You’ve probably walked past it. If you’ve spent any time trekking between Central Park and Hell’s Kitchen, that massive brick facade on West 57th Street was just... there. It was a fixture. For decades, The Watson New York Hotel served as the reliable, mid-range backbone of Midtown West tourism. It wasn't the Ritz, but it had a pool on the roof and it didn't cost a mortgage payment to stay there for a weekend.
Then things got weird.
If you try to book a room at The Watson today, you’ll hit a wall of "Sold Out" calendars or broken links. It didn't just go out of business in the way a dusty boutique hotel might; it underwent one of the most drastic identity shifts in New York City real estate history. The transition from a tourist hub to an emergency migrant center, and eventually its sale to a private school, is a case study in how fast Manhattan changes. People keep asking what happened to the place. Honestly, the answer tells you more about the current state of New York City than any travel brochure ever could.
The Reality of Staying at the Watson
Let’s be real about what the hotel actually was before the chaos started.
Located at 440 West 57th Street, it was huge. We’re talking 600 rooms. For years, it operated under various flags—most notably as a Holiday Inn for a long stretch—before rebranding as The Watson. It was the kind of place European tour groups loved. You got a clean bed, a decent desk, and you were close enough to Columbus Circle to feel like you were "in it" without the Times Square noise.
The big draw? The rooftop pool.
In Manhattan, a pool is a unicorn. The Watson’s seasonal outdoor pool was legendary among budget travelers. You’d be up there, surrounded by skyscrapers, cooling off after a day of walking through the humid concrete canyons. It wasn't glamorous. The tiles were a bit dated. The elevators were notoriously slow. But it worked. It was a functional, massive machine of a hotel that catered to the middle class in a city that is increasingly hostile to anything that isn't "luxury."
The Pivot No One Saw Coming
The pandemic broke the hotel industry. That's not news. But the way The Watson responded was unique. As tourism dried up, the city needed space for a massive influx of asylum seekers. In early 2023, the city's Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers (HERRC) program took over the building.
It was a total shift.
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Suddenly, the lobby wasn't full of families from Ohio or tourists from London. It became a focal point for the city’s migrant crisis. This led to a high-profile standoff in January 2023. When the city tried to move single men from The Watson to a new mega-shelter at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, many refused to go. They camped out on the sidewalk in the winter cold. It was a PR nightmare for the Adams administration and a heartbreaking look at the logistical failures of the city’s housing infrastructure.
For months, the hotel was essentially off the market for travelers. It became a symbol. Depending on who you asked, it was either a necessary sanctuary or a sign of Midtown’s decline. But while the headlines focused on the protesters on the sidewalk, a much bigger deal was happening behind closed doors in the real estate world.
Why The Watson Won't Be a Hotel Again
If you’re waiting for the "Grand Reopening" of The Watson, don't hold your breath.
In a massive $150 million deal, the building was sold. The buyer? Touro University.
This is the part that most travel blogs miss. The Watson isn't just "closed for renovations." It is being fundamentally repurposed. Touro, a private university system, is turning the massive complex into a centralized campus. They’re moving their headquarters and several of their schools—including the New York School of Career and Applied Studies—into the 57th Street space.
Think about the scale of that. Transforming a 600-room hotel into a vertical campus requires gutting the place. The rooms are becoming classrooms. The ballrooms are becoming lecture halls. The "hotel" as we knew it is dead. It’s a permanent change in the neighborhood's fabric. Instead of tourists with rolling suitcases, the corner of 9th Avenue and 57th Street will eventually be flooded with students and faculty.
The Architecture and the Neighborhood Vibe
The building itself is an interesting piece of 1960s architecture. It’s a bit of a hulking beast. While the skyscrapers around it have become glass needles, The Watson remains a sturdy, blocky presence.
The neighborhood, often called "Midtown West" or "Clinton," has always been a weird mix. To the west, you have the Hudson River and the West Side Highway. To the east, you have the high-end retail of 5th Avenue. The Watson sat right in the middle of this transition. It was close to Mount Sinai West (formerly St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital), which gave the area a busy, slightly sterile, institutional feel.
