The Bowery Hotel

Well-located on the cusp of the East Village and Noho, this hotel draws locals and visitors alike with its bar scene, restaurant and event spaces.

• The white-washed brick and industrial-sleek details.
• Outdoor showers in one-bedroom suites.
• The cozy-yet-fashionable bar scene

When the Bowery Hotel opened in 2007, Ian Schrager fans were quick to point out that its brooding lobby complete with Gilded Age antiques, a fireplace and velvet, tasseled furniture was similar to the Gramercy Park Hotel’s own salon-like entranceway. But while both properties have been cited as examples of the High Bohemia design craze, the Bowery’s vibe is a little less dramatic. There are no Warhols and Damien Hirsts here, and the vibe is a bit cozier and brainier—as evidenced in the shelves of leather-bound classics and the old-fashioned newspaper rack. The rooms are simultaneously elegant and industrial-sleek: long, flowing curtains cover floor-to-ceiling windows and dark mahogany furniture offsets exposed piping and white brick walls. All have fantastic Manhattan views (there are, after all, very few tall office buildings down here to obstruct them), but only the seven private terrace suites contain the hotel’s famous outdoor showers, which allow guests to literally soak up the view.

Anyone who likes to be based downtown and desires a happening bar scene in their hotel.