It wasn’t so long ago that budget hotels in New York conjured thoughts of bedbugs, thin walls, and dim light bulbs. That was until spots like Ace Hotel New York, Archer Hotel, 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 Roosevelt Island. Whether you care more about a chic hotel room, a social scene, or simply the attractive price, you can count on these 11 affordable hotels in NYC to deliver a deal without compromising on quality.
Stop into the Hotel Theta’s mid-century-inspired lobby for Kimpton’s famed daily “social hour.”
Photo by Regan Wood/Regan Wood Photography
Kimpton Hotel Theta
- Neighborhood: Times Square
- Book Now: From $289 per night
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 mid-century 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).
There are Smeg refrigerators, Tivoli radios, and sustainably made latex mattresses in all 287 rooms at the Ace Hotel Brooklyn.
Photo by Stephen Kent Johnson
Ace Hotel Brooklyn
- Neighborhood: Boerum Hill, Brooklyn
- Book Now: From $299 per night
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 features 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 rooms.
As You Are, the ground-floor restaurant, uses Brooklyn’s multicultural culinary scene to inspire dishes like sea trout crudo with beets, and grilled pork with a spiced coconut-onion relish. In the morning, don’t miss getting a pastel de nata or warm biscuit to go with your coffee at the bakery counter. If you must go into Manhattan, the A/C train at Hoyt Schermerhorn is only a block away.
Different room sizes and layouts mean there’s something for everyone at Arlo SoHo.
Courtesy of Arlo Hotels
Arlo SoHo
- Neighborhood: SoHo
- Book Now
Steps away from world-class shopping, historic architecture, and an abundance of popular bars and restaurants, the Arlo SoHo is a favorite for last-minute bookings and long-awaited getaways alike. The property has 322 rooms of various sizes and layouts (city king, bunk room, two twins with a terrace) help to meet 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. The brand’s other two NYC properties—Arlo NoMad and Arlo Midtown—offer similar rates for people looking for a place to stay in those neighborhoods.
Virgin Hotel is a welcome addition to the NoMad neighborhood.
Courtesy of Virgin Hotels NYC
Virgin Hotel
- Neighborhood: NoMad
- Book Now: From $215 per night
Richard Branson’s quirky-cool take on urban hotels arrived in NYC in February 2023, adding another hotel to the NoMad neighborhood that’s already packed with options (the Ned, Ritz-Carlton, and the original Ace are all around the corner, along with a slew of budget spots).
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 39 one-bedroom suites and a 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.
A guests-only outdoor pool (adjacent to a snazzy bar, of course), an art collection of more than 100 works (including a “Where’s Richard?” mural in the lobby, à la Where’s Waldo), a spa expected in December 2023, and a red-velvet, 70s-style lounge called the Shag Room round out the Bransonisms and make this Virgin addition feel both very New York and very swinging London at the same time.
Rooms at Made Hotel include stylish bronze shelves, rich fabrics, and hand-carved benches.
Courtesy of Made Hotel
Made Hotel
- Neighborhood: NoMad
- Book Now: From $199 per night
This NoMad hotel was developed with a community of influential, savvy travelers in mind. Case in point is the upscale-urban design by studio MAI, which includes raw-bronze shelving, rich fabrics, and hand-carved benches in a carefully devised layout to maximize space. Made Hotel, developed by the Devli Group, also anticipates travelers’ needs with a variety of venues, from neighborhood coffee shop Paper and tapas joint Debajo to rooftop bar Good Behavior.
Hebru Brantley’s Flyboy greets visitors entering the lobby at Graduate Roosevelt Island.
Photo by Steve Freihon Photography
Graduate Roosevelt Island
- Neighborhood: Roosevelt Island
- Book Now: From $219 per night
Though most locals and tourists have had little reason to set foot on Roosevelt Island before, the 2021 opening of Graduate Hotels’ first NYC outpost near Cornell Tech’s campus should make everyone reprioritize a visit to this narrow island in the East River sandwiched between Midtown Manhattan and Long Island City in Queens. Like Graduate’s other boutique properties in college towns across the United States and United Kingdom, the 224-room Graduate Roosevelt Island pays homage to its local community with its own brand of quirky and futuristic design. A 13-foot tall statue of artist Hebru Brantley’s Flyboy looms over the check-in desk, while the rooms feature technologic details like lamp bases decorated with Morse code of the Cornell fight song and a neon light fixture inspired by a science project from a Cornell alum.
