The earthy brown and gold colors used in 70 Park's rooms go well with the hotel's environmentally aware ethos. Guests in the small but attractive rooms are asked to recycle, as well as conserve water. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

It's got the lore (Dorothy Parker staged a 'round table' lunch with literary types here for 10 years beginning in 1919) and the martinis (the 10,000.00 one comes with a diamond ring for question-poppers or bored billionaires) - the classy Algonquin is the quintessential old New Y… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Open since 1928, the Belvedere's roots (and pretty, porticoed façade) are pure art deco originals, even if the present makeover is a modern version of the era's glory days. A buffet breakfast is served in the lobby cafe. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

An unlikely creation from a 20-floor all-glass office building, the Bentley is about as east as you can get in Manhattan. The location isn't exactly ideal for pounding the pavement - it's just off the Queensboro Bridge ramps and a pretty busy York Ave, but East River views from t… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

It's not big on character, but it's clean and safe - and smack dab in the heart of Midtown. The seven-floor Big Apple can bunk 170 travelers. Rooms throughout are bare white deals, and doors seem out of a primary school, but there's a back patio to smoke and drink in, and staff a… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Looking up from Bryant Park - one of New York's highlights - the eye naturally gravitates towards this gem, a black-brick tower trimmed in golden-colored stone. Originally the American Standard Building (1924), this now 130-room hotel is worthy of even more attention inside, with… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Opulent and old-world, the Carlyle has been an Upper East Side classic since opening in 1930. JFK used to hang out here and Woody Allen plays with his jazz band on Monday nights - if you stay at the 17-floor Carlyle, you're in seriously elite company. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

New York's number one rock 'n' roll, bohemian sleeping quarters, the Chelsea Hotel, has been immortalised in songs by the likes of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. Sid's Nancy died here in 1979 and other famed residents have ranged from Dylan Thomas to Ethan Hawke. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Gold stars are Chelsea stars! This three-story European-style hotel has a very fun, hostel vibe - and three dorm rooms. Nineteen thematic private rooms are painted to reflect themes such as Star Trek, Absolutely Fabulous, Coney Island and other wacky things. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

A castle-like setting in the middle of busy Chelsea, the Desmond Tutu Center's ideally located for art lovers - or lovers of any kind, given its romantic, flower-filled rooms and picturesque grounds. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Certainly surreal, the Dream - opened in late 2004 - is a modern makeover of a one-time plain chain hotel. Its two bars - including a penthouse job overlooking Broadway - get the cocktail crowd giddy from late afternoon onwards. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Once home to the Chemists Club (and still boasting the swirling marble staircase and beaux-arts façade of the 1903 building), the Dylan is now a house of style with 108 rooms done up in lavenders, greens and sky blues. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Primarily a business hotel transformed from a former condominium complex, the 288-room Flatotel has luxurious, if slightly unexciting, rooms and suites catered for comfort. Full apartments are also available. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

If you need an Upper East Side bed for under 400.00, the compact, nine-floor Franklin is a cosy choice, with 49 wee - seriously little - rooms and French accordion music piped into the lobby. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Screw the Chelsea, the 13-floor Gershwin - with its tear-shaped drip-drop bulbs along its red façade, framed Pop Art and Museum of Sex next door - is a primo art'n'rock'n'roll hotel for a lot less. The kept-clean 159 rooms - including a handful of dorms - savor the past but don't… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Deep maroons, reds, browns and crisp whites dominate the grand, bohemian-style rooms at the Gramercy Park Hotel, which has been refurbished to match its quaint, well-heeled neighborhood. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

The world's largest hostel occupies an impressive red-brick 1883 mansion, the one-time house for the 'Relief of Respectable, Aged, Indigent Females'. Inside are 82 rooms and 624 beds in well-scrubbed (if slightly clinical) rooms and a way-friendly vibe for such a big place. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Right off Stuyvesant Sq, on a leafy residential block, this simple but evocative eight-floor hotel combines old New York charm with cheap prices. A great deal if you don't mind sharing the loo. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Coming close to a New York hotel scene in a wacky Coen brothers flick, the timeless, seven-story Hotel 31 is a budget hotel with 70 available rooms appealing to budget travelers. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Rooms are a bit of a squeeze, but it's hard to beat Hotel 373's location and overall quality for its price point. Ignore the lack of space, and this clean, modern and stylish hotel has got everything else going for it. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Just off Seventh Ave, and Times Square's roar, the seven-floor Hotel 41 wins business and fun travelers' hearts. Rooms are stylish though tiny. There's a winding steel staircase on the front façade and it's located right next to the Broadway theaters. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Just off Broadway, the nine-story Belleclaire aims for a modern look that is a step above the usual stuffy, ruffly international hotels at this price range. Despite a recent renovation, the walls already show a few nicks. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Slide into the glossy cream, brown and sexy red rooms offered by the East Houston Hotel and embrace the decadence. Rooms are smallish, but the chic decor, Fiji water and Bulgari toiletries more than compensate. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

