The JaneEditor's Pick

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Part SRO (Single Room Occupancy) and part hipster den, the Jane Hotel is a beautiful beast, a glammed-up flophouse in a gorgeous ‘hood, well suited to the contemporary moment. Until its reincarnation, the entire hotel was an SRO with an impoverished clientele. The new management mixes existing SRO tenants with the hotel guests.

The Jane features two types of rooms: tiny ones and splashy ones. The tiny grouping—150 of them, inspired by luxury ship cabins—includes rooms with single beds and rooms with bunkbeds. Both feature rich retro décor, flat-panel televisions, mirrored walls, iPod docks and telephones. The 40 splashier "Captain’s Cabin" rooms have more space, daintier and lighter-hued interiors and private bathrooms.

There is something so perfect, so uncanny and so delicious about this hotel. In the months after its launch in 2008, it became difficult to open a travel magazine without coming across a Jane mention, and this was the case not merely in budget-friendly publications but also in swanky aspirational travel mags. It's a remarkable hotel both aesthetically and conceptually, and its publication inches are deserved.

At the time of our last visit, there were around 60 SRO tenants living in the hotel side-by-side with hotel guests. We noticed staff, long-term tenants and guests mingling effortlessly, though we sensed that staying here may indeed prove to be more lively than a stay at a conventional hotel.

The hotel's bar has also emerged as a hipster magnet, something that might either prove to be an appealing or depressing dimension of the place depending on perspective. On the other hand, there is nothing depressing about the sunny, Frenchy Café Gitane (just off the hotel lobby), with its cheery atmosphere and scrumptious French-Moroccan bites.

One thing to note: The combination of old building and booming nightclub makes for noisy nights, so light sleepers should remember to pack ear plugs.

» Alex Robertson Textor

Note: This hotel was visited by a EuroCheapo editor and is recommended based on cleanliness, location, price and overall quality. EuroCheapo did not charge this hotel to be listed.