On the 18th floor, New York unfolds before you at the rooftop Panorama Room. While the eye-catching neon and acrylic chandelier over the bar will be the first thing you notice, the lounge’s key feature is its wall of windows that open to create an indoor-outdoor space and provide unobstructed views of the city. Don’t know how to get there? There are plenty of options, including the F train, the East River Ferry, and the Roosevelt Island Tram. Taking an Uber from LGA? Without traffic, you can get to the Graduate in less than 20 minutes.
Freehand is known for its well-designed and comfortable rooms and common spaces.
Courtesy of Freehand
Freehand New York
- Neighborhood: Flatiron District
- Book Now: From $151 per night
The Freehand New York features midcentury-modern design by Roman and Williams, an abundance of artwork by Bard College students and alumni, and lots (and lots) of plants. Five categories of guest rooms feature options like bunk beds and “Three’s Company” (a bunk bed over a queen-size bed), meaning every group can count on cool lodging—without breaking the bank. While there, grab a bite to eat at its cozy ground-floor restaurant Comodo (open daily) which features Latin fare like wild mushroom tacos and trout ceviche tostadas, or head to its lively rooftop bar Broken Shaker (open Tuesday–Saturday) for a drink with a view.
The botanical decor in the Fleur Room is inspired by the Moxy Chelsea’s location in New York’s Flower District.
Courtesy of Moxy/Michael Kleinberg Photography
Moxy NYC Chelsea
- Neighborhood: Chelsea
- Book Now: From $189 per night
At the Moxy NYC Chelsea, the 350 rooms feature smart, space-saving layouts by design firm Yabu Pushelberg, complete with foldaway furniture that you can use when you need it and hang up on wall hooks when you need the floor space. Other key details that make these small spaces feel luxurious include rain showers, fast and free Wi-Fi, and floor-to-ceiling windows with iconic skyline views.
The hotel’s fun factor is only heightened at the Fleur Room, the 35th-floor rooftop bar with 360-degree views of Manhattan from the Empire State Building directly to the north and the Statue of Liberty to the south. Designed by the Rockwell Group, the bar’s botanical theme is a nod to the neighborhood’s Flower District complete with lounge chairs upholstered in floral fabrics and real blooms preserved inside resin high-top tables.
The Archer excels at making small spaces feel luxurious.
Courtesy of Archer Hotel
Archer Hotel New York
- Neighborhood: Garment District
- Book Now: From $209 per night
Making small spaces feel luxurious is the idea behind the Archer Hotel, a Midtown favorite located two blocks south of Bryant Park. That means five-star linens, subway-tiled bathrooms, and floor-to-ceiling windows that offer views of the bustling fashion corridors below. The food and beverage program delivers, too: choose between grabbing a drink and casual bite to eat in the ground-floor AKB hotel bar or sip cocktails while enjoying views of the Empire State Building at the 22nd-floor Spyglass Rooftop Bar.
The rooms may be petite, but the Hoxton’s sunken lobby is expansive.
Courtesy of the Hoxton
The Hoxton Williamsburg
- Neighborhood: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
- Book Now: From $159 per night
Housed in the former Rosenwach Water Tank Company factory, the Hoxton Williamsburg takes inspiration from its surrounding neighborhood. The 175 rooms are outfitted with locally made ceramics and books curated by neighbors.
Beyond the Brooklyn details, a midcentury-meets-urban aesthetic prevails, from brass accents and mohair headboards to raw concrete ceilings and subway-tiled showers. It’s a stylish approach from design team Ennismore and Soho House that carries through to the public spaces like Laser Wolf, an Israeli shipudiya (skewer house) where guests can dine on hummus and lamb kofta while enjoying views of the New York skyline.
The rooftop bar at citizenM offers impressive skyline views.
Courtesy of citizenM
citizenM New York Bowery
- Neighborhood: Lower East Side
- Book Now: From $189 per night
This European affordable luxury brand expanded in 2018, when it opened its second New York property amid the trendy bars, restaurants, and boutiques of the Lower East Side. (Its first NYC property is in Times Square.) Here, guests find a living-room-like lobby with a café and space to work, plus a rooftop bar with sweeping views of the skyline. Wall-to-wall windows make small guest rooms feel airy and bright, while extra-large king beds, high-pressure rain showers, and free movies and Wi-Fi ensure everyone stays in comfort.
This article originally appeared online in 2017. It was most recently updated on September 21, 2023, to include current information.
