Credit: @dannywild11 on Instagram

Some of New York State’s most stunning and historic hotels and resorts have played starring roles in major blockbusters and small screen hits, meaning you can actually stay and live like some of your favorite characters. From an opulent Gold Coast mansion to grand lakeside lodges, here’s how to turn what you see on TV into reality in New York State.

Masks are encouraged, but optional in most settings per New York State guidelines. Individual businesses or attractions may require mask wearing. Call ahead and check websites and social media to make sure attractions and amenities are open and available. 

Mohonk Mountain House (Hudson Valley)

Mohonk Mountain House in Shawangunk Mountain escarpment

Located 90 miles north of New York City, Mohonk Mountain House is the virtual afterlife resort of Lakeview in the Amazon Prime sci-fi comedy TV series, Upload. This 265-room Victorian castle resort in New Paltz was “transported” to the year 2033, where people can “upload” their souls into a virtual afterlife of their choice. Screen credits for Mohonk Mountain House also include the fifth season of Showtime’s Billions and The Road to Wellville, a 1994 film with Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Broderick. This resort within the Shawangunk Ridge offers farm-to-table cuisine, 85 miles of trails, tennis courts, a nine-hole golf course, and an award-winning spa. 

Oheka Castle (Long Island)

Formal gardens in front of OHEKA CASTLE Hotel and Estate in Long Island, NY.
Credit: @noerosetravel on Instagram

While Oheka Castle sits on the highest point on Long Island, this Gold Coast mansion played the part of a castle in Hungary on HBO’s Succession. This French Chateau-style mansion is a sought-after television and film set, from 1941’s Citizen Kane to 2008’s What Happens in Vegas. It was a location site for the Hulu series, The Path, and the CBS drama, Madam Secretary and Taylor Swift’s Blank Space music video. See Oheka Castle on a guided tour of the mansion and formal gardens, then dine indoors or al fresco at their OHK Bar & Restaurant. Live like the Roy family and book a stay amid the property’s 32 guest rooms and suites. Weekday packages and other specials are available. Notable nearby attractions include Old Bethpage Village Restoration and Sagamore Hill National Historic Site. You could also play world-class golf at Bethpage State Park, home to the renowned Black Course, which will host the 2025 Ryder Cup.

Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa (Long Island)

The Atlantic ocean and Montauk Beach to the left and Gurney's Montauk balconies to the right with the sky colored in orange and yellow from the sunset
Credit: @ler430 on Instagram

Fans of Younger saw Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa in its third season, as Hilary Duff and Sutton Foster attended a book fair in the Hamptons. In real life, this Montauk property is situated right on the beach with stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean. Accommodations reflect their surroundings with 158 rooms, suites, and beachfront cottages, all with panoramic ocean views. Gurney’s offers several seaside dining options and kid-friendly events for guests including movie nights, arts and craft sessions, and sandcastle building. Their 30,000-square-foot spa underwent a $20 million renovation and features an ocean-fed seawater pool that’s the only one of its kind in North America. Nearby sights include the Montauk Point State Park and Montauk Point LighthouseMontauk Downs State Park Golf Course, and Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center. The Lobster Roll Restaurant, a retro-style seafood shack, serves up classic hot and cold lobster rolls along with other fish delights, chowders, and more.

Whiteface Lodge (Adirondacks) 

A view of the main entrance of whiteface lodge
Credit: @whitefacelodge on Instagram

This luxury mountain resort in Lake Placid, which hosted the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics, appeared in season two of HBO’s Succession as the setting for a media and tech conference. Whiteface Lodge’s rustic-style and forest-inspired decor are influenced by the Adirondack Great Camps of the Gilded Age. Tucked into the woodlands of the six-million acre Adirondack Park, guests will be treated to views of some of New York’s greatest summits from suites featuring private cedar and mahogany balconies. Whiteface Lodge also has a spa, a fitness center, pool, and bowling alley, tennis courts, children’s activities, and movie theater. During summer, go kayaking, canoeing, and paddleboarding. In winter, lace up your skates for the resort’s ice-skating rink.

