Where Brooklyn's hotels actually cluster
Unlike Manhattan, where hotels are spread across the whole island, Brooklyn's hotel scene is concentrated in a handful of neighborhoods — mainly Williamsburg and DUMBO, both waterfront, both a short subway or ferry ride from Manhattan.
The NYC Ferry as a real option
Both Williamsburg and DUMBO are served by the NYC Ferry, a genuinely underused option for reaching Manhattan that runs at MetroCard-adjacent pricing (paid via OMNY like the subway) and comes with a free skyline view included. Worth checking the schedule against your itinerary before assuming the subway is your only route in.
What you're trading for the view
Brooklyn waterfront hotels often deliver a genuinely better skyline view for the price than a comparable Manhattan hotel — you're looking at the skyline rather than standing inside it. The trade-off is added transit time to Manhattan-side landmarks, typically 20–30 minutes door to door.