It's all about business in this high-tech Brooklyn hotel, which caters to the traveling executive looking for an alternative to overpriced Manhattan. The bright-blue lobby elevators, glass-enclosed work stations and sleek, work-friendly rooms set the tone, but it's in an industri… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

On the site of a 1901 hotel, the Hotel Metro is a ripped-to-the-beams '90s remake of the original, with low-key Art Deco touches and a killer rooftop terrace with full-frontal views of the nearby Empire State Building. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Clean and cheap, this functional, almost chain-like hotel overlooks Broadway and boasts fairly spacious rooms with all new furnishings (including beds and TVs). Business gets a mix of international visitors and plenty of academic folk from Columbia University, 30 blocks north. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

What's this? A bodega-style reception desk, wrap-around bar encapsulating a raised-deck pool, chic bunk-bed rooms; all a half block from Times Square? Opened in 2005, the QT is a budget boutique choice for hipster travelers (and fashion/entertainment cheapies) looking for an alt… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Karaoke mikes are in the house, as are loads of Korean and Japanese tourists paying tribute to the vocal chord gods over Koreatown's fun vibe of noodle shops (and karaoke bars). The 122-room Stanford is ready for a renovation, but its traditional, if slightly worn, rooms grant yo… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

The 1904, beaux-arts hotel gets a lots of nods historically - Buddy Holly stayed here while recording - but it's hardly holding up to its past glory. Probably only worth considering if you find a cheap rate online. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

The Ian Schrager-owned and Philippe Starck-designed Hudson is for the modernly inclined. It's simply one of Manhattan's coolest spots - for sleeping, for drinking, or for simply reading the Times in its jaw-dropping lobby. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Steeped in history (James Dean lived in Room 803 from 1951 to 1953), this classic Old New York 114-room hotel is glowing from a recent big-buck renovation that nods towards mid-century French influences. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Former flophouse on a street named for Duke Ellington, the Jazz - the original of three popular Jazz hostels in Manhattan - is a festive hostel with clean, small rooms (and some private rooms) with two terrace sitting areas, a basement lounge and cafe/snack bar for hanging out wi… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

This red-brick tower, completely rebuilt in 1995 by its Japanese owners, certainly keeps a Japanese vibe, with hushed halls, mahogany staircases and piped-in classical music in its relaxed lobby. Museum-quality artwork is throughout, like the Botero dog sculpture facing the sitti… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Luxury all the way but geared for fun (rooftop pool and jogging track, basement racquetball, home-made coloring books for kids, 'fuhgettaboudit' privacy door-signs), the 42-floor Le Parker Meridien is an experience the second you walk into the Gothic-style archway of its mirrored… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

All the hotels in New York look up to the Mandarin. With suites exceeding 10,000.00 a night, the 251-room hotel (occupying the 35th to 54th floors of the 84-floor tower) offers what it should: tip-top opulence. The vaguely '40s-era styled rooms have interesting Asian highlights a… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Brooklyn's only big-time hotel, the 374-room (and expanding) Marriott is a by-the-numbers chain a couple of minutes from the Brooklyn Bridge pedestrian walkway (for a unique commute to Manhattan's Financial District). It's a worthy back-up base if you don't mind sticking with the… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

In a unique narrow 55-floor building - designed after the obelisk in 2001: A Space Odyssey - the Millenium Hilton is home to 565 rooms, Hudson River views, two restaurants and a swimming pool. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

This Ian Schrager classic, a 1985 pioneer for New York's boutique beauties, looks as fresh, austere and to-date as it did two decades ago. Towering curtains to either side of the lobby lead to the swank Morgans Bar and the two-floor Asia de Cuba, serving a Latin take at pan-Asian… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Anne Rice fans will feel right at home in this gothic delight. Rooms are small and decked out in black and white linens, drapes and furnishings; the location, steps from Times Sq, puts you in the middle of everything. Full Lonely Planet Review ›