Set-Jetting 2026: Best Hotels Near Iconic Film Locations

Set-jetting - planning a trip around the real places where your favorite shows and movies were filmed - has become one of the biggest travel trends of 2026, with hits like The White Lotus and the wave of Yellowstone-style ranch dramas sending travelers chasing filming locations across three continents. For a solo woman, the thrill of standing where a scene was shot only really lands when the hotel next door feels safe, the subway stop is close, and the front desk knows your name by day two. I pulled together nine hotels near real filming locations in New York, Hollywood, and New Zealand that check those boxes, plus the gear and safety habits that make solo set-jetting easy.

The Best Places to Stay

Washington Square Hotel - Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City

Price band: $180-$450 per night

This is my pick for a first-time solo set-jetter in New York. You’re 0.1 miles from Washington Square Park, a heavily patrolled public space that stays busy with tourists, NYU students, and locals well into the evening, and just 310 meters from the 9 St subway station, which puts the A, C, E, B, D, F, and M lines within a five-minute walk. Guest reviews consistently call the location “very convenient for travel,” with restaurants, shops, and the NYU campus right outside the door - exactly the kind of visible-foot-traffic neighborhood that makes solo travel easier after dark. Mornings start with complimentary tea, coffee, and pastries in the lobby, and the front desk is staffed 24 hours a day. If you’re driving, budget for off-site parking - expect around $65 a day, according to Trip.com.

Good for: a secure, walkable base near classic NYC film sites with a social-but-low-key hotel vibe. Worth knowing: some rooms have dated decor, and hallway traffic can get noisy. Check rates at Washington Square Hotel

The Chatwal, New York - Midtown Manhattan (Theater District)

Price band: $469-$843 per night

If your budget has room to stretch, The Chatwal is the plush option. It’s a historic Art Deco building steps from Times Square and the Broadway theaters, so you can walk from a matinee straight into a neighborhood full of production crews. Average nightly rates run around $843, which HotelsCombined pegs at roughly 31% below what comparable 5-star hotels in New York typically charge. Rooms lean elegant, and the location - one of the most heavily trafficked, well-lit stretches in Manhattan - does a lot of the safety work for you.

Good for: solo women who want an upscale, secure base near major film landmarks. Worth knowing: it’s a genuine splurge compared with the mid-range options on this list. Check rates at The Chatwal, New York

Pod 51 Hotel - Midtown East, Manhattan

Price band: $83-$332 per night

Pod 51 was the original property in the Pod Hotels collection, and it still delivers what made the brand popular: small, minimalist rooms and lively communal spaces where solo travelers strike up conversations easily. Average nightly rates hover around $332 - about 33% below the city average for comparable hotels, per HotelsCombined - and the location sits near multiple subway lines, so you can hop between film locations across the city without much planning.

Good for: solo travelers who want a safe, social stay without stretching the budget. Worth knowing: rooms are genuinely compact - great for a few nights, tighter for a longer stay. Check rates at Pod 51 Hotel

The Hollywood Roosevelt - Hollywood, Los Angeles

Price band: $241-$328 per night

This is the hotel with the most movie history baked into its walls, and it’s an easy walk to major studios and Hollywood’s landmark attractions. Rooms start at $241, which TripAdvisor calls a mid-range price for the amount of old-Hollywood atmosphere you get. The lobby lounge stays lively into the evening, on-site dining means you’re not walking back late at night just to eat, and valet parking is available if you’d rather not deal with Hollywood street parking on your own.

Good for: solo women who want to stay where movies were actually made, with a social scene built in. Worth knowing: the central, street-level location means some rooms pick up traffic noise. Check rates at The Hollywood Roosevelt

The Plaza Hotel - Midtown Manhattan, New York City (Central Park South)

Price band: $600-$1,000 per night

The Plaza is the splurge-worthy icon on this list, sitting right at the edge of Central Park - a walkable, constantly populated stretch of the city. Afternoon tea in the Palm Court is worth the trip on its own, and the hotel runs a 24-hour concierge alongside high-end security, which matters if you want extra peace of mind traveling alone. If the rate is more than your budget allows, the wider Central Park South corridor is dense with hotels - dozens sit within a short walk, so you can stay nearby and still get the same walkable park access. (You can read more about The Plaza’s history on Fairmont’s official page.)

