The cheapest, nicest hotels in New York City right now

PUBLIC Hotel New York City

Lower East Side, Manhattan

While the Lower East Side is no longer the hardscrabble place of decades past, it has historically been a desert for affordable hotels that weren’t of the hostel variety. That all changed with the arrival of the PUBLIC Hotel in 2017: Ian Schrager’s sexy, swanky boutique hotel that brings a bit of uptown, downtown. While the large number of restaurants and bars is certainly a draw here (this is a Schrager hotel, after all), we also love the minimalist-chic rooms. Think Brutalist-style concrete ceilings, paired with beds ensconced in backlit wooden frames, with huge picture windows looking out onto one of NYC’s most vibrant neighbourhoods.

Price: from £275 per night

Radio Hotel

Washington Heights, Manhattan

Washington Heights got a bit of a fame boost last year with the release of In The Heights; and this year, the northern Manhattan neighbourhood is finally getting its first-ever, full-service boutique hotel. The multi-coloured Radio Hotel, which opened in June 2022, has 221 rooms and features architectural and food tours of the neighbourhood, a lively rooftop with postcard-perfect views of the city and the famed GW Bridge, plus the first US location of popular Dominican restaurant, Jalao.

Price: from £195 per night