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The Hyatt Regency in Jersey City.
(Photo: Coutesy of Hyatt Regency) |
In many cities besides New York, $250 gets you a nice room at a good hotel, with shampoo, a shower cap, and maybe even an in-room coffeepot. In New York, not so much. But with some digging and some deals, it is possible to find a clean room, a soft mattress, free internet, and fresh-baked cookies for two and a half Franklins. Note: Prices can vary widely (especially in the fall and spring high seasons) and often go up during the week.
Hyatt Regency Jersey City on the Hudson
2 Exchange Pl., Jersey City, N.J.; 201-469-1234
Price: $199
Pros: Great views
The best $200 hotel in New York is in New Jersey—a one-stop, four-minute PATH ride or short Water Taxi ride from lower Manhattan. My room has water and city views (not all do, but the ultranice front-desk agent upgraded me because there was available space). The room is 400 feet, with low-key and sophisticated touches: a granite bathroom sink; a rather masculine taupe, brown, and gray color scheme; a good-size desk for working; and very upscale bedding—plus a spectacular view of the Woolworth Building.
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(Photo: Courtesy of the 414 Hotel) |
414 Hotel
414 W. 46th St., nr. Ninth Ave.; 212-399-0006
Price: $249
Pros: Quaint and quiet
The Theater District’s 414 Hotel is something of an anomaly. It’s a quirky and inexpensive boutique hotel carved from two historical townhouses separated by a charming, internal courtyard in the middle of the area’s flashing lights, high-rises, and truly pricey hotels.
The Hotel Wolcott
4 W. 31st St., nr. Fifth Ave.; 212-268-2900
Price: $185
Pros: Location, location, location
Once the turn-of-the-century stamping ground of writer Edith Wharton, the 165-room hotel is now a favorite budget option for visiting Midwesterners, European backpackers, and anyone else who steps into the grand, gilded lobby. Though prices are relatively low and the amenities modern, the sophisticated Old New York feel remains intact. One almost expects to see John Astor himself glide into the expansive front room to eat his fill of the free muffins and coffee set out each morning.
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(Photo: Courtesy of Hotel 17) |
Hotel 17
225 E. 17th St., nr. Third Ave.; 212-475-2845
Price: $131
Pros: Gritty glamour
The setting for Woody Allen’s 1993 Manhattan Murder Mystery, this is one of the most love-them-or-hate-thems of the bunch. The lobby is teeny, and the rooms, all decorated differently, are in a time warp. Mine has shiny prints, slight wallpaper peels, and dark-wood furnishings that are very Addams Family. The bedding is reasonably clean but flimsy, with a thin comforter. There are both shared and private bathrooms, and basically no services, but given the hotel’s shockingly affordable standard-room rate in low season, ordering in from Joe Jr.’s on Third Avenue isn’t such a hassle.
NYLO New York City
2178 Broadway, at 77th St.; 212-362-1100
Price: $189
Pros: Big rooms
A cozy, brick-walled candlelit lobby boasts dark leather sofas and a sleek industrial-style bar with an outdoor area. Rooms have a similar aesthetic, but they’re well apportioned; mine is a good size, with a clearly delineated seating area, a wing chair, and a separate area for a desk. The bathroom is tiny, but at least you’re not in midtown.
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(Photo: Courtesy of Pod Hotel) |
The Pod Hotel
230 E. 51st St., nr. Second Ave.; 212-355-0300
Price: $115
Pros: Mod décor
This hotel, formerly the cheap, chintzy Pickwick Arms, became the cheap, cool Pod. Rates start at $115, and just over half the rooms have private baths. The aesthetic is standard spare modern: light wood and bright-colored red or blue comforters. My room, measuring about 12-by-8 feet, has a bed connected to two side tables, a tiny work desk, small closet nook, and flat-screen TV. There’s a new-paint-over-old feeling, though; the elevators are rickety, the walls are thin, and the mattresses are hard. For $130, the room with bath is well worth the $15 upgrade from a shared-bath pod.
The Hotel at Times Square
59 W. 46th St., nr. Sixth Ave.; 212-719-2300
Price: $140
Pros: Additional facilities like a business room and fitness center
The former Super 8 was renamed in 2008, but no matter the moniker, its location in what's left of Little Brazil puts it within walking distance of Broadway shows and Rockefeller Center and thus makes it popular with European backpackers and budget travelers.
