Meagan Drillinger

There’s a slew of trendy, cheap hotels in Brooklyn that are bursting with amenities and in prime locations. These spots will leave your wallets full enough to enjoy the best restaurants in Brooklyn and the top attractions in Brooklyn. And at much more reasonable prices than the best hotels in Manhattan, these places will let you stay in one of the hippest places in the world. Feel the sleek, urban cool wash over you at these budget-conscious hotels in Brooklyn. RECOMMENDED: 🏨See our full guide to the best hotels in NYC📍Stay in the best luxury hotels in NYC📍Or head to the hotels in West Villiage Who makes the cut? While we might not stay in and review every hotel featured, we've based our list on our expert knowledge of the destination covered, editorial reviews, user reviews, hotel amenities and in-depth research to find you the best stays. This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines.

Need a reason to stay at the best cheap hotels in Queens? Queens, NY, is getting really, really cool, much to the chagrin of the Brooklyn hipster, who swore this day would never come. The borough that stayed out of the spotlight as Brooklyn’s star burned bright is now rising in its own right as a veritable stand-alone destination in New York City. It’s definitively the most ethnically diverse borough, with the best restaurants in Queens serving some amazingly authentic food, not to mention its up-and-coming bars, skyline views and the quick transportation time to Manhattan. If you’re looking to do New York City on a budget—and in the style of true locals— Queens is the borough for you. RECOMMENDED:🏙Check out the best things to do in the Big Apple 🏨See our full guide to the best hotels in NYC📍Stay in the best hotels in Williamsburg Who makes the cut? While we might not stay in and review every hotel featured, we've based our list on our expert knowledge of the destination covered, editorial reviews, user reviews, hotel amenities and in-depth research to find you the best stays. This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines.

These cheap hotels in Manhattan have plenty of the bells and whistles expected from swank Manhattan hotels but with half the price tag. It’s no secret that a trip to New York City – and Manhattan in particular – is going to set you back a paycheck (or many). But if you can’t treat yourself in the Big Apple, where can you? So while you’re wining and dining at the best Manhattan restaurants, hitting the theater to see the best Broadway shows in NYC, and exploring the best New York attractions, you can ease your buyer’s remorse by staying at one of these cheap Manhattan hotels. February 2024 update: one of our favorite hotels is no longer unavailable, so we've replaced it with another incredibly cheap hotel: Pod 51. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best hotels in NYC Who makes the cut? While we might not stay in every hotel featured, we've based our list on top reviews, hosts and amenities to find you the best stays. This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines.

Bryant Park is a favorite hangout for visitors and tourists alike, so staying at the best hotels near Bryant Park makes sense. Home to the New York Public Library, a fantastic summer outdoor scene and the Bryant Park Winter Village in colder months, it’s a centrally located place to be near the best Manhattan attractions. You’ll also be surrounded by the best restaurants near Bryant Park. Stay in the heart of high-powered New York while soaking up the culture of nearby Fifth Avenue and Central Park when you book a stay at these hotels. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to best hotels in NYC This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, click here.  

Manhattan’s Grand Central Terminal is not only an iconic piece of New York City architecture, it’s also one of the busiest transportation hubs in the world, so it makes so much sense to stay at the best hotels near Grand Central Terminal. Approximately 750,000 pass through its train and subway stations each day, making it one of the main arteries into New York City and one of the best Manhattan attractions. It’s also a centrally located landmark, near the best Manhattan restaurants and the best hotels in Manhattan. A stay near Grand Central puts travelers at the very heartbeat of the city that never sleeps. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to best hotels in NYC

Stay at hotels near the Statue of Liberty so you can be right next door to one of the icons of New York City. It’s one of the top attractions in Manhattan and a bucket list opportunity for thousands of travelers, so when coming to New York, select a hotel that puts you front and center, with easy access to the ferry. Not to mention that downtown is packed with some of the best hotels in Manhattan and is the most historic section of Manhattan. Get a feel for the sleek side of the city as you rub elbows with Wall Street traders and feel the hustle and bustle of the New York Stock Exchange. Downtown Manhattan is electric, and you’re sure to feel the energy in the financial capital of the world. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best hotels in NYC

Yes, hotels near Penn Station are stuck in an area that seems to be the part of New York City that the glamor stick forgot to hit. It retains the dingy and decrepit patina from the 1980s—but it’s for this reason that many die-hard New Yorkers still love the area. And it is easy to hop on public transportation to nearly anywhere in the city, and you’re right next door to the limelight of Times Square and the best restaurants near Penn Station. And it's within walking distance to excellent ‘hoods like Hell’s Kitchen, NoMad and Chelsea, some of New York’s top destinations. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best hotels in NYC

We’ve come a long way, baby. In looking at what it means to be queer in NYC right this very second, we surveyed the scene—drag queens, writers, activists, fashion experts, politicians, comedians—to come up with a list of notables who are affecting what it means to be queer in New York. Cheers, all. RECOMMENDED: All state of queer in New York City stories

It's February, and you know what that means, it's almost Valentine's Day! And with that comes a time for some romantic things to do—or not. It's all up to you. Start celebrating with our list of V-Day plans that don't suck, with everything from the Cupid's Undie Run to masquarade balls and a romantic dinner at the AMNH.RECOMMENDED: Find more Valentine's Day ideas in NYC

