Hotel 31

Profile

A hotel with a Euro-chic name and Euro-trip vibe, Hotel 31 provides a resting place for those who just don't feel at home unless they're sharing a bathroom with several strangers (though more private rooms are available). For reasonable rates, this hotel in Murray Hill offers 60 renovated, small and colorfully decorated rooms with such standard American conveniences as air conditioning, cable television and 24-hour concierge service. The narrow hallways, tiny lobby and old-fashioned accordion-gate elevator, however, seem 100 percent European. And as for the clientele, think young, European polyglot. Fanny packs not included. — Ben Mathis-Lilley

Location centered between Downtown and Midtown Manhattan attractions; cheap but still safe and clean.

Cons
You might have to coordinate shower schedules with people who don't speak English. Some guests complain about the lighting.