The lobby décor at the 300-room Hampton Inn Times Square is surprisingly contemporary for a midrange chain hotel.

The Chelsea Pines Inn is a cheerful and popular spot offering friendly service, a convenient location and touches of old-Hollywood glamour.

The small and simple Hotel St. James offers basic accommdations and some of the best rates in the area around Times Square.

From the outside, the Skyline Hotel bears resemblance to a highway-side motor lodge. Inside, the atmosphere is unmistakably that of a big city hotel.

The 38 rooms at the Off SoHo Suites Hotel offer convenient, spacious and well located accommodations with modern furnishings and full kitchens.

The 79-room Broadway @ Times Square Hotel eschews the bright lights and and blaring marquees of nearby Times Square in favor of more traditional décor.

Stylish, cozy boutique hotels do exist in bustling, chain-hotel-dominated Midtown. The three-star Hotel 414 is one of them—and it's affordable, to boot.

The Wellington Hotel is something of an aging beauty, but it's clean, comfortable and an excellent value for this chichi and coveted location just south of Central Park.

Thirty Thirty's 257 rooms have a just-add-water feel to them: Take a prime Midtown East location, add a deluxe reception area with silvery tiles and big globular lamps, and finish off with sparsely decorated, minimalist-oriented rooms.

The 120-room Milburn, located in the thick of the Upper West Side, is an interesting midrange property with a number of features that set it apart from the pack.

Perched on the edge of Hell's Kitchen, at 47th Street and 8th Avenue, the Econo Lodge Times Square certainly offers convenience.

The Grand Union, a midrange hotel in Midtown East, is a moderately-sized beast, with just under 90 rooms.

The Harlem Flophouse is a rare bird of a guesthouse, offering four simple, eclectic guest guestrooms in a stunning Harlem brownstone.

The Hotel East Houston, located as one might expect on very busy Houston Street, is a smart boutique hotel.