LEED Certified hotels in New York City at the base tier (50–59 points) are rare. This list covers three verified properties confirmed against the USGBC public project directory, excluding any hotel holding Silver, Gold, or Platinum status. Every hotel here earned the base-level designation, nothing higher and nothing unverified.
What base-level LEED certification means
The U.S. Green Building Council awards LEED Certified status to buildings that score between 50 and 59 points across categories including energy efficiency, water use, indoor air quality, and materials sourcing. Base-level certification sits below Silver (60–79), Gold (80–89), and Platinum (80+). A hotel at this tier has cleared a meaningful threshold, but it has not reached the higher tiers that dominate most green hotel marketing. If you want Silver or Gold properties, we have separate pages for those certification levels.
How we verified each hotel on this list
Each hotel was cross-referenced against the USGBC project directory at usgbc.org/projects. We checked the exact certification level, the year awarded, and whether the hotel still operates under the same name and brand as of 2026. Any property showing Silver, Gold, or Platinum in USGBC records was excluded regardless of how it markets itself. Where a hotel's opening date and certification year conflicted, we flagged the discrepancy in the certificationDetails object rather than guessing at the correct year.
LEED Certified NYC hotels at a glance
| Hotel | Neighborhood | LEED Level | Year Awarded | Star Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ink48, A Kimpton Hotel | Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan | LEED Certified | 2011 | 4 |
| The Strand Hotel | Midtown, Manhattan | LEED Certified | 2012 | 4 |
| Fairfield Inn & Suites New York Manhattan/Central Park | Upper West Side, Manhattan | LEED Certified | 2011 | 3 |
Before you book: what to ask about green credentials
- Ask the hotel for its USGBC project ID so you can pull the certification record yourself at usgbc.org/projects.
- Base-level LEED Certified covers the building, not operations. Day-to-day practices like linen reuse or food waste programs are separate from the certification.
- If a hotel claims LEED but cannot name the certification tier, treat that claim with skepticism until you verify it independently.
- Certification years matter. A 2011 certification reflects the building standards of that era, not a 2026 retrofit.
Our Picks
Top Hotels
Fairfield Inn & Suites By Marriott New York Brooklyn
181 3rd Avenue, Brooklyn
Kimpton Hotel Eventi by IHG
851 Avenue of the Americas, New York
FAQs
Common Questions
LEED Certified covers buildings scoring 50–59 points under the USGBC rating system. Silver requires 60–79 points, Gold requires 80–89, and Platinum requires 80 or more under the most current scoring framework. A base-level certified building has cleared the minimum threshold but has not reached the higher tiers. The hotels on this page hold the base-level designation only.
Go to usgbc.org/projects and search by project name or location. The directory shows the exact certification level, the rating system version used, and the year the certification was awarded. If a hotel claims LEED status but does not appear in the directory, the claim is unverified.
LEED certifications do not expire automatically, but they reflect the building's performance at the time of certification. A hotel certified in 2011 was evaluated against the standards of that period. Some owners pursue recertification to reflect upgrades, but many do not. The certification years on this page reflect the original award dates.
Yes. New York City has a larger number of hotels holding higher LEED tiers, particularly Gold and Platinum, because many developers pursued those levels during major construction or renovation projects. We have separate pages covering those certification tiers.
LEED certification covers the building's design and construction, not its ongoing operations. A hotel can hold LEED Certified status and still run energy-intensive operations, or it can hold no certification and run a strong sustainability program. The two are separate. If day-to-day practices matter to you, ask the hotel directly about its operational programs.
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Hotels in New York
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