The Maritime Hotel

The Maritime Hotel was designed in 1966 for the National Maritime Union; hence its name, and its nautical theme. Today it is one of New York’s hipster hangouts, owing as much to its location (just off the Meatpacking District) as to the charms of the hotel itself.

This is not a traditional hotel, by any stretch — all rooms face westward, looking over the Hudson and New Jersey through five-foot porthole windows. The rooms are compact, but well-designed, with built-in furniture, so that all the necessities (storage space, work desk, flat-screen TV) easily fit into the tiny space, and wireless internet, naturally, takes no space at all. The décor almost borders on kitsch, but is actually quite charming, if one accepts the ship's cabin conceit in all its wood-paneled glory.

The real action, of course, is in the public spaces, from the parade of models and actors in the lobby to the 10,000-square-foot terrace — the largest outdoor space in any New York hotel. And Midtown’s glamorous Asian bistro Tao has taken over the hotel’s enormous subterranean space.

Not just a boutique, not quite a luxury hotel, the Maritime occupies a middle ground all its own, with a level of service a bit higher than one would find at a flashier nightclub hotel. The neighborhood is one of the new centers of New York nightlife, and the Maritime benefits from its downtown location; most New York hotels are in stodgy Midtown or the stuffy Upper East or West sides. One important fact: each room has, without exception, one queen bed — so travelers in need of twins must look elsewhere. But if you are on your own, or don’t mind getting close to your companion, this is a fine hotel for mixing comfort and cool.