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Staying there meant you were steps away from:
- John Jay College of Criminal Justice
- The CBS Broadcast Center
- The back of Lincoln Center
It wasn't a "pretty" part of town, but it was functional. That’s why the Touro University purchase makes so much sense. The area is already an educational and medical corridor. A hotel was almost the outlier in recent years.
Comparing the "Old" Watson to Nearby Options
Since you can't stay at The Watson anymore, what are the alternatives? If you loved the Watson for its location and (relative) affordability, your options are shrinking.
- The Empire Hotel: Just a few blocks north. It has the same "big hotel" energy and a famous rooftop bar, but it’s significantly more expensive.
- Hudson Hotel: This used to be the cool, Philippe Starck-designed neighbor. Guess what? It also closed and is being converted into apartments.
- The Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott New York Manhattan/Central Park: This is probably the closest spiritual successor. It’s modern, it’s nearby, but it lacks the scale and that weird, 1960s charm the Watson had.
The disappearance of these massive, mid-range hotels is a problem for NYC. We are losing "bulk" housing for tourists. When 600 rooms vanish overnight, the remaining hotels can hike their prices. It makes New York even more of an elite playground.
The Controversy That Lingers
You can't talk about The Watson New York Hotel without addressing the controversy of the migrant relocation. It was a mess.
In January 2023, the scenes outside the hotel were chaotic. Migrants, mostly from Venezuela, argued that the Brooklyn terminal they were being moved to was "unlivable" and "like a prison." The city argued it was a necessary move to make room for families at The Watson.
It highlighted a massive gap in communication. The hotel became a flashpoint for national political debates. For a few weeks, it was the most famous hotel in America for all the wrong reasons. News crews were permanently stationed on the corner. Local residents were divided. Some brought food and blankets to the sidewalk; others complained about the loss of their "quiet" neighborhood.
Eventually, the sidewalk was cleared. The city moved the residents. But the stigma stuck for a while. It’s likely one of the reasons the owners were so eager to sell the building and wash their hands of the hotel business entirely.
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Practical Insights for the Modern Traveler
If you were a regular at The Watson, or if you had it bookmarked for a future trip, here is what you need to know now.
The Pool is Gone Forever
Don't search for "NYC hotels with pools" expecting to find this one. If a rooftop pool is your deal-breaker, look at The Jimmy at ModernHaus or the Dream Downtown. Just be prepared to pay three times what you paid at The Watson.
Midtown West is Shifting
The area between 55th and 59th Street is becoming a massive institutional hub. Between the hospital, the university, and the luxury towers on Billionaire's Row just a block over, the "middle" is being squeezed out. If you want that old Hell's Kitchen vibe, you have to go further south, down toward 42nd Street.
Don't Trust Old Reviews
If you see a review from 2019 talking about the "great breakfast buffet" or the "easy check-in," ignore it. That world no longer exists. The building is a construction site/educational facility now.
Moving Forward: Your Best Strategy
New York doesn't wait for you to catch up. The loss of The Watson New York Hotel is a reminder that in Manhattan, real estate is the only constant.
If you are looking for a replacement, focus your search on the Long Island City area. It’s just one subway stop away from Midtown, and it’s where all the mid-range, high-capacity hotels are being built now. You’ll get a newer room for a better price, even if you lose the "Midtown" zip code.
For those who simply want to see the building one last time, go grab a bagel at a local deli on 9th Avenue and walk past. You’ll see the Touro University signs going up. It’s a new chapter. It’s not the one we expected, but it’s the one New York decided on.
What to do next:
- Check out The Belvedere or The Manhattan at Times Square if you need large-capacity hotels in a similar price bracket.
- Research the Moxy Hotels in Chelsea or the East Village for a more modern (albeit smaller) room experience.
- If you're a student or faculty member, keep an eye on the Touro University website for updates on when the new 57th Street campus officially opens its doors for the academic year.
The era of the "big, cheap Midtown hotel" is ending. The Watson was one of the last of its kind. Its transformation is a signal that the city is prioritizing education and permanent infrastructure over the transient tourism models of the past. It’s a tough pill to swallow for the budget traveler, but it’s the reality of 2026 Manhattan.