A Guide to New York City’s Hippest New Hotels

Hospitality and nightlife kingpin Ian Schrager is at it again with this month’s debut of Public hotel on the Lower East Side. With starting rates marketed at $150 per night and the credo, “Luxury For All,” it’s his first foray into the affordable lifestyle segment.

While he claims to introduce a new aesthetic with “invisible” design, Public’s glowing, mirrored lobby elevators have whiffs of his classic Hudson Hotel and the minimalist rooms, from their white oak bed platforms to the faux fur throws, reference his most recent endeavor with the luxurious EDITION hotels.

He’s also tapped Jean Georges-Vongerichten for two restaurants, one upscale and the other casual, which sound vaguely similar to their collaboration at The Miami Beach EDITION.

Still, pull all of these elements together with three bars, a performance space-cum-nightclub and an approachable price point and it adds up to a fresh combination that I’ll gladly check into.

Current rates from $200.

Situated in Chinatown at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge deep in Lower Manhattan, Hotel 50 Bowery positions travelers within close proximity to the Lower East Side, Soho, Bowery and Financial District.

It opened in May making it the first Joie de Vivre outpost in Manhattan. The brand provides hip, design-forward abodes that reflect their destinations at an affordable price point.

Hotel 50 Bowery boasts a rooftop perch offering dazzling views of the Manhattan skyline and a forthcoming restaurant by Top Chef Dale Talde.

Rooms are inviting with a collage of Chinatown-inspired art above the beds curated by Exhibition A gallery, cozy bathrobes with a red dragon embroidered on the back and a modern rainfall shower. Picture window views of the Manhattan skyline don’t hurt either.

Current rates from $178.

With its debut in February, 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge elevated the concept of New York City destination hotel with its privileged East River location on Brooklyn Bridge Park in the shadow of the iconic granite suspension bridge. It’s the first ground up development by Barry Sternlicht’s 1 Hotels and, as such, is the brand’s flagship hotel.

With 194 neo-noir guest rooms inspired by the East River and its seafaring barges and container ships, state-of-the-art sliding glass doors open up for a floating sensation from the comfort of your plush custom hemp bed.

The 10^th floor rooftop lounge opened in May and a forthcoming signature restaurant is in the works.

Current rates from $228.

Debuting in January, The Williamsburg Hotel is the latest addition to the hip Brooklyn neighborhood’s hotel landscape, which includes The Wythe, The William Vale Hotel and McCarren Hotel & Pool.

Designed by Michael Boyd Studio, the hotel provides all the Brooklyn loft feels you crave. Rooms feature dramatic 10-foot ceilings with sliding glass windows for vertigo-inducing views of the skyline, plus tufted leather headboards, plush teal velvet loveseats and oversized bathrooms with soaking tubs and open format showers worthy of a self-guided, spa-like “water journey.”

Bars, restaurants and a rooftop swimming pool are in the works, including a rotating water tower lounge crowning the eight-story hotel. But for now, The Hotel Bar in the semi-subterranean ground floor makes for a sprawling and stylish place for cocktails or complimentary breakfast amidst jewel-toned banquettes and a colorful installation by street artist Eric Rieger.

Current rates from $205.

With the hip factor of Long Island City on a steady upward trajectory, it was only a matter of time before a boutique design hotel cropped up in the Queens ‘hood.  Aptly named Paper Factory, the hotel occupies a building that manufactured radios in the 1920s before being converted into a paper mill.

The 122 room hotel adopts a steampunk-chic aesthetic with original polished concrete floors, hammered metal doors, oversized factory windows and exposed pipes.

It’s anchored by the 2016 Michelin Recommended restaurant Mundo serving upscale interpretations of world cuisine ranging from Peruvian to Italian.

Current rates from $110.

Opening in 2016 in Lower Manhattan, The Beekman, a Thompson hotel, is situated inside a landmark historic building restored by designer Martin Brudnizki. At the heart of the building is the nine-story atrium, ringed by Victorian wrought-iron railing leading the eye to a pyramidal skylight casting a soft, amber glow on the lobby below.

Rooms are outfitted with Venetian glass chandeliers, plush jewel tones and sturdy leather headboards.

Anchored by beloved New York City restaurateur Keith McNally’s Augustine and celebrity chef Tom Colicchio’s Fowler & Wells, it’s also a foodie’s paradise.

Current rates from $299.

Situated at the foot of its namesake New York City landmark, 1 Hotel Central Park provides a warm and cozy retreat from the midtown hubbub through its signature eco-chic aesthetic of “bringing the outside in.”

Opened in August 2015 as the follow-up to the hotel brand’s South Beach debut, 1 Hotel Central Park enlisted AvroKo Hospitality for its organic interiors that include a heavenly windowsill nook, in-room live terrariums by Sprout Home and sumptuous Brescia Capraia marble rainfall showers.

The hotel is anchored by Jonathan Waxman’s Jams restaurant, which also follows a seasonal, organic credo with dishes like the Goffle Road Farms chicken plate made with salsa verde, watercress and fries.

Current rates from $241.