Top 10 New York hotels

• Joshua Stein
• guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 7 November 2007 13.56 GMT
• Article history
  

Catch up on some zeds ... Bed and Coffee in East Village's Alphabet City neighbourhood

An estimated 44 millions visitors come to New York each year and most of them end up staying in the same Midtown hotels rooms found anywhere in the world: starchy floral bedspreads, offensively bland artwork, and a corporate carpet with some sort of soporific design. But one of the best reasons to visit (and to live) in New York is that there is something for everyone. Any permutation of the human soul will be catered to here and hotels are no different.

1. For party heads

East Village Bed and Coffee: Just because you like to party like a bum doesn't mean you have to sleep in a flophouse. The East Village's Alphabet City has come a long way since the C in Avenue C stood for Chaos. Though still packed with dive bars and pizza joints, the East Village also has its share of luxury condos, boutiques and bistros. The East Village Bed and Coffee manages to preserve both the boho eccentricity of the neighbourhood while providing a safe and clean place to stay. Each room has some sort of quirky theme (Dutch, Mexican, Afghan etc.) and there's a dog named Fang II. You're minutes away from classic seedy bars like Niagara, Odessa, and the Parkside Lounge. And there's even a garden out back and a tree under which you can sleep off your hangover. What more could you want?

· Rooms from $105 (£50).

2. For aspiring writers

The Algonquin: Nearly 90 years ago, author Dorothy Parker and her Vicious Circle of writers and actors gathered at Midtown's Algonquin to sling witticisms and trade barbs. The group became known The Algonquin Round Table and the hotel has remained synonymous with literary greats ever since. Today the most guests at this midtown hotel can hope for is that any lurking genius in the walls of the hotel will provide inspiration through osmosis. The hotel underwent a massive renovation in 2004 so even if inspiration isn't in the air, WiFi service is.

· Rooms from $284 (£135).

3. For hipster Edwardian fops

The Bowery Hotel: Stepping into the lobby of the Bowery Hotel is like taking a step back into an alternative past where models and tattoo-covered musicians lounged fireside in plush leather chairs, sipping Pimm's cups, chatting on Blackberries and admiring the ornate murals. The Bowery, by far the best of the new downtown hotels, combines a neo-Edwardian hipster vibe (especially in their second floor bar) with tried-and-true hotel touches like CO Bigelow toiletries and flatscreen televisions. Check out the stuffed bulldog in the lobby bar.