East Village hotel guide: The best places to stay in the area

The Bowery Hotel

This fanciful boutique hotel from prominent hospitality duo Eric Goode and Sean MacPherson is the capstone in the gentrification of the Bowery. Shunning minimalism, they have created plush rooms that pair old-world touches (oriental rugs, wood-beamed ceilings, marble washstands) with modern amenities (Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, DVD library). Floor-to-ceiling windows offer views of the neighborhood’s historic tenements, and the property includes an antique--looking trattoria, Gemma.

East Village Bed & Coffee

Popular with European travelers, this East Village B&B (minus the breakfast) embodies quirky downtown culture. Each of the nine guest rooms has a unique theme: For example, the "Black and White Room" or the "Treehouse" (not as outlandish as it sounds, with an ivory and olive color scheme, animal-print linens and a whitewashed brick wall). Owner Anne Edris encourages guests to mingle in the communal areas, which include fully equipped kitchens and three loftlike living rooms

The Standard, East Village

• Price band: 3/4

Carlos Zapata’s curved, 21-story glass tower is hard to miss, but approaching the unmarked entrance to the city's second Standard, formerly the Cooper Square Hotel, you might wonder what it is. A doorman ushers you into a dramatic, double-height lobby, where you should be greeted by staff. Checking in over a glass of wine, admire the contemporary lodgelike library-lounge, stocked with diverse reading matter from Housing Works—you can buy the books, benefiting the charity—and