I know there have been a million threads on NYC hotels, and being a New York resident, I never paid too much attention to those. But I'm now looking for some hotel advice, and while I did do a search, I didn't find exactly what I was looking for. So any help would be appreciated.

I am looking to do a one night "urban vacation" at a cool NYC hotel with my girlfriend. Location is irrelevant, since obviously we're in it more for the hotel than for the sights. But I'm looking for that perfect confluence of low cost (under $250), somewhat luxurious furnishings, and maybe a hip vibe. Any favorites?

Thanks.

Matt

We really liked Hotel Giraffe. Barna is located on basement level of hotel -- good for drinks, but we were not overwhelmed by our dinner there.

I'd recommend that you check out the W hotels (starwoodhotels.com) in NY. If you're not familar with the "W" hotel chain, it is run by Starwood and tends to be on the urban/hip end of the spectrum with good in-room amenities for your in-town vacation (DVD, CD player, great room service, etc). I live in San Francisco and we usually stay at the SF W for our "urban vacation" or post-christmas party stays. There are several different W hotels in NY, each with a slight different theme. What we like best about W hotels is that they have a "anything, anytime" service motto so you can get that middle of the night room service!

W is a great suggestion and typically very hip. However...I would *not* recommend W New York (541 Lexington). Our room was the size of a closet - could hardly navigate around the bed. The bathroom was also tiny and only had a pedestal sink (so hard to find a place to put toiletries).

If you are going to a W, my favorite is the W The Court on 39th and Lex. Small-ish hotel, big rooms, nice bar, nice area in Murray Hill.

The one in Union Square is pretty cool, too, but it feels more like a "big" hotel.