Where to stay

Marrakech

We’ve selected our favorite hotels across town in a range of price categories. Rates can vary wildly within a single property, and those quoted here, obtained from the hotels, reflect that disparity. Although prices are not guaranteed, they should give a good indication of the hotel’s average rack Rates. Make sure to include New York’s 13.625 percent room tax and a $2 to $6 per-night occupancy tax when planning your travel budget.

Downtown

Luxury

Hotel Gansevoort
18 Ninth Avenue, at 13th Street (1-212 206 6700/1-877 726 7386/www.hotelgansevoort.com). Subway: A, C, E to 14th Street; L to Eighth Avenue. Rates $435-$475 double. Rooms 187. Credit AmEx, DC, Disc, MC, V.
It’s hard to miss this commanding property—a soaring 14-floor contemporary structure that stands out against the cobbled streets and warehouse storefronts of the Meatpacking District. Opened in early 2004 and blueprinted by Stephen B Jacobs, this full-service luxury hotel gets strong marks for style. The place announces itself by way of the world’s tallest revolving door and the entrance features four 18ft light boxes, which change color throughout the evening. Inside the rooms, color gets less play, but the quarters are spacious and come with original photography from local artists and Molton Brown bath products. The private roof garden features a pool with underwater music and 360-degree views of the city. Jeffrey Chodorow’s glossy Japanese eatery Ono has a covered terrace, private dining huts and a robatayaki bar—all behind a red velvet rope. When it comes to evening entertainment, guests have their pick of the rooftop bar Plunge, or the subterranean spa that is transformed into the chic nightclub, G-Spot each evening.

Expensive

Hotel on Rivington
107 Rivington Street, between Essex & Ludlow Streets (1-212 475 2600/www.hotelonrivington.com). Subway: F to Delancey Street; J, M, Z to Delancey-Essex Streets. Rates $350-$550 double. Rooms 110. Credit AmEx, Disc, MC, V.
Hotel on Rivington has a sky-high cool factor to match its trendy Lower East Side locale. Floor to ceiling windows are a theme throughout: the second-floor lobby overlooks the storefronts of Rivington Street, and every super-slick India Mahdavi-designed room has an unobstructed city view. Annie O, the hotel gift shop, sells high-end trinkets. For the more sexually adventurous guest, wood-paneled drawers hide binoculars and an ‘intimacy kit’ stocked with surprises from nearby Babeland.

Moderate

Off-Soho Suites Hotel
11 Rivington Street, between Bowery & Chrystie Street (1-212 979 9808/1-800 633 7646/www.offsoho.com). Subway: B, D to Grand Street; F, V to Lower East Side-Second Avenue; J, M, Z to Bowery. Rates $129-$339 double. Rooms 45. Credit AmEx, MC, V.
These no-frills suites became a great deal more popular after the hip destination restaurant Freemans opened at the end of the alley across the street. The suites are decent value for the thriving Lower East Side (a couple of blocks from Soho). Rooms are bland but clean and spacious, and they have fully equipped kitchens.

Budget

East Village Bed & Coffee
110 Avenue C, between 7th & 8th Streets (1-212 533 4175/www.bedandcoffee.com). Subway: F, V to Lower East Side-Second Avenue; L to First Avenue. Rates $90-$130 double. Rooms 9. Credit AmEx, MC, V.
Popular with European travelers, this unassuming East Village B&B (breakfast meaning coffee) is a great place in which to immerse yourself in downtown culture without splashing too much cash. The nine guest rooms come with eclectic furnishings and quirky themes, such as the Black and White Room and the Zen. Shared areas include three separate loft-like living rooms, bathrooms and fully equipped kitchens. In nice weather, sip your complimentary java in the private garden.

Midtown

Luxury

Four Seasons
57 E 57th Street, between Madison & Park Avenues (1-212 758 5700/1-800 332 3442/www.fourseasons.com). Subway: N, R, W to Lexington Avenue-59th Street; 4, 5, 6 to 59th Street. Rates $695-$915 double. Rooms 368. Credit AmEx, DC, Disc, MC, V.
New York’s most quintessential hotel hasn’t slipped a notch from its heyday. Everybody who’s anybody, from music-industry executives to political figures, continues to drop in for a dose of New York luxury. Renowned architect IM Pei’s sharp geometric design (in neutral cream and honey tones) is sleek and modern, and rooms are among the largest in the city (the three-bedroom Royal Suite measures 2,000 sq ft). From the higher floors, the views of the city are superb. The hotel is known for catering to the guest’s every need; your 4am hot-fudge sundae is only a room-service call away.