Good for: solo women who want a central, glamorous, extremely secure base. Worth knowing: the rate alone will stretch most solo-traveler budgets. Check rates at The Plaza Hotel

The Jane Hotel - West Village, New York City (Meatpacking District)

Price band: $220-$260 per night

The Jane is a boutique hotel with ship-cabin-style rooms - small, clever, and full of personality - about 2,100 feet (roughly 0.4 miles) from the nearest subway stop. The lobby bar draws a lively but manageable crowd most nights, which makes it easy to meet people without feeling unsafe. Rate trackers show real range here: explore.com has listed rooms as low as $99 a night, well under the roughly $285 NYC average for a Sunday stay.

Good for: solo women who want a budget-friendly, socially lively stay in a walkable neighborhood. Worth knowing: rooms are compact, so pack light. Check rates at The Jane Hotel

The Standard Hollywood - West Hollywood, Los Angeles

Price band: $500-$600 per night

This is the trendiest option on the list - rooftop pool, poolside bar, pillow-top mattresses, and a Smart TV in every room - and it sits just steps from Hollywood Boulevard’s attractions. It’s an easy, social base if you want to meet other travelers without leaving the hotel.

Good for: solo women who like a lively, secure atmosphere and easy access to Hollywood’s sights. Worth knowing: the price tag runs higher than most other options here. Check rates at The Standard Hollywood

The Rees Hotel & Luxury Apartments - Queenstown (Lake Wakatipu), New Zealand

Price band: $234-$289 per night

Perched right on the lakeshore with sweeping alpine views over Lake Wakatipu, The Rees pairs a genuinely stunning, safe setting with real indulgence - the award-winning True South restaurant and the Bordeaux Wine Lounge are both on-site. A ski-bus stop sits right outside the door, and a complimentary shuttle runs guests into downtown Queenstown, so you’re never far from town even though the setting feels remote. Guests consistently praise how personal the service feels, which matters when you’re traveling this far from home alone. (Browse The Rees’s own site, or Booking.com’s wider Queenstown listings, for rate comparisons.)

Good for: solo women who want an upscale, secure base with easy access to ski lifts and downtown Queenstown. Worth knowing: it’s a premium price point, even by Queenstown standards. Check rates at The Rees Hotel & Luxury Apartments

Matamata Central Motel - Matamata, New Zealand (near the Hobbiton Movie Set)

Price band: $85-$141 per night

If Hobbiton is the reason you’re flying to New Zealand, this is the low-stress, budget-friendly base to do it from. It’s a short drive from the Hobbiton tour departure point, with free Wi-Fi, free parking, and easy self-check-in - ideal if you’re arriving solo after a long flight and don’t want to navigate a complicated check-in process. Family rooms exist for bigger groups, but the layout works just as well for a solo traveler who wants simple and reliable.

Good for: an affordable, low-stress stay close to the Hobbiton filming location. Worth knowing: amenities are basic compared with the higher-end hotels on this list. Check rates at Matamata Central Motel

What to Pack

Traveling solo means the gear you bring either protects you or slows you down. These three pieces earned their spot because they solve real solo-travel problems.

• Pacsafe Citysafe CX 17L Anti-Theft Backpack ($189.95) - Built for crowded film-location hotspots, where pickpockets know tourists are looking up at the set instead of down at their bag. Interlocking zippers, slash-resistant mesh, and RFID blocking work together to make this bag a genuinely harder target, and it’s made from water-resistant regenerated nylon. It fits a 16-inch laptop and comes with a 5-year warranty. The one catch: the straps don’t adjust well for shorter torsos, and 17 liters runs small if you’re packing for more than a few days. Check it on Amazon

• Peak Design Packing Cube Medium ($69.95) - Compresses down to 8 liters and expands to 18, with an internal moving divider that keeps clean clothes separate from what you’ve already worn - genuinely useful when you’re living out of one bag city to city. The 70D ripstop shell is weatherproof, so a sudden downpour on a walking tour won’t ruin what’s inside. It’s a premium price for a packing cube, and honestly overkill if you don’t already travel with a Peak Design bag, but the range between compressed and expanded volume is hard to match. Check it on Amazon

