The Empire Hotel
Yes — The Empire Hotel is a real, operating hotel at 44 West 63rd Street, across from Lincoln Center, and its exterior is genuinely used in Gossip Girl. From Season 3 onward it plays the hotel Chuck Bass buys and runs, and the red rooftop "HOTEL EMPIRE" sign is the shot that identifies it every time.
What was actually filmed at The Empire Hotel
- Exterior filming is confirmed: the building and its red rooftop neon sign appear repeatedly from Season 3, when Chuck Bass takes over the hotel and makes it his base.
- The Chuck Bass ownership arc — his hotel, his office, his power struggles with Jack Bass — is tied to this real building on screen.
- The Empire was also used as a filming location for the film Sex and the City 2 (2010).
- Interior scenes (suite, lobby, rooftop party sequences) are not documented as on-location shoots — CW dramas of this era routinely combined real exteriors with studio sets, so we do not claim the interiors you see are this hotel.
- Address
- 44 W 63rd St, New York, NY 10023 (across from Lincoln Center)
- In the show
- Chuck Bass's hotel, Season 3 onward
- Filming
- Exterior confirmed · interiors undocumented
- Still open?
- Yes — operating hotel with a public rooftop bar
- Cost to see it
- Free from the street; the sign is best after dark
The Empire Hotel in photos
Visiting The Empire Hotel
- Free to see: stand on West 63rd Street or Broadway for the sign. Nothing to book, no ticket.
- The lobby and the 12th-floor rooftop bar are open to the public as normal hotel spaces — reservations are recommended for the rooftop, especially on summer evenings.
- Best light: golden hour or after dark, when the neon is on.
- Nearby in one loop: Lincoln Center, Columbus Circle and the southwest corner of Central Park.
See The Empire Hotel on a private Gossip Girl tour
Every one of our private pedicab routes passes The Empire Hotel. Your guide parks in the right spot for the sign shot, takes your photos, and explains what was actually filmed here versus what was shot on a set.
Grand tour $149 per adult 2 Hours 5.0 · 387 reviews
The Empire Hotel — Gossip Girl FAQs
Is The Empire Hotel really Chuck Bass's hotel?
In the story, yes — Chuck buys the hotel in Season 3 and it becomes his home and headquarters. In real life it is an independent, operating hotel at 44 West 63rd Street whose exterior was used for those scenes.
Can you go inside The Empire Hotel?
Yes. It is a working hotel, so the lobby and the rooftop bar are open to the public. You do not need to be a guest, but the rooftop takes reservations and can be busy.
Were the interior Gossip Girl scenes filmed inside the Empire?
We cannot confirm that. Exterior filming at the Empire is well documented; the suite and lobby interiors you see on screen are not documented as on-location shoots, and shows of that era frequently used studio sets. We would rather say that plainly than repeat a claim we cannot source.
Does your tour stop at The Empire Hotel?
Yes — the Empire is on every private route we run, with a photo stop at the sign.
Book a private Gossip Girl tour of the real locations
Private pedicab routes with photo stops at the hotels, the Met Steps and the Upper East Side — $149 per adult, 2 Hours, 5.0 stars across 387 verified Google reviews.
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Contact Gossip Girl Tours NYC
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New York City
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