Expensive

Maritime Hotel
363 W 16th Street, between Eighth & Ninth Avenues (1-212 242 4300/www.themaritimehotel.com). Subway: A, C, E to 14th Street; L to Eighth Avenue. Rates $325-$425 double.
What are porthole windows doing on a hotel in Chelsea? Well, it’s not all for show—the building is the former headquarters of the Maritime Union. In 2002, owners Eric Goode and Sean MacPherson took this nautical theme and spun it into the high-gloss Maritime Hotel, blending the look of a luxury yacht with a chic 1960s airport lounge. The lobby is a bit dark, but the rooms are much more eye-catching. Modeled after ship cabins, with a chic retro look, each has one large porthole window and lots of glossy teak paneling. For more space, book one of the two penthouses, which have their own private terrace with an outdoor shower. The hotel offers four food and drink spaces: Matsuri, a gorgeous Japanese restaurant; La Bottega, an Italian trattoria with a lantern-festooned patio; Cabana, an airy rooftop bar; and Hiro, a basement lounge that regularly draws a buzzing crowd.

Moderate

Hotel Metro
45 W 35th Street, between Fifth & Sixth Avenues (1-212 947 2500/1-800 356 3870/www.hotelmetronyc.com). Subway: B, D, F, N, Q, R, V, W to 34th Street-Herald Square. Rates $275-$365 double. Rooms 179. Credit AmEx, DC, MC, V. It’s not posh, but the Metro has good service and a retro vibe. Black-and-white portraits of Hollywood legends adorn the lobby, and the tiny rooms are clean. Take in views of the Empire State Building from the rooftop bar of Metro Grill.

Budget

Carlton Arms Hotel
160 E 25th Street, at Third Avenue (1-212 679 0680/www.carltonarms.com). Subway: 6 to 23rd Street. Rates $99-$115 double. Rooms 54. Credit MC, V.
The Carlton Arms Art Project started in the late 1970s, when a small group of creative types brought new paint and fresh ideas to a run-down shelter. Today, the site is home to a Bohemian, tastefully decorated and very clean hotel with themed spaces (check out the English cottage room). Discounts are offered for students, overseas guests and patrons on weekly stays. Most guests share baths; tack on $15 for a private toilet. Rooms are booked early, so be sure to reserve well in advance.

Uptown

Moderate

Marrakech
2688 Broadway, at 103rd Street (1-212 222 2954/www.marrakechhotelnyc.com). Subway: 1 to 103rd Street. Rates $209-$349 double. Rooms 125. Credit AmEx, DC, Disc, MC, V.
Nightclub and restaurant designer Lionel Ohayon (Crobar, Koi) was enlisted to make over this Upper West Side hotel, formerly the Hotel Malibu. As the name implies, rooms are warm-toned with simple Moroccan embellishments. This is a clean no-frills hotel that is most likely to appeal to twentysomethings who are not that interested in amenities (which are few and far between), or bothered by the fact that there is no elevator.

Budget

Harlem Flophouse
242 W 123rd Street, between Adam Clayton Powell Jr Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) & Frederick Douglass Boulevard (1-212 662 0678/www.harlemflophouse.com). Subway: A, C, B, D to 125th Street. Rates $100-$175 single/double with shared bath. Rooms 4. Credit MC, V.
The dark-wood interior, moody lighting and lilting jazz make the Flophouse feel more like a 1930s speakeasy than a 21st-century B&B. The airy suites, which are named after Harlem Renaissance figures, have restored tin ceilings, glamorous chandeliers and working sinks in antique cabinets.

Brooklyn

Moderate

Nu Hotel
85 Smith Street, between Atlantic Avenue & State Street (1-718 852 8585/www.nuhotelbrooklyn.com). Subway: F to Bergen Street; A, C, 2, 3, 4, 5 to Jay Street-Borough Hall. Rates $199-$459 double. Rooms 93. Credit AmEx, DC, Disc, MC, V.
This area of Brooklyn has been a top dining, drinking and shopping destination for years, but prior to the opening of this five-story boutique hotel in summer 2008, visitors had to hoof it back to Manhattan at the end of the night. Now they can choose from three types of loft-style rooms, all of which offer 32-inch flat-screen TVs, minimalist decor and roomy Aveda-stocked bathrooms with chalkboards (for creative musings or housekeeping requests, one imagines). Nu Suites feature a cozy bed nook with hammocks and a sitting area, while Nu Queen Suites come with bunk beds for children and modular furniture. The hotel is LEED-certified green, equipped with cork floors, organic sheets, bike storage and furnishings crafted from sustainable teak.

Budget

Awesome Bed & Breakfast
136 Lawrence Street, between Fulton & Willoughby Streets, Downtown Brooklyn (1-718 858 4859/www.awesome-bed-and-breakfast.com). Subway: A, C, F to Jay Street-Borough Hall; M, R to Lawrence Street; 2, 3 to Hoyt Street. Rates $140-$160 double;$160-$200 triple; $200-$280 quad. Rooms 10. Credit AmEx, MC, V.
‘Awesome’ isn’t normally a word employed to describe a B&B, but this recently expanded hostelry, with its colorful themed rooms, could well be a setting for MTV’s The Real World, with details like giant daisies and purple drapes. The equally snazzy bathrooms are communal.

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