Las Vegas may hold the title of Sin City, but for our money, NYC beats out that glitzy strip in the desert any day of the week. Drugs, food, booze, basically anything that sparks overindulging—we have it, in spades. Which is why we decided to take different writers from this adult amusement park—a chronic self-pleasurer, a shopaholic, a social media addict and a cocktail fiend—to see how long they could go without indulging in their (let’s be real, pretty innocuous) bad habits. In effect, we’re recreating “The Contest” episode of Seinfeld. Because seriously, what’s the deal with vices? [Canned laughter.] Photographs by David Williams

New Yorkers like sex. We like to talk about it, we like to experiment with it, and we love to hear others spill the beans about it. We polled hundreds of locals from more than 50 neighborhoods in all five boroughs to find out just exactly how much sex they’re having and in what fashion. If you want to know more about your peers’ practices when it comes to buying toys at sex shops, cheating, masturbating, BDSM, banging on the first date and going to sex parties, keep reading. Go on: You know you want to. Illustrations by Pâté

Just one block from Grand Central Station, this centrally located boutique hotel has everything you need for a convenient Midtown stay. Onsite Benjamin Steakhouse serves all three meals, with room service available for breakfast and dinner. Other services include ticket services, dry cleaning, laundry and shoe shining. Each room has cable TV, a minibar, bathrobes and slippers. The hotel is also a quick walk to Fifth Avenue stores, Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building and Times Square.

On 44th Street, only steps from both Grand Central and Times Square, The Mansfield Hotel features a 24-hour, state-of-the-art fitness center as well as a Club Room with classic table games and free 24-hour coffee and cappuccino service. The M Restaurant and Bar offers cocktails and live music, with a domed skylight, mahogany bookshelves, Beaux arts lighting and lounge-style seating. All guest rooms at the Mansfield feature amenities such as flat-screen TVs and iPod docking stations. In the evening, guests will appreciate pillow-top mattresses and Aveda bath products.

The sleek Westin New York Grand Central is outfitted with the business traveler in mind. Rooms are decked in neutral tones with wood paneling and plush, white bedding. A corporate-style lobby features a concierge desk, business services and an on-site bar and lounge. Rooms have flat-screen TVs and work desks. Fitness travelers will love the RunWESTIN program, which leads three-mile group runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

This unique boutique hotel is a member of Hilton’s luxurious Curio Collection, and the building once played host to great intellectuals like Steinbeck and F. Scott Fitzgerald. The hotel is just two blocks from Grand Central Station, as well. Its rooms are evocative of its literary past, decorated with easels, paint, writing paper and ink, and amenities like free Wi-Fi and Brooklyn-sourced bath products. Spring for an upgrade and score a room with a balcony. Bedford & Co. is the onsite restaurant serving Argentinian-inspired food. A fitness center and yoga space round out the hotel amenities.

InterContinental’s wellness-friendly hotel brand, EVEN, has its own Midtown outpost. Complete with a fitness center, healthy dining options and in-room fitness equipment, the hotel is stacked with your physical and mental well-being in mind. This particular hotel has flat-screen TVs in every room, bathrooms with spa showers and all-natural eucalyptus linen.

This hidden gem on the West Side is putting out a serious retro rocker vibe. Rooms are decked out in black-and-white with pops of color like classic guitars or old suitcases. Choose from private rooms with private bathrooms, AC and free Wi-Fi, or splurge for the Group Suite, which can accommodate you and up to 10 of your closest friends, with two bathrooms. Then there are the hostel-style accommodations (but way, way nicer) with shared bathrooms. All rooms have free Wi-Fi and are inspired by the ’80s. Case in point: complimentary retro Atari and board game rentals. Note: There is no elevator. The building is in a refurbished four-story walk-up, but that’s great for those who are really craving a real NYC experience!

Sex parties have gotten a bad rap recently, likened to depraved dens of perversion. Visions of swingers swapping partners in a sea of sticky fluids or animalistic cloak-and-dagger orgies seem to be most common. To shed some light on the perceived dark world that is the NYC sex-party scene, I went deep inside to get the scoop. My little adventure begins at a secret location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where NYC sex-party legend Chemistry hosts its monthly bashes. Inside the discreet space, which is splashed with deep-purple lighting, a DJ spins in the background to create a lounge-like atmosphere as guests check their names, coats, bags and cameras at the door. I’ve brought a date, but attendees run the spectrum from committed couples to friends to singles. We grab a drink at the bar (it’s BYOB, but a bartender provides mixers), dance and explore the sprawling warehouse, discovering sultry secrets tucked in shadowy corners, like, say, sensual massages and conveniently placed tents for covert hand jobs. To be honest, it doesn’t feel that different from any other Brooklyn party, except everyone there knows that the endgame is to hook up. Speaking of which: It’s nerve-racking when you know you’re going to have sex in public. Yes, I’m prepared to hump in front of a roomful of strangers. We throw back a few whiskey cocktails and make our way upstairs to the “play” area, an elevated loungey den with throw pillows, couches and mattresses. After securing coveted real estate on an unocc