16 Stylish New York City Hotels With Rooms Starting Under $300 a Night

It wasn’t so long ago that budget hotels in New York City conjured thoughts of bedbugs, thin walls, and dim light bulbs. That was until spots like Ace Hotel New York and the Hoxton Williamsburg opened, offering sleek rooms for an affordable price, alongside trendy amenities, top-notch restaurants and bars, and public spaces even locals love.

These days, New York is full of reasonably priced hotels, from standbys like Freehand New York and Arlo SoHo to new spots like the Ace Hotel Brooklyn and Graduate by Hilton New York on Roosevelt Island. Whether you care more about a chic hotel room, a social scene, or simply the attractive price, you can count on these 16 affordable hotels in NYC to deliver a deal without compromising on quality.

Ace Hotel Brooklyn

Photo by Stephen Kent Johnson

Twelve years after Ace Hotel transformed Manhattan’s NoMad neighborhood into a destination worth visiting, the brand opened its second NYC property on the edge of Brooklyn’s residential Boerum Hill neighborhood and Downtown Brooklyn, in the summer of 2021. Built from the ground up, the 13-story building has a concrete brutalist facade designed by Roman and Williams. Inside, organic elements like green leather couches, wooden walls, and textile and fiber art pieces add warmth to raw concrete pillars and ceilings in the expansive lobby and throughout the 287 guest rooms.

In keeping with the brand’s cool-kid reputation, expect creative initiatives such as an artist-in-residence program, lobby gallery shows, and DJ nights in the bar—all designed to appeal as much to visitors as the crowds of Brooklyn laptop-toters who use the lobby as a stylish coworking space.

In 2025, the hotel welcomed a new ground-floor restaurant, Lele’s Roman, inspired by the neighborhood joints in Rome’s Trastevere neighborhood (check out the extensive amaro menu), and a pocket-size record shop called Finer Sounds; in the works is Koju Sushi, a new omakase spot. If you must go into Manhattan, the A/C train at Hoyt-Schermerhorn is only a block away.

Arlo SoHo

Courtesy of Arlo Hotels

Steps away from world-class shopping, historic architecture, and an abundance of popular bars and restaurants, Arlo SoHo is a favorite for last-minute bookings and long-awaited getaways alike. The property has 322 guest rooms of various sizes and layouts (city king, bunk room, two twins with a terrace) to help meet different travelers’ needs, but it’s safe to say they all share one goal: to make the best possible use of tight spaces through savvy design and a polished, no-frills aesthetic. That means thoughtful touches such as under-bed storage, flip-down desks, and pegboard closets.

A complimentary Citi Bike pass means you can get around like a local, but if you’re not in the mood to venture far, the Arlo has you covered: It’s home to the restaurant Lindens, which serves seasonal dishes like sweet corn and bacon pizza or summer carrot ravioli, and the midcentury-inspired cocktail den Foxtail, which hosts weekly jazz and swing nights. The Arlo offers other locations in NoMad, Midtown, and Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

citizenM New York Bowery

Courtesy of citizenM

The Netherlands-based citizenM chain joined Marriott in July 2025, meaning that Bonvoy members will soon have two more affordable Manhattan options to book with their points, one in Times Square and one on the Bowery in the Lower East Side. The 300 pod-like rooms are compact but efficiently designed, with extra-large king-size beds that stretch from wall-to-wall and enormous windows with electronic curtains and blackout blinds.

There’s a rooftop bar up on the 20th floor, and while you should certainly take an elevator to get up there, consider taking the stairs on the way back down: The stairwell hosts the Museum of Street Art, a vertical gallery featuring artists who used to paint at the since-demolished 5 Pointz in Long Island City. Equally artful is the basement level coffee shop, bar, and coworking space, which is reached via a spiral staircase. Despite being set below street level, the living room is decked out with assorted pop art curios, such as oversize rubber ducks, shark heads, cacti, and Warhol-inspired skateboards.