Lake Placid Lodge (Adirondacks)

Lake Placid Lodge porch and view of lake

Also making an appearance on season two of Succession, the neighboring Lake Placid Lodge provides guests with picturesque surroundings and outdoor activities including hiking, mountain biking, skiing, boating, and skating. Located on the shore of Lake Placid, this fellow Great Camps-inspired hotel beams with rustic elegance. Private cabins and cottages overlook the lake, and the property also has guestrooms and suites at their Main Lodge and Lakeside Building, along with dining at their Artisans Restaurant and Maggie’s Pub. 

The Plaza Hotel (NYC)

Palm Court at The Plaza Hotel in New York City
Credit: @lavivienyc on Instagram

Opened in 1907, The Plaza Hotel has had a starring role in The Great Gatsby, North By Northwest, The Way We Were, Home Alone 2, and Sleepless in Seattle. This NYC grand hotel on Fifth Avenue at Central Park South is also the setting for the children’s book series based upon by their “resident” character, Eloise. The Plaza honors this fun-loving girl with The Eloise Shop and a whimsical black and pink motif Eloise Suite designed by Betsey Johnson. While staying at one of their 282 guestrooms (including 102 suites) guests at The Plaza can spend their afternoon at The Palm Court (pictured) or have drinks at The Champagne Bar. Spring for a day of pampering at the hotel’s Guerlain Spa, Warren-Tricomi Salon, and Skinney Medspa.  

A family resort stay in the Catskills 

Golden fall foliage surrounds the White Clove Inn family resort in the Catskills
Credit: @wintercloveinn on Instagram

The second season of Amazon Prime's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel had audiences dreaming of a summer getaway in the Catskills. While the Scott’s Family Resort, where the episodes were filmed, is closed, recreating a Maisel-Weissman family vacation in the Catskills is still possible. There’s much to do at the year-round Winter Clove Inn, located at the base of North Mountain and bordering the Catskill State Wilderness Preserves. The list is long—hiking, mountain biking, badminton, an antique bowling alley, shuffleboard, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts, and a nine-hole golf course. Go for a walk to the nearby Artists Falls, choosing from two paths that will either lead you to the base of the 25-foot waterfall or across a charming covered bridge. The Main Inn has 35 rooms, a large front porch and lounge, and an indoor pool. The 11-bedroom Oaks Lodge suits families or large groups and the Carriage House holds three spacious bedrooms with two baths and a small sitting area. Villa Roma Resort & Conference Center and Sunny Hill Resort & Golf Course provide other options.

Urban Cowboy (Catskills)

A still from Uncoupled season 2 filmed at Urban Cowboy in the Catskills
“Uncoupled” used with permission by Viacom International Inc. ©2022

Urban Cowboy Lodge in the Catskills is the hip hillside lodge featured in Netflix’s Uncoupled, where Michael and his friends, Billy and Stanley, head to for a ski trip. Experience a stay in the wild-west of the Hudson Valley—sans Neil Patrick Harris’s mishaps in the snow and a hot tub—at this boutique property’s award-winning restaurant and bar, soaking tubs, an Estonian sauna, a roaring fireplace, and much more. Another site featured on Uncoupled is the Belleayre Mountain, which offers four seasons of fun from scenic gondola rides in the fall to cross-country skiing in the winter, and mountain biking, hiking, disc golf, and more in the summer and spring.

Lotte New York Palace (NYC)

Front entrance of the five-star Lotte New York Palace hotel

The Lotte New York Palace is such a popular film production spot that the hotel has its own IMDB listing. Situated across from St. Patrick’s Cathedral and steps away from Rockefeller Center, this five-star, 909-room hotel is noted for its exquisite service and its iconic Madison Avenue courtyard has served as the entranceway to the historic Villard Mansion since 1882. Recently, the hotel has been featured in a long list of TV series: Inventing Anna, Power Book - Ghost, Harlem, Law and Order, Pose, Succession, Evil, FBI: Most Wanted, Jigsaw, The Good Fight, The Politician, Daylight Daycare, and Love Life. Film appearances include Christmas Quinceanera.  


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