citizenM New York

Inspired by cheap-fashion chains such as H&M that bring high design to the masses, fast-growing, family-run citizenM aims to democratize the luxury-hotel experience. With rates starting at less than $200 a night, just about anyone can kick back on a $10,000 Vitra armchair in the hotel’s eclectic lobby and admire the 26-foot-tall installation Walking in Times Square by Julian Opie. Catering to a time-zone-crossing, tech-savvy clientele (the M stands for “mobile”), the Amsterdam-based company has devised a new model informed by its founders' travel frustrations, cutting high-overhead amenities like room service in the process. Self-service stations speed up check-in after a long flight (friendly “ambassadors” are on hand if you get stuck), and the 24-hour canteenM dispenses cocktails, coffee and all-day breakfast alongside other dishes and snacks, so you're not tied to set mealtimes. The rooms (appropriately, there is only one size: approximately 170 square feet) are stripped of germ-trapping bedspreads and carpets to focus on the essentials: a custom-made, extra large king-size bed, a fridge stocked with free bottled water, and a powerful Hansgrohe rain shower (in a cool cubicle illuminated with colored ceiling lights). You can control the hue, and everything else in the room—from the blinds and the temperature to the DJ-curated playlists and the artworks displayed on a digital wall panel—using a Samsung tablet. Rooms: 230.