• Eagle Creek Pack-It Specter Packing Cube Set (XS/S/M) ($53.95) - If weight is your priority, this is the set to buy. The silnylon ripstop construction is among the lightest available, the panels are translucent so you can spot what you need without unzipping everything, and it’s backed by Eagle Creek’s “Lifetime No Matter What” warranty. There’s no compression here - it’s purely for organization - so pair it with a compression cube if you’re tight on suitcase space. Check it on Amazon

Safety & Convenience Tips for Solo Set-Jetters

1. Pick neighborhoods with visible foot traffic. Greenwich Village, the West Village, and the stretch around Hollywood’s studios all stay busy and well-lit into the evening - visible activity is one of the best safety signals a solo traveler has.
2. Learn the transit before you land. Washington Square Hotel’s 310-meter walk to the 9 St station puts seven subway lines within reach, so you’re never stuck waiting alone for one line to show up.
3. Use the concierge - that’s what it’s there for. The Chatwal and The Plaza both run 24-hour concierge desks that can arrange a trusted car or answer local safety questions.
4. Carry an anti-theft bag in busy filming areas. Crowds drawn to a famous location are exactly the crowds pickpockets target - keep your passport, cards, and electronics in a bag built to resist a quick grab.
5. Share your plans with someone back home. A simple shared itinerary - even just hotel names and dates - means someone always knows roughly where you are.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Packing like you’re not changing hotels. An anti-theft backpack plus a couple of packing cubes covers most set-jetting trips - a full-size suitcase is a liability on cobblestone streets or a fast subway transfer.
• Assuming every location is free and open. Some filming sites require tickets or a guided tour - Hobbiton is only accessible through its official tour departure point, not a walk-up visit.
• Skimming past recent reviews. A hotel can sit in a great neighborhood and still have a noisy hallway or an inconsistent front desk - read what solo travelers said recently, not just the overall star rating.
• Defaulting to a rideshare after dark. In dense, well-served neighborhoods like Greenwich Village or Midtown, the subway or a hotel-arranged car is often just as safe as waiting on a rideshare pickup, and usually faster.

Exploring Film Locations on Foot

Walking is genuinely the best way to do a set-jetting trip - you notice details a car window hides.

New York City: Start at Washington Square Park, then head north toward Times Square and The Chatwal’s neighborhood, before circling east to The Plaza and Central Park. Manhattan’s grid and dense subway stops make it easy to string several film-adjacent stops into one afternoon.

Los Angeles: From The Hollywood Roosevelt, Hollywood Boulevard’s attractions are an easy walk in either direction, and The Standard Hollywood’s rooftop is a solid spot to end the day with a sunset view over West Hollywood.

Queenstown and Matamata: These two are less about walking between sights and more about short, scenic hops. From The Rees, the lakeshore promenade along Lake Wakatipu is worth a slow morning walk before you catch the shuttle into town. In Matamata, the Hobbiton tour picks up near Matamata Central Motel - there’s no independent walking route into the set itself, so book ahead.

FAQ

Q: Are these hotels genuinely safe for solo women? A: Yes - every hotel on this list sits in a well-lit, heavily trafficked neighborhood, and several have specific guest feedback calling out staff friendliness toward solo travelers.

Q: How far ahead should I book? A: High-demand properties like The Plaza and The Hollywood Roosevelt are worth locking in as soon as your dates are firm - popular hotels near famous locations sell out fastest. Budget-friendly picks like Pod 51 and Matamata Central Motel tend to hold availability closer to your travel date.

Q: Can I store gear like a tripod or extra camera bag at the hotel? A: Policies vary by property, so ask when you book. A 24-hour front desk, like the one at Washington Square Hotel, is generally your best bet for holding a bag for a few hours before check-in or after checkout.

Q: What’s the easiest way to get from my hotel to a filming location? A: Washington Square Hotel puts you 310 meters from the 9 St subway stop, with seven lines - A, C, E, B, D, F, and M - running from there. Elsewhere, lean on the front desk: The Hollywood Roosevelt offers valet parking, and The Rees runs a complimentary shuttle into Queenstown.

Q: Are there hidden fees I should watch for? A: If you’re driving in New York, off-site parking near Washington Square Hotel runs about $65 a day, according to Trip.com. Beyond that, always scan the “fees and taxes” line before you confirm a booking - it’s the fastest way to avoid a surprise at checkout.

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