7 Best Hotels in Lower East Side, New York City

Rising 21 floors into the sky, the citizenM makes an outsized statement that starts at ground level, with the fabulous lobby “living room,” and reaches all the way to its rooftop bar and terrace. The living room has desk space for working, counter and bar space for dining, and couch space for lounging. Upstairs, the chicly minimal guest rooms are all identical: small but with XL king-size beds and huge windows—in fact, they were all prefabricated in Poland and shipped to the United States by boat to keep construction prices down.

Embodying the effortlessly cool attitude of the surrounding neighborhood, this stylish hotel pleases guests with everything from the cozy first-floor lounge with a limestone fireplace to the romantic trellis-covered garden out back. People stay here for the scene and the solicitous service—the popular in-house restaurant, Dirty French, draws locals as well as visitors, as much for the food as for the people-watching and signature cocktails. The terrace rooms are worth a splurge for a bit of private outdoor space and sweeping views.

Housed in a 12-floor neo-Renaissance former bank building from 1912, Nine Orchard is one of the chicest places in Lower Manhattan to lay one's head for the night. The rooms are bigger than average and are loaded with thoughtful touches: need make-up remover? Check the bathroom toiletries. Forgot your electrical adopter for your European or British electronic gadget? An adopter is in a bedside drawer. Wrinkled clothes? There's a steamer  in the closet. Need a NY-centric soundtrack to your stay? A custom speaker system streams songs into your room to go along with the work of local artists on the walls. 

This hotel is a great embodiment of the vibe of the neighborhood inhabitants: hip, but friendly when you're acquainted. Rooms are stylishly stark, black-and-white affairs, with low platform beds whose headboards are light boxes displaying works by the photographer Lee Friedlander. The desk space can be cramped, and although the windows are big, come nighttime, rooms can feel seriously dark. Suites, on the building's corners, have balconies with sweeping views of both downtown and Midtown—some of the best in the city. The neighborhood is a nexus for nightlife, and the hotel's bar is a great place to start.

In the center of the dynamic Lower East Side, this hotel is a great base for restaurants, nightlife, and people-watching, and it's hard to beat the sweeping city views from the Mr. Purple restaurant and bar and terrace on the 15th floor. The neighborhood's artistic spirit is honored through the hotel's emphasis on art, which is notable, especially for a chain hotel. Rooms aren't huge—as is common in this part of Manhattan—but they are bright and cozy.

Ian Schrager's buzzy Lower East Side hotel has the same sleek modern design, state-of-the-art technology, destination dining, and hot bar scene that define every property he touches. The rooms are on the small side but the views out of the floor-to-ceiling windows, the active lobby, and in-house eatery, Peruvian-accented Popular, make up for it.