The Palace Hotel (Lotte New York Palace)

What was actually filmed at The Palace Hotel (Lotte New York Palace)

• Confirmed from the Pilot onward: the Madison Avenue courtyard and facade stand in for the van der Woodsens' home, where Serena and Eric live with Lily in the early seasons.
• The hotel recurs as a Bass-family location in Seasons 1–2, before Chuck's storyline moves to the Empire Hotel in Season 3.
• What is on screen is the exterior courtyard and entrance. Suite and office interiors are not documented as filmed here, so we treat them as set work.
• Fan recaps often place specific interior beats — such as Dan carrying a Christmas tree through the lobby — in this building. That detail is not independently documented at the real hotel, so we mention it as show lore, not as a filming fact.

Address

455 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10022 (at E 50th St)

In the show

The Palace — Serena and the van der Woodsens, from the Pilot

Filming

Villard Houses courtyard and exterior confirmed

Still open?

Yes — operating as the Lotte New York Palace

Cost to see it

Free — the courtyard is open to pedestrians

Visiting The Palace Hotel (Lotte New York Palace)

• Free and open: the Villard Houses courtyard is the hotel's forecourt on Madison Avenue, so you can walk in and photograph it without being a guest.
• The lobby, bar and restaurant are public hotel spaces; be considerate, it is a working luxury hotel.
• December is the courtyard's best moment — the hotel's holiday decoration is an annual tradition (not the same decor you see on screen).
• Nearby in one loop: St Patrick's Cathedral, Rockefeller Center and Fifth Avenue.