The Jane Hotel

With rooms beginning at just $99, the Jane Hotel is the kind of hotel that's attractive in any economy. Located right near the Hudson River, the Jane is a labor of love from hip hoteliers Eric Goode and Sean MacPherson—the men behind the far fancier Bowery and Maritime hotels.The building is as storied as the WestVillage itself— a red-brick landmark built in 1908 that once sheltered Titanic survivors. During its hundred-year history, the structure served as a residential hotel for sailors and for the Off-Off-Broadway Jane Street Theater—where the musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch made its debut—before once again reclaiming full-time hotel status last summer. Most of the Jane's 160 or so cabin-like rooms comprise a mere 50 square feet, so guests share communal commodes. Forty larger rooms, with private baths and panoramic river views, will be available this summer at slightly higher price tags.

Thompson LES

Of all the new Manhattan hotels to open lately, the Thompson LES is certainly one of the most eye-catching. Located where the East Village melds into the Lower East Side, the 141-room Thompson towers 19 floors above this renowned quarter. The Thompson's staff members, decked out in custom-designed uniforms by fashion brand Rogan, are a multinational crew as varied as the international clientele. In the accommodations upstairs, theThompson's rooms are surprisingly large for New York—with floor-to-ceiling windows and a mix of slate surfaces, exposed brick walls and interior elements made from tropical woods. Above all beds are elegant one-off black-and-white photographs of apple and olive trees from a series by artist Lee Friedlander; the images are cleverly illuminated from within to form comfortingly "organic" nightlights.While nearby Lower East Side eateries are among the City's best, the hotel is home to Shang, offering contemporary Chinese cuisine from Susur Lee, as well as an alfresco pool—perfect for a respite after visiting nearby galleries and stores.

Stay

Located near the heart of Times Square, the 208-room Stay hotel is aptly named. Owned by haute hotelier Vikram Chatwal, this former Quality Inn has been extensively upgraded and is both a place to drop anchor and to see and be seen.With its Murano glass chandeliers and an 18,000-gallon aquarium, the Stay is nothing if not dramatic. Rooms include luxe amenities like feather-filled duvets, 42-inch plasma TVs, L'Occitane products and Skype/Bluetooth-enabled phones. But the Stay's real reason to, er, stay is the Aspen Social Club, which features a menu of updated Colorado classics served tapas-style.The Club's roaring fireplace is capped—à la tony ski lodge—with a crown of antlers.

Ace Hotel

TheAce Hotel chain made its name by creating inexpensive—and chic— hotels in hip West Coast cities. Now the outfit has touched down in NewYork, with an Ace opening soon just north of Madison Square Park. The lodgings pay tribute to vintage Americana (with a musical bent): 258 "industrial luxe" rooms with rock-star-suitable interiors by the architecture and interior firm Roman and Williams. Some of the rooms include innovative details such as clothing racks made from plumbing pipes and old-school turntables accompanied by a curated collection of LPs ranging from Jay-Z to John Coltrane. Guitars round out the hip accoutrements, positioned bedside and ready for strumming. When you're ready to recharge with food or drink, you don't have to go far: the Ace houses a new restaurant called The Breslin, from the folks behind the West Village's wildly popular Spotted Pig, as well as a branch of the cult West Coast coffee chain Stumptown Coffee Roasters.

The Standard

André Balazs' Standard took a long time to reach fruition. But the 337-room, $200 million abode is finally open for business and is already establishing itself as a new landmark on Manhattan's far west side. It's easy to see why: looming on concrete pillars 30 feet above the hotly anticipated High Line park project, the structure is an homage to International Style architecture and appears almost otherworldly in its design. Inside, the floor-to-ceiling windows offer seemingly endless sunlight and unobstructed views of the City or the Hudson River.The furniture, most of which is custom-designed for the hotel, gives interiors a sleek, contemporary feel, with surprising touches including tropical tambour wood panels that extend up along the ceiling. The Standard is still in its early stages—look for staggered openings from two restaurants and five bars (including an outdoor café), the last of which is to open by the end of the year.