Giving budget a good name is this Times Square hotel founded by Andre Balazs as the Hotel QT a few years ago. (He's since passed the property along to new operators.) The unique lobby centers on a raised pool with peep-show-like windows that overlook the bar. Upstairs, rooms are modern, dorm-room in size, but have upscale hotel touches such as feather-pillow-topped mattresses, rain-head showers, and DVD players to accompany the flat-screen TVs. There's no work space, no bathtubs, and double rooms have bunk beds sprouting out of the wall. Still, you can't beat the price—rooms start at just $225, including continental breakfast—and the location is as central as they come. Pros: free wireless; cheap rates; complimentary breakfast. Cons: little natural light in some rooms; expensive for amount of space.
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