Broadway Hotel and Hostel

The plain white exterior of the Broadway Hotel and Hostel is a little bit deceiving -- indoors this hotel and hostel is surprisingly cozy and trendy, with an attention to design details. The lobby is usually busy with travelers and many different accents can be heard. The front desk has candy, fruit snacks, gum, and other treats available for a small fee all day long. The lobby area is decorated in chocolate tones, with exposed brick walls,  a fireplace, and shimmering gold metallic panels accenting the front desk.

There's an elevator almost hidden in a nook in the lobby, but it is small and slow (handlers are available on-site to help with luggage, if needed). While there is no curfew, no overnight visitors are allowed and all visitors must check-in at the front desk. However, there is plenty of space to curl up and relax in the multi-room lounge and kitchenette area, also with exposed brick walls and cozy furniture. Overall the atmosphere is lively and young, with many foreign guests.

Located in Manhattan's Upper West Side at Broadway and 101st Street, this hotel is near many restaurants, shops, and bars. There are many chain restaurant options, as well as pizzerias and international eateries nearby. The subway is located two short blocks away and the 1 train can transport guests to midtown Manhattan in 15 minutes. Many New York City landmarks are also nearby, including Central Park, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Natural History, and Columbia University. The local community is a blend of cultures all on one street -- Broadway has restaurants and businesses that represent Hispanic, Indian, Middle Eastern, Turkish, Italian, and American cultures.

Hallways have cheerful green walls leading to the cozy and cute rooms. Rooms are either dormitory style or private, and have artistic splashes of color here and there. In the private rooms, deep purple panels top off the periwinkle walls and large abstract acrylic paintings hang over the beds. The full-size bed in each is outfitted with white sheets the texture of terrycloth, a red and orange accent pillow, four standard white pillows, and a beige bedskirt. There's also a red solo chair and a matching garbage bin in the corner. There are no dresser drawers or a closet. Instead, rooms come equipped with rods in the corners closest to the doors with three hangers. There is a wall-mounted flat-screen TV and full length mirror in each. Some guests have complained about thin walls.

Hostels can sometimes get a bad rap for their bathrooms, but bathrooms here are clean. They're nicely decorated with white and blue tiles. A small, decorative mirror replaces the standard long rectangular ones found in most hotels. Showers have waterfall nozzles overhead and sliding glass doors. Shampoo, soap, and towels are provided, but lotion and washcloths aren't.

The Broadway Hotel's expansive multi-room lounge area, which follows the same exposed brick and woody decor patterns as the lobby, is a high point here. Even the lounge's public bathrooms are nice, with exposed brick and three massive shimmering metallic blue mosaic walls. The larger of the rooms is part TV room -- with three big couches (the visible worn areas give away how comfortable they must be to curl up in) and a flat-screen TV -- part-dining area with bar tables and chairs, another flat-screen TV, and a kitchenette with a full fridge, two microwaves, a sink, toaster, toaster oven, and an electric kettle.

The other lounge room doubles as a library area. While it also has a flat-screen TV, the main feature here is the shelf with books of different genres and languages. The hotel also encourages you to "take a book, leave a book." During breakfast hours, a shelving unit against its decorative "I Love NY" wall mural houses the hotel's 24-hour snack corner (at all other times, snacks are at the front desk). Cheaply priced chocolates, fruit snacks, gum, chips, muffins, water, and more will come in handy for late-night or spontaneous snackers. While free Wi-Fi is available in the rooms and common areas, the cubicle-style sliver of an internet room has computers and printers up for grabs as well.