11 Howard

Courtesy of 11 Howard

Set in Soho near Chinatown and Little Italy, 11 Howard is at the crossroads of some of Manhattan’s most high-energy neighborhoods. But inside the 207 rooms, things are decidedly calmer, thanks to a Danish minimalist design scheme that pairs wide-plank oak floors with naturally dyed fabrics, clean-lined furnishings, and nightstands that evoke tree stumps. Particularly impressive for a property at this price point is the hotel’s art collection, which includes an Alexander Calder mobile in the lobby. Public spaces include the Blond, a sexy lounge with prints by Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki; the elegant French restaurant Le Coucou; and La Rubia, which transitions from an espresso bar to a cocktail bar in the afternoon.

Freehand New York

Courtesy of Freehand

Before it was reborn as the Freehand New York in 2018, the 1920s-era George Washington Hotel counted poets W.H. Auden and Charles Isherwood and artist Keith Haring among its former residents. When Roman and Williams redesigned the property, they leaned into this past with midcentury-modern design details, an abundance of artwork by Bard College students and alumni, and lots (and lots) of plants. Guest rooms come in more than a dozen configurations, including Solo, Three’s Company (a bunk bed over a queen-size bed) and the family-friendly Gallery Suite, which includes a king bed and four twin beds, a living room, and two bathrooms.

A Freehand brand staple is the James Beard–nominated cocktail bar Broken Shaker, on the rooftop here and also at the Los Angeles, Miami, and Chicago locations. But NYC originals are the side-by-side Georgia Room and Bar Calico, two nightlife spaces on the second floor that take their inspiration from Georgia O’Keeffe and the American Southwest; cocktails include such ingredients as cactus juice, palo santo wood, and tomatillo.

The High Line Hotel

Courtesy of the High Line Hotel

When it opened in 2009, the High Line linear park reshaped New York tourism, refocusing the center of gravity out toward West Chelsea. And in 2013, 10th Avenue welcomed a boutique lodging option worthy of its newfound cool. The High Line Hotel occupies the 1895 collegiate Gothic–style dormitory of the General Theological Seminary, but don’t let its stately red-brick exterior fool you: A playful streak runs through the place, from the 1950s London bus in the front garden (aka Daisy the Double-Decker) to the painting by psychic Ingo Swann in the lobby.

For the 60 guest rooms, NYC-based design firm Roman & Williams sourced vintage rugs and artworks and paired them with one of four boldly colorful wallpapers, reproduced from 19th-century English patterns. You’ll love the details hidden throughout, including custom embossers mounted on the desk in each room, 1920s rotary phones, and antique typewriters. During the spring and summer, the courtyard out front morphs into a bar serving frozen espresso martinis, and the lobby is home to an outpost of Intelligentsia Coffee—a great place to caffeinate before you borrow one of the complimentary bicycles and helmets and head out to explore Hudson River Park.

The Hoxton Williamsburg

Courtesy of the Hoxton

The London-born Hoxton brand opened its first stateside location in 2018 on a stretch of Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg where you’ll find most of Brooklyn’s coolest hotels. Housed in the former Rosenwach Water Tank Company factory, the Hoxton Williamsburg leans into its post-industrial surroundings with raw concrete finishes, but the 175 rooms soften that hardness with a midcentury-meets-urban aesthetic that includes mohair headboards, bedding by Dusen Dusen, locally made ceramics, and books curated by Brooklyn neighbors.

James Beard Award–winning Israeli chef Michael Solomonov is responsible for a trio of restaurants at the hotel: the all-day restaurant K’far (order the Jerusalem bagels or borekas); Jaffa Cocktail and Raw Bar; and Laser Wolf, an Israeli shipudiya (skewer house) where guests can dine on hummus and lamb kofta while enjoying views of the New York skyline.

Kimpton Hotel Theta

Photo by Regan Wood/Regan Wood Photography

Opened in September 2023, Kimpton’s latest New York City hotel occupies prime real estate on the border between the Theater District and Hell’s Kitchen—two neighborhoods not exactly known for serenity. That’s what makes the 364-room property all the more impressive: Brooklyn-based CRÈME/Jun Aizaki Architecture & Design have created a space so calming that it’s named “theta” after the type of brain waves that occur when you’re dreaming or deeply relaxed. Rooms are done up in a palette of warm woods, concrete grays, and deep, soothing blues, with soft lighting and accents of mossy green.

Luckily, the design team had a head start thanks to the building’s midcentury bones, originally conceived by Miami modernist architect Morris Lapidus. The reimagined lobby features curving sculptural doorways inspired by the art of Isamu Noguchi, abstract paintings curated by Saatchi Art, and a communal table stocked with art books. Kimpton’s robust roster of perks include PUBLIC bikes for rent and free in-room potted plants or yoga mats upon request. Don’t miss the rooftop Bar Sprezzatura, which serves spritzes and cicchetti (aka Italian tapas).

Made Hotel

Courtesy of Made Hotel

The 108-room Made Hotel in NoMad was developed with a community of influential, savvy travelers in mind. Case in point: the upscale-urban design by studio MAI, which includes raw-bronze shelving, reclaimed walnut wood flooring, Japanese ceramic tiles, and hand-carved benches, in a carefully devised layout to maximize space. Frette robes and tea kettles are available upon request to make guests feel even more at home. Made Hotel also anticipates travelers’ needs with a variety of venues, from neighborhood coffee shop Paper and tapas joint Debajo to rooftop bar Good Behavior, which serves tropical drinks in a plant-filled space up on the 18th floor.

Moxy Lower East Side

Courtesy of the Moxy Lower East Side

Moxy is the playful little cousin of the Marriott family, known for its feisty design and fun-loving amenities. There are six locations around Manhattan and Brooklyn, but the coolest might be the one in the Lower East Side, which sits on the Bowery within strolling distance of the New Museum and Chinatown. In the lobby, you’ll find quirky touches inspired by the circus and menageries, such as seating inside oversize bird cages, a life-size hula-hooping bear statue, and chandeliers with 3D-printed acrobats hanging among the crystals—plus a shuffleboard table and Ms. Pac-Man. Upon first glance, the 303 guest rooms might look more subdued and functional, with terrazzo bathroom floors, metal pipes with hangers that function as an open-air closet, and storage cubbies tucked under the bed. But keep your eyes peeled for touches of whimsy: a phone you can dial to hear bedtime stories, and hot pink disposable cups that say “Thank You for Sleeping With Us!”

Nightlife empire Tao Group Hospitality is responsible for the five on-site bars and restaurants, including the Andy Warhol–inspired Silver Lining Lounge for live music, Sake no Hana for izakaya-style Japanese cuisine, and the underground club Loosie’s, which sits under a ceiling filled with a riot of different-size disco balls.

The Penny

Photo by Alice Gao

The Sydell Group is known for such attention-grabbing hotel brands as the NoMad and the Line, but for its debut in Brooklyn, founder Andrew Zobler decided to go for a more playful spirit—even naming the property Penny after his beloved chihuahua. Part hotel and part graduate housing for Bard College MFA students, the Penny has 118 guest rooms, with perks like an in-room pour-over coffee setup with grounds from nearby Devoción Coffee, Bellino linens stitched in southern Italy, and Dusen Dusen robes. Perhaps coolest of all, featured artworks were made by New Yorkers with developmental disabilities, in partnership with the nonprofit Land Gallery. The rooftop elNico bar and restaurant pairs Mexican spirits and flavors (including a five-sample mole tasting) with skyline views.

Public Hotel

Courtesy of Public Hotel

Studio 54 nightclub cofounder Ian Schrager is known for pioneering the boutique hotel concept, with brands like Edition, and his newer Public offshoot is designed to achieve that same level of cool-kid glam at a lower price point. Housed in a Lower East Side tower designed by Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron, the Public is known for its dramatic and Instagram-friendly spaces, including a pocket park out front (which hosted a colorful carousel in summer 2025) and a neon-lit escalator surrounded by mirrors that looks like an infinity room. The 367 guest rooms are sleek and uncluttered, meant to evoke the stylish simplicity of a yacht cabin; basic room types are centered around white-oak alcoves that make the bedroom feel like a chic diorama, backed by a floor-to-ceiling window.

After dark, the crowds of young folks hanging around outside the hotel should give you an indication that Schrager has lost none of his nightlife-impresario appeal since his Studio 54 days. On site, there’s a rooftop bar with a dance floor that looks like it’s floating over the skyline; an avant-garde dance club clad in red velvet, disco balls, and multimedia effects; a low-key cocktail bar; and a plant-filled restaurant and pisco bar by Peruvian chef Diego Muñoz.

Radio Hotel

Courtesy of Radio Hotel

Radio Hotel brings boutique lodging to the uptown neighborhood of Washington Heights (between 180th and 181st streets), a neighborhood that previously had few notable accommodations. In the shadow of the George Washington Bridge, this new-build high-rise looks like a stack of colorful blocks, with 221 guest rooms that have a rainbow theme with colorful accents like subway-tiled bathrooms. The decor skews minimalist with plenty of warm wood, smart design touches (compact work desks with charging ports), and toiletries from the sisters-owned Not Soap Radio. There’s a patio with café tables and cushioned lounge chairs that’s perfect for lounging on sunny days. The on-site restaurant Jalao pays homage to the surrounding area’s predominantly Dominican population with an island-inspired breakfast buffet, tropical-tinged happy hour, and Salsa Saturdays. Need a primer on the neighborhood before checking in? Watch Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights.

The Rockaway Hotel

Photo by Kyle Knodell

Yes, Queens is home to a full-fledged beach town with an ever-growing surf scene—and it’s accessible by the subway or a scenic ferry ride. Many sun-seeking New Yorkers and tourists alike have made a day trip to Rockaway Beach on a summer day, but since 2020, they’ve had the option of making a weekend out of it, thanks to the opening of a 53-room coastal crash pad called the Rockaway Hotel, located steps from the boardwalk. Interiors lean toward warm neutrals, with textures like teak, linen, leather, and rattan that make it feel a bit more like Malibu than the end of the A train line.

There’s a heated outdoor pool with a cedar sauna, bookable cabanas, and express spa services offered out on the deck, but if you’d rather get out there and explore, the hotel has you covered: Guests can book a sailing excursion with Yacht Rock Charters on a 40-foot schooner or even take surfing lessons a few blocks away on the beach.

Romer Hell’s Kitchen

Courtesy of Romer Hell’s Kitchen

Who says that staying near Times Square has to be boring or generic? This indie property—which has a sister property in Honolulu—is less than a 10-minute walk from the majority of Broadway theaters (you can get to Wicked in 3 minutes), and that sense of theatricality seeps into the hotel. Its coolest feature is the sultry piano bar So & So’s, which has hosted performances by the likes of prominent entertainers like Darren Criss and Noah Cyrus and is entered via a discreet blue door around the corner. Equally cool is the “corner store” behind the check-in desk. Instead of the usual hotel merch, it’s stocked with unique finds from area boutiques, like neckerchiefs and cuff links from Fine and Dandy, Italian leather belt bags and card cases from Reticule, and curated retro duds from PDL Vintage.

The building opened in 1962 as a Howard Johnson hotel, designed by modernist icon Morris Lapidus, and the redesign by Goodrich paired the original red marble walls with warm wood paneling, cantilevered chandeliers, and low-slung furnishings that scream midcentury. Up in the 295 guest rooms, pale sage walls are accented by geometric light fixtures and framed artworks, and larger room categories include velvet banquettes, lounge jackets, record players (with a collection of vinyl albums), and even an easel for when the creative mood strikes.

Virgin Hotels New York

Courtesy of Virgin Hotels New York

Richard Branson’s quirky-cool take on urban hotels arrived in NYC in February 2023, adding another hotel to the NoMad neighborhood, which is fast becoming one of the city’s most exciting hotel corridors (the Fifth Avenue Hotel, the Ritz-Carlton, the Ned . . .). But what sets the Virgin apart is what always sets Virgin apart: its attitude. Playful and edgy from top to bottom, the hotel is all bright red accents, big windows, and a spacious bar-restaurant with a sprawling outdoor patio and DJs or live music nearly every night.

Upstairs, the 460 “chambers” as they’re called (including a two-story penthouse suite dubbed Sir Richard’s Flat), are compact but cleverly efficient. In a standard room, a rolling barn-style door separates the sleeping section from the entryway, which itself doubles as the vanity-and-sink area; and the bed’s headboard extends a couple feet beyond the mattress, curving into a couch. An outdoor pool (adjacent to a snazzy bar), an art collection of more than 100 works (including a Where’s Richard? mural in the lobby, à la Where’s Waldo), a spa with a hammam and a snow room, and a swanky rooftop bar called the Riff Raff Club round out the Bransonisms and make this Virgin addition feel both very New York and very swinging London at the same time.

This article originally appeared online in 2023. It was most recently updated on November 21, 2025, to include current information.