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Located at the intersection of Bowery and Grand, Best Western’s 99-room Bowery Hanbee sits in a utilitarian hunk of real estate that, aesthetically speaking, does nothing to steal the attention from Stanford White’s gorgeous Bowery Savings Bank across the street. Which is not to say the rooms themselves are without merit: They’re perfectly clean, with soft beds, sizable bathrooms, flat-screen TVs, and, unlike most national chains, they aren’t completely cookie-cutter. Options range from single queens with a small sitting table to modest suites with a sleeper sofa; but some rooms include bathtubs, others desks, and others still have microwaves and refrigerators. (So if you have particular needs, be sure to ask in advance.) At ground level, an unmanned elevator takes you up to the low-ceilinged lobby on the second floor, where, left of the front desk, you’ll find a quiet air-conditioned space tricked out with dark-brown leather furniture, an HDTV, and some plants. The “business center” is located here, too, though with just two PCs (and in-room Wi-Fi offered upstairs), it’s not used much by the tourists who, drawn by the downtown address, choose this location. — Stephen Dougherty

Clean rooms, unique downtown location, and free continental breakfast daily.

Cons
Amenities like the business center and the rooftop exercise room (which houses just a treadmill, a bike, and an elliptical machine) seem like afterthoughts.