5-Star Hotel for 1 Night

Here is a recent, rather thorough listing of centrally-located hotels in Budapest - a primary criterion is that they are along or close to Andrassy Avenue:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/hungary/rs-forum-favorite-hotels-and-their-cost

My mom and I are going to Budapest by train from Vienna next month in
August for 1 night. We were only going to do a day trip but decided we
needed a minimum of 1 night.

With just one night I believe you would do best if you stayed on the Pest side and on the Danube river. That gives you the views which are among the most stunning in Europe and gives you access to the famous 2 Tram that connects the Parliament to the Chain Bridge (to Buda) to the Corso (pedestrian restaurant zone with stunnding views) to the Great Market Hall (and then a short stop on another tram across the river to the Gellert Bath House).

We are looking at the Anatara New York Hotel w/the famous cafe

Poor location even if you had lots of time. Nothing there but the hotel and what is probably the most spectacular coffee house in the world.

or the Kimpton BEM by IHG hotel.

The Kimpton will give you a great view of the Parliament at night, but nothing else. Pretty far removed from the sights if you are limiting yourself to one night.

Has anyone stayed at either

I have had a home here for 15 years, so haven’t stayed at many hotels in the last 15 years. I will only talk about locations.

or can recommend another hotel?

• You said 5 stars, among the best 5-star hotels in Europe is the Four Seasons on the river at the end of the Chain Bridge.
• The Intercontinental is only a 4 star, not the prettiest in town, but the location is ideal for a one-night stay. You couldn’t beat it with a stick.
• Another worth looking at is the very new Dorothea Hotel. Very nice location close to the river.

Plan B, not quite as good, is Andrassy Avenue. Here for 5 star you will find the W Hotel, for four star hotels look at the list in the previous post. This works, not as well, but works because the M1 metro (its an antique and sort of a tourist attraction as much as transportation) runs down the center of Andrassy ut to within a few hundred meters of the river. So you can be at the river Corso in 5 minutes. If you had more time in town I would say the Párisi Udvar Hotel is maybe the most beautiful space you would walk into in Europe, but not great for a one night trip.

We are interested in using the spa as well as visiting the famous
Turkish baths.

There are two 500 year old Ottoman era (Turkish) baths still operating in Budapest, but I think you would enjoy the quintessential Hungarian bath house, the Gellert, and its easy to reach from your river front hotel.

Hoping to catch a super early AM train and a late 8 PM train to return
the next day.

That will work. Get a 72-hour Budapest-travelcard. The 24-hour card will come up short and the difference in cost is small. I would use a taxi to the hotel, then your travel card will get you up and down both sides of the river and up Andrassy ut. When you do pick a hotel, if you are interested in advice let me know and I can give you some suggestions on getting the most out of your two days. Need dates too.

Favorite Tourism Video of Budapest https://youtu.be/1nd5AtZIrTk?feature=shared
Anthony Bourdain describing how visually pleasurable Budapest is https://youtu.be/0nd9DuDGCz0?si=aa0c19KaJHEtabkX
https://community.ricksteves.com/users/50322

Andrassy ut https://youtu.be/f6vc7KYPdEk?si=cvSn2a8uUNqSrIxA
The Corso at night https://youtu.be/RFWFCycjO5w?si=l1pXan_kMwoaVO22 the Corso at day https://youtu.be/8KQM4ibtwpA?si=LYv9s8XfWN6mPzOq
Tram 2 https://1drv.ms/v/c/c9f4c533eb93d92e/ES7Zk-szxfQggMkOnAIAAAABtwMwpg4ae1cEbkTXjZOdeg?e=PinTVo with yours truly in the window reflections.

Thank you all for the detailed responses, recommendations and valuable travel info. Unfortunately, we had to cancel our trip but I am definitely saving all the responses as we hope to go next year. Budapest has been on my list for a while. This info has made me consider spending more days in Budapest so maybe it worked out for the best. Thanks again!

Sorry to hear that. I will send you a PM