Nolitan Hotel SoHo - New York

Forty-one rooms occupy this Nolita corner building at 30 Kenmare Street, where exposed brick and steel-cased windows nod to the block's former printing-house use. Rooms above the second floor catch light over the low SoHo rooftops rather than facing directly into neighboring buildings.

The ground-floor lounge doubles as a local coffee counter each morning, drawing as many Kenmare Street residents as guests. Housing Works Bookstore and the Nolita boutique row sit within three blocks, and the 6 train at Spring Street reaches Midtown in under fifteen minutes.

A four-star property, it suits travelers wanting downtown streets over Times Square crowds.