Every now and again, I turn my column over to a colleague who has a story of great interest. This week, Lorielle Georgetown, an Atlanta native; a second-year MPA student at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs; and a Barnard College graduate, joins the Amsterdam News community to discuss a new hotel in Harlem. I had not heard of this new hotel and am looking forward to discussing it further in the years to come.
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Have you heard about Harlem’s newest hotel? Earlier this year, while searching for places to stay during Columbia’s graduation, I found the George Manhattan, a Hilton boutique hotel on 126th Street near Convent Ave., that opened in October 2025.
I was immediately interested. A new hotel brings a practical convenience: another place for family to stay without leaving Harlem. Yet, this 139-room hotel in Manhattanville enters a community already navigating gentrification, rising rents, and a history of development arriving faster than community benefits.
Now that the hotel is open, the question is simple: Will it be a good neighbor? So far, the answer is beginning to look like yes.
Historically, hotels in Harlem were woven into neighborhood life. For example, in the early- to mid-1900s, the Hotel Olga was listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book, offering lodging for Black travelers during segregation. Similarly, the Hotel Theresa — often called the “Waldorf of Harlem” — became a center of cultural activity, hosting prominent figures and public gatherings.
Whether the George lives up to this legacy will depend on how it engages with the surrounding community.
Last year, Victor Edwards, chair of Community Board 9, told the Columbia Spectator that he was not invited to the hotel’s official ribbon-cutting. Since then, however, the hotel has signaled an interest in doing things differently. For example, during Black History Month, the George hosted a New York Fashion Week panel featuring local voices, including Princess Jenkins of the Brownstone, and unveiled an art residency by Harlem-based artist J. Monroe.
To build on this momentum, the George should deepen its neighborhood ties in practical ways. First, a “Harlem First” guide — digital and printed — could direct guests to local businesses, cultural institutions, and historic landmarks, supporting neighborhood commerce while giving visitors a fuller sense of Harlem. Second, setting aside community hours in its café or lounge could provide local students, freelancers, and entrepreneurs a place to work and meet, helping the hotel feel like a neighborhood resource. Third, offering meeting rooms at reduced rates to Harlem-based organizations would show genuine partnership while ensuring residents share in the benefits of new development.
The George has the opportunity to prove that a global brand can have a local soul. The doors are open. Now the real test is whether they open outward to the Harlem community.”
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University; author of the books “How to Build a Democracy: From Fannie Lou Hamer and Barbara Jordan to Stacey Abrams” and “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream”; and co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.
