Ye Olde Carlton Arms HotelEditor's Pick

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A budget hotel in a Gramercy-adjacent neighborhood, the one-star Ye Olde Carlton Arms Hotel looks pretty inauspicious from the outside; inside it’s finely-tuned backpacker chic all the way.

The guest house consists of 54 rooms, some of which have been turned over to artists for redecoration. Rooms are simple, sans usual hotel amenities like TV and phones. We liked the tiny old-fashioned corner sinks and the inventive contributions courtesy of various resident artists. Most other room characteristics are pretty standard. It fhese small rooms have any edgy factor, it’s thanks to their tweaking by artists.

Twenty rooms have private facilities; the others share bathrooms. One of the shared bathrooms is extraordinary, with colorful tiled floors and almost psychedelic walls of mosaic, including shards of mirror.

A worn awning announces the oddly-named guest house, and the reception area is one flight up. On our visit, we walked right by without seeing any evidence of the place. Once up the stairs, we were impressed by the super funky reception, with its very red walls, murals, and old-school water fountain. The clientele is mostly of the backpacker persuasion.

History buffs will appreciate that the landmark Carlton Arms has been a hotel for 100 years.The Carlton Arms Art Project, which has added to the creative spirit of the property, began in the 1980s.

» 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.