Stylish NYC hotel rooms for under $100

NYC micro-hotels are in demand as travelers look for stylish, functional, affordable rooms in a very expensive city. Have you heard about the new Jane in the West Village (which has a soft opening in the Fall)? It is making incredible progress and is offering rooms for less than $100, while The POD on East 51^st Street, which opened in 2007, is offering rooms as low as $89.

The Catch: These are tiny rooms and most guests share a communal bathroom.
The Undeniable Perks:  These are stylishly decorated rooms. They are outfitted with the latest hi-tech amenities.  Rooms are set in a welcoming and alluring hotel environment. The hotels are located in desirable Manhattan locations.  
 
NYC remains one of the most traveled to destinations in the world but as these hotels prove, as much as New York City is known for its high prices, it’s equally famous for its bargains.  
 
$99

The Jane Hotel, New York City: Following a full restoration, this 1907 build located in the hip Far West Village quietly opened in late Fall, reincarnated as an edgy 200-room micro hotel for plucky travelers with more “dash than cash.”  The hotel is still under development but 60 are 50 square-foot cabins available now for $99 per night.  More of these cabins will open by January 2009 and eventually will make up 150 of the hotel’s 200 rooms.  All cabins with communal bathrooms are designed like luxury train cabins and feature a single bed with built-in drawers, luggage rack, free wireless internet, telephone with voicemail, 23”-inch LCD television, DVD player, and iPod dock.  For slightly higher rates, 50 rooms measuring at 250 sq. ft. will feature private bathrooms. www.thejanenyc.com  

The hotel will soon feature a basement pool and a rooftop bar.  Once it’s fully open early 2009, it will become a destination hotel in the city. The historic waterfront building in recent years became a quirky “residential hotel” (before it became The Jane.) While most have moved out, some of the tenants still reside and have become part of the hotel’s character such as The Chelsea and Windsor Arms.  

$89
The Pod Hotel in Manhattan’s East Side is for travelers who prefer to spend their money on experiencing the city’s shops, restaurants and attractions over a pricey hotel room. The POD offers 347 guest rooms that are ingeniously equipped and stylishly furnished including the 90 bunk-bedded rooms with shared bath available for as low as $89 per night.  
 
All rooms feature iPod docking stations, LCD-screen televisions with cable, free WiFi, telephone with voice mail, in-room safes, closets, multi-purpose table and chair.  All bathrooms feature rain-style shower heads and glass shower doors; electronic bath occupancy display in rooms with shared baths.  Other room types, some with private bath, are also available from $109 – 229.  www.thepodhotel.com