city's modern history.
From The "Lullaby of Broadway" to Row NYC
To understand why Row NYC New York matters, you have to look at what it was before the 2014 rebranding. It opened in 1928 as the Lincoln Hotel. Back then, it was the height of luxury, designed by the same architects who did the Chanin Building. Later, it became the Milford Plaza. If you grew up in the tri-state area in the 80s or 90s, you definitely remember the commercials. They had actors singing "The Lullaby of Broadway" with a sort of aggressive cheerfulness that only New York can produce.
Then came the transition.
In the early 2010s, a massive investment shifted the vibe. It became Row NYC. They spent something like $140 million on renovations. The goal? Grab the younger crowd who wanted a "lifestyle" hotel. They brought in District M, a cafe-turned-cocktail-lounge, and City Kitchen, which was honestly one of the better food halls in Midtown. You could get Luke’s Lobster or Dough doughnuts without walking twenty blocks. It worked. For a while, it was the quintessential New York experience: tiny rooms, loud hallways, but a lobby that felt like the center of the universe.
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The Pivot That Changed Everything
Then 2020 happened. The pandemic didn't just hurt the hotel industry; it gutted it, especially in high-density spots like Times Square. While many hotels eventually reopened their doors to travelers, the owners of Row NYC—David Werner and Rockpoint Group—faced a different reality. The hotel ended up in a massive foreclosure battle.
By 2022, the building took on a new role.
The city was facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis with the arrival of thousands of asylum seekers. The municipal government needed beds. Thousands of them. Row NYC New York went from being a tourist hub to a Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center (HERRC). This wasn't a small side project. The city ended up leasing the entire building.
It’s a weird feeling to walk past a place where you once had a $15 craft cocktail and see it functioning as a massive intake center. It sparked a lot of debate. Some people praised the city for using existing infrastructure to house people in need. Others, including some neighboring business owners, complained about the impact on the local economy and the "vibe" of 8th Avenue. Whether you agree with the politics of it or not, the fact remains: Row NYC effectively ceased to exist as a hotel for the general public.
What It Is Actually Like Inside Right Now
People often ask if you can still book a room. No. You can't. If you try to go to the official website, you’ll likely find it dead or redirected.
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Inside, the transition has been stark. Reports from various news outlets like the New York Post and The New York Times have painted a complicated picture. The once-glitzy lobby is now a processing area. The "lifestyle" amenities are gone. In their place is a massive logistics operation run by the city and various non-profits.
There have been reports of friction. Security is tight. There have been well-documented issues with food waste and internal conflicts among residents. It's a high-pressure environment. Living in a hotel room sounds fancy, but when you have a family of four in a standard New York "small" room (and Row NYC rooms were notoriously tiny, some under 150 square feet), it’s anything but luxurious. It’s a survival situation.
The Food Hall Situation
City Kitchen, which was the hotel's crowning jewel for foodies, is a shadow of its former self. While parts of it have tried to remain accessible or have transitioned, the synergy of having a thousand tourists upstairs buying $18 lobster rolls is gone.
Why This Matters for Your New York Trip
If you are planning a trip and saw an old blog post recommending Row NYC New York, cross it off your list. Seriously. It’s not an option.
Midtown is changing. The "Hotel Row" area of 8th Avenue is going through a massive identity crisis. With Row NYC out of the commercial inventory, the surrounding hotels like the InterContinental or The Westin have seen shifts in their own pricing and occupancy.
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The loss of 1,300 affordable-ish rooms in Times Square has actually made it harder to find "budget" stays in the heart of the city. You’re now seeing people push further into Long Island City or parts of Brooklyn just to find the price point that Row NYC used to occupy.
The Future: Will It Ever Be a Hotel Again?
This is the billion-dollar question. Literally.
The current contract with the city won't last forever. Eventually, the migrant crisis will reach a new phase, or the funding will shift. When that happens, what do you do with a 1,300-room building that has been used as a shelter for years?
- Option A: The Massive Refurbishment. They could gut it again. Another $100 million+ renovation to turn it back into a trendy hotel.
- Option B: Residential Conversion. New York is desperate for housing. Turning hotel rooms into permanent apartments is legally difficult due to zoning and plumbing codes, but it’s a conversation that’s happening at City Hall.
- Option C: The "Zombie" Building. It stays in legal and financial limbo for years.
Honestly, the most likely outcome is a sale to a major developer who will probably try to reposition it as a mix of affordable and market-rate housing, or a more traditional Hilton/Marriott branded property that has the capital to weather the storm.
Practical Advice for New York Travelers
Since you can't stay at Row NYC, you need alternatives that offer a similar "middle of the action" feel without the current complications.
- The Paramount Hotel: Just a block away. It has that same historic-meets-modern vibe. The lobby is incredible, even if the rooms are also "New York small."
- Moxy NYC Times Square: If you wanted Row NYC for the "cool" factor and the rooftop bars, Moxy is your best bet. It’s specifically designed for the demographic Row NYC was trying to capture.
- Pod Times Square: For the budget-conscious. If you don't mind a "cabin" style room, this is the most logical successor to the Row NYC price point.
Row NYC New York stands as a monument to how quickly things change in this city. It went from a jazz-age icon to a Broadway staple, to a millennial hotspot, to a center of a humanitarian crisis in less than a century. It’s a reminder that in Manhattan, real estate is never just a building; it’s a living, breathing part of the city’s social fabric.
If you’re looking for that specific 8th Avenue energy, you can still find it, but the "Lullaby of Broadway" at this particular address has gone quiet for now.
Actionable Next Steps
- Check Current Status: Always verify hotel listings on a primary aggregator like Booking.com or Expedia before getting your heart set on a specific "older" recommendation. If a hotel isn't showing any availability for the next year, it's likely being used for municipal purposes.
- Expand Your Search: Look toward Hell's Kitchen (just west of 8th Ave) for boutique hotels that offer more value and less Times Square congestion.
- Stay Informed: Follow local news outlets like The City or Crain's New York Business to see the latest on hotel-to-housing conversions, as this will drastically change where you'll stay in NYC over the next three years.