Their rooms may be small, but these fresh Big Apple boutique hotels have flair to spare—and the friendly rates will surprise you.
See our slideshow of the Best Affordable New York City Hotels.
If the phrases “New York City” and “easy on the wallet” have always seemed mutually exclusive to you, well, that’s understandable. Like its nickname, The Big Apple, implies, New York is best known for its colossal magnitude: its soaring skyscrapers, its thronging crowds, its night-obliterating neon...and its outrageous prices. Need a quality hotel room for less than $350 a night?Until recently, the pickings have been discouragingly slim.
There’s a secret to finding good hotel-room deals in this biggest of big cities, though: think small. Although even some prominent chain properties are offering steep discounts in this economic climate, even better bargains can be found at some of the city’s more intimate boutique hotels.
Quite a few of these hotels are recently opened (which means, in addition to good room rates, spanking-new facilities—a major plus in a town that gets so much guest turnover). And we’re not talking bare-bones, spartan-style quarters here: some of New York’s freshly unveiled properties feature sceney digs that are thoroughly worthy of their style-obsessed home city. Case in point: Stay, the latest midtown offering from hotelier Vikram Chatwal, where the décor includes Murano glass chandeliers, the rooms are outfitted with 42-inch plasma-screen TVs and slick modern baths, and a happening nightspot (the Aspen Social Club) is just an elevator ride away.
Other smaller-scale Big Apple hotels, however, have been known among savvy travelers for some time. On the Ave, for example—an Upper West Side hotel that’s easy strolling distance from the Museum of Natural History and Central Park—has been building its fan base for almost two decades. Sharp new renovations completed last year, though, have given new life to the property: now all rooms have beds with padded headboards and Egyptian cotton linens, ergonomic chairs, and fluffy robes; the common spaces include two spacious balconies (on the 14th and 16th floors) that are surrounded by flowering potted plants.
So don’t despair if a New York City vacation seems out of reach. It’s not—as long as you resize your thinking.
