Hotel Le Bleu

Profile

The product of a rezoning decision that eased height restrictions on this traffic-clogged stretch of Park Slope’s Fourth Avenue, the eight-story Hotel Le Bleu opened in 2007, replacing a former plumbing-supply store. The full-service hotel was the first in a neighborhood formerly served only by small inns and B&Bs, and though it’s only a short walk from Park Slope’s trademark brownstones, the Andres Escobar-designed, stainless-steel-and-glass building looks more suited for the Meatpacking District. Forty-eight minimalist guest rooms—each equipped with 42-inch plasma TVs, Bose speakers and iPod docking stations—feature textured wallpaper and goose-down comforters. All but nine rooms have balconies, and though the Manhattan skyline is visible in the distance from some, so are plenty of graffiti-strewn buildings, the F train, and a nearby U-Haul facility. The eighth-floor Vue restaurant, accessible via sleek blue-glass elevators, offers panoramic views along with intercontinental cuisine. — Candace Taylor

Chic design in an up-and-coming area of Brooklyn

Cons
A bird's-eye view of a U-Haul facility isn't everyone's idea of an ideal cityscape. And for these prices, travelers may not want to wake up 30 minutes